Dean of the George Washington University’s Graduate School of Education of Human Development Michael J. Feuer was installed as the president of the National Academy of Education (NAEd) at the research organization’s annual meeting dinner on Friday.
Dr. Feuer will serve a four-year term as president of the NAEd, a research- and professional development-focused organization made up of 200 elected members representing education, research, policy and practice.
“It is a great honor to have been selected by such a distinguished group of educators, all of whom are renowned leaders in their respective fields of research,” Dr. Feuer said.
The position was formerly held by Susan Fuhrman, president of the Teachers College, Columbia University.
“Dr. Fuhrman and her predecessors have done an extraordinary job, and I hope to build upon the academy’s fine reputation and track record for building bridges between high-quality research, education, policy and practice,” Dr. Feuer said.
Dr. Feuer brings diverse experience as an expert and leader in educational research to his new position, having previously served as executive director of the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education at the National Research Council of the National Academies, a senior analyst and project director at the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment and a 10-year member of the NAEd, which elects members based on outstanding scholarship.
He has performed key research on the economics of education, the issues surrounding standardized testing, scientific research in education and the role of international comparative studies in shaping education policy.
“I am delighted that Dr. Feuer was elected the next academy president,” Dr. Fuhrman said. “He will provide strong leadership to all of our field-building activities and give real momentum to our efforts to connect research, policy and practice.”
Most recently, Dr. Feuer chaired the steering committee for an NAEd research project investigating methodological and policy issues in the evaluation of teacher preparation programs including postsecondary institutions and alternative programs.
The research was funded by the National Science Foundation, and served as the foundation for developing a new framework for improving the evaluation of teacher preparation programs.
The final report, “Evaluation of Teacher Preparation Programs: Purposes, Methods and Policy Options,” was released at the NAEd annual meeting on Friday during a panel discussion hosted by GSEHD.
“As the call for measuring and improving the quality of teacher preparation across the country grows louder, so does the need for a systematic analysis of various approaches that are used to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of those programs,” Dr. Feuer said. “Educators and policymakers can look to this report for guidance on implementing and improving upon evaluation strategies.”
As president of the NAEd, Dr. Feuer said he hopes to advance programs that prepare future scholars of education, enhance international programs and develop new ways to communicate research and connect the work of the NAEd to the behavioral and social science community.