Dean Chard elected chair of National Board for Education Sciences

DALLAS (SMU) – David J. Chard, dean of SMU’s Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development, was elected by fellow board members as chairman of the National Board for Education Sciences, effective immediately.

David J. Chard

The U.S. Senate approved President Obama’s nomination of Chard to the board in 2012. The 15-member board oversees and directs the work of the Institute of Education Sciences.

"Schools throughout the nation will benefit from David Chard's leadership of this important board," said SMU President R. Gerald Turner. "His support of evidence-based education practices will help ensure that proven teaching strategies make their way to the classroom."

 One of the board’s functions is to advise the research priorities for the Institute of Education Sciences, the primary research and evaluation arm of the U.S. Department of Education.

The institute collects and analyzes education research data and funds researchers nationwide who are working to improve education outcomes for all students, particularly those at risk. In addition, the institute produces the Nation’s Report Card. As chair, Chard succeeds Bridget Terry Long from the Harvard Graduate School of Education where she is academic dean and the Xander Professor of Education.

Supporting education must be more than rhetoric, Chard says. “We can’t talk about how important education is to the future of our country when we invest so little in knowing what works and for whom it works in the classroom,” he says. “Taxpayer dollars have to be wisely invested in education research and the results of research must be incorporated into our classrooms and schools."

Chard, the Leon Simmons Endowed Dean, is a frequently published education scholar and former public school teacher. He has served as dean of the Simmons School since 2007.  He came to SMU from the University of Oregon, where he was associate dean for the College of Education. Under his leadership, the Simmons School has greatly expanded its research.

Dedicated to education reform through evidence-based research, Chard's research and development projects have been awarded more than $11 million in federal, state and private grants.

The school offers a doctoral program, as well as 12 master’s degrees, graduate certificate programs and undergraduate degrees.

Media Contacts:

Nancy George
214-768-7674
ngeorge@smu.edu

Yolette Garcia
214-768-2206
ygarcia@smu.edu

SMU is a nationally ranked private university in Dallas founded 100 years ago. Today, SMU enrolls nearly 11,000 students who benefit from the academic opportunities and international reach of seven degree-granting schools.

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