Dean of the Graduate School of Education and Human Development Michael J. Feuer has been elected the next president of the National Academy of Education. Dr. Feuer will hold the title of president-elect until October 2013 and will then begin his four-year term as president. Dr. Feuer succeeds Susan Fuhrman, president of Teachers College, Columbia University, who led the NAEd since 2009.
“It is a great honor—and a significant challenge—to fill the shoes of leaders like Susan Fuhrman and her outstanding predecessors,” said Dr. Feuer. “I am excited at the prospect of working with our members and board toward the goal of improved education at all levels.”
Founded in 1965, the NAEd undertakes research studies that address pressing issues in education and professional development fellowship programs focused on the preparation of the next generation of scholars. The academy’s president is elected by its 194 U.S. members and 19 foreign associates.
Among the academy’s current efforts is a project that Dr. Feuer is chairing on the evaluation of teacher education programs. Funded by the National Science Foundation, this initiative focuses on innovations in the design of metrics to assess the quality of teacher preparation.
“I am delighted that Dr. Feuer was elected the next academy president,” said Dr. Fuhrman. “He will provide strong leadership to all our field-building activities and give our efforts to connect research to policy and practice real momentum.”
Dr. Feuer has been dean of GSEHD since 2010. Before joining George Washington, he held various positions at the National Research Council of the National Academies, most recently as the executive director of the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. He has also served as a senior analyst and project director at the U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment and worked for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Federal Reserve and the city of Philadelphia. He has a B.A. from Queens College (CUNY) and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Feuer’s research has focused on the economics of education, the uses and misuses of standardized testing, the nature of scientific research in education and the role of international comparative studies in shaping education policy. He has published in numerous academic journals as well as in newspapers and magazines and advises educational organizations in the U.S., Israel and Europe. Dr. Feuer is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and of the American Educational Research Association.