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Leadership Changes Announced at the Institute of Education Sciences
January 3, 2017

Leadership Changes Announced at the Institute of Education Sciences

Changes were announced today (Jan. 3, 2017) to the leadership of the Institute of Education Sciences, the independent, non-partisan research, evaluation, and statistics arm of the U.S. Department of Education.

Ruth Curran Neild, who has been delegated the duties of IES director since July 2015, will leave her position on January 13, 2017. U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King, Jr., has announced he will delegate the duties of director to Thomas W. Brock, the Commissioner for IES' National Center for Education Research, effective January 14, 2017. Dr. Brock will continue to serve as NCER commissioner.

"It has truly been an honor to work with the dedicated staff of IES to help support a culture of evidence use in education," Dr. Neild said. "I am especially proud of our work expanding partnerships between researchers and practitioners; improving communication and dissemination efforts; and providing tools and resources that allow educators, policy leaders, and decision makers to conduct and use research."

Dr. Brock added: "I look forward to working with our team to continue the important work of IES and build on the progress we have made under Ruth's leadership. Even in this time of transition, we must continue to support the development of independent research and statistics that can serve as the foundation for education improvement efforts across the country."

Dr. Neild joined IES in 2011, previously serving as the Commissioner of the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE) and the Associate Commissioner for NCEE's Knowledge Utilization division. In July 2015, Dr. Neild was named Deputy Director for Policy and Research and delegated the duties of IES Director. During her tenure at IES, she has led the work to refocus the Regional Educational Laboratories so they are better responding to the needs of the field; overhaul the What Works Clearinghouse and ERIC library systems so information and resources are easier to find and use; and improve and modernize the IES website and other communication tools.

Prior to joining IES, Dr. Neild was a research scientist at The Johns Hopkins University Center for Social Organization of Schools and also was a member of the standing faculty at the University of Pennsylvania. On January 17, 2017, Dr. Neild will become the director of the Philadelphia Education Research Consortium, an initiative of Research for Action.

In his four years as NCER Commissioner, Dr. Brock has deepened IES' commitment to supporting rigorous, relevant research and providing training and learning opportunities to strengthen the education sciences field. He has overseen the expansion of partnerships between researchers and practitioners and policymakers to help ensure that education research is addressing the most pressing challenges in the field. This has included the awarding of low-cost, short-duration grants to states and school districts, and funding to build and grow researcher-practitioners partnerships. He also worked with NCER staff to launch new research networks on the transition from preschool to elementary school, and on college completion.

Prior to being named NCER commissioner, Dr. Brock spent 13 years with MDRC, an education and social policy research organization. Among the positions he held at MDRC, Dr. Brock led the Young Adults and Postsecondary Education Division, overseeing projects focused on finding ways to increase academic achievement, persistence, and completion among low-income college students. As part of the IES-funded National Center for Postsecondary Research, he also oversaw evaluations of learning communities and summer enrichment programs for postsecondary students in need of developmental education. Dr. Brock also worked as an evaluation officer for the Wallace Foundation, a philanthropic organization, and has written or co-authored numerous publications on postsecondary education and welfare reform.

Dr. Brock holds a B.A. in anthropology from Pitzer College, a master's degree in public administration from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in social welfare from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Established by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, IES is comprised of four centers—the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE), the National Center for Education Research (NCER), the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), and the National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER). The Director of IES is a Presidential appointee that must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

Media Contact: Dana Tofig, Communications Director, Institute of Education Sciences, 202-245-8235, dana.tofig@ed.gov