The Graduate School of Education and Human Development is the new home of the Center on Education Policy, an internationally renowned source of information to guide educational improvement. The center will reinforce the school’s commitment to linking research and teaching to educational policy and practice.
Maria Voles Ferguson, formerly of the nonprofit Alliance for Excellent Education, will lead the center as its executive director beginning June 4.
Founded in 1995 by Jack Jennings, CEP has become a major resource for data and analyses pertinent to decision making at all levels of education. To achieve its mission, CEP produces publications, convenes meetings, gives presentations and provides expert advice. And now more than ever, its work is crucial.
“The Center on Education Policy and GSEHD are coming together at a watershed moment in public education,” said Ms. Ferguson, adding GSEHD’s resources will significantly enhance CEP’s mission. “I look forward to working together so we can all engage more deeply in the important conversations that are driving education research and policy.”
Ms. Ferguson formerly served as vice president for policy at the Alliance for Excellent Education, a nonprofit policy and advocacy organization in D.C., and as director of the National School Boards Foundation, where she worked to support school board leadership in local communities. As a political appointee of former President Bill Clinton, Ms. Ferguson was also the director of communication and outreach services for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.
“Maria has a deep and wide understanding of education policy and the vital role that CEP plays in the national conversation,” said GSEHD Dean Michael J. Feuer. “Her experience will be key to moving CEP along its path of providing credible and objective information for education policymakers and the general public.”