IES Staff

Matthew Soldner
Acting Director of IES and NCEE Commissioner
NCEE
About
Dr. Matthew Soldner has served as Commissioner of NCEE and Chief Evaluation Officer of the U.S. Department of Education since 2018. Since April 2024, Dr. Soldner has also served as the Acting Director of IES.
Dr. Soldner's areas of expertise include the use of rigorous evidence to improve education policy and the implementation and evaluation of efforts to improve postsecondary outcomes for students. His PhD is from the University of Maryland's College of Education.
Associated IES Content
Minutes of Meeting: December 4-5, 2023
NBES meeting minutes on December 4-5, 2023
Minutes of Meeting: September 11, 2023
NBES meeting minutes on September 11, 2023
Blog
Evidence Whac-a-Mole? How Living Evidence Hubs Can Strengthen the What Works Clearinghouse
The crisp September mornings we've been having in Washington, DC of late evoke happy childhood memories for many of us. Of course, they signal the start of a new school year. But for me, they signal nothing so much as the return of a fall ritual . . . the Kansas State Fair! Naturally, you can find corndogs, pig races, and butter cows at the Fair. But if you search just a bit, you can find a favorite of fairgoers everywhere: Whac-a-Mole. (It's probably right next to a stand selling something...
Date published:
Sep 09, 2024
Blog
REL E-letter (July 2024)
In this last installment of the REL eLetter for the 2023-24 academic year, I'm sharing information about Spring and early Summer REL happenings and resources for the Fall.
Date published:
Jul 08, 2024
Blog
REL Quarterly E-letter (April 2024)
It is hard to believe that the end of the school year is just around the corner for many, and that planning for Summer and Fall 2024 is already in high gear. During this busy time, I wanted to share a few updates with you from the Department's Institute of Education Sciences and its REL Program.
Date published:
Apr 29, 2024
Blog
Meeting the Moment: The Role of Evidence-Based Practice in Innovation and Improvement
On March 5, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education convened state education agency (SEA) leaders and their teams to an event called "Meeting the Moment: How State Leaders are Using Innovation for Impact." As part of this meeting, my colleagues and I presented IES initiatives that support the use of evidence-based practices in states and districts. Below are my remarks that introduce this important work. Thank you - and good morning, everyone. It truly is a privilege to be with you today. If you
Date published:
Mar 14, 2024
Blog
REL Quarterly E-letter (January 2024)
I hope your 2024 has gotten off to a safe, healthy, and productive start. As we look forward to a new year and the opportunities it brings, I wanted to share a few updates with you from the Department's Institute of Education Sciences and its REL Program.
Date published:
Jan 19, 2024
Blog
REL Governing Board Quarterly eLetter
I hope the 2023-24 academic year has gotten off to a safe, healthy, and productive start. During this busy time, I wanted to share a few updates with you from the Department's Institute of Education Sciences and its REL Program.
Date published:
Oct 18, 2023
Blog
REL Governing Board Quarterly eLetter
With the start of the next school year fast approaching (already upon us for some), I wanted to share a few resources that might be useful as you welcome students, educators, and families back to the classroom.
Date published:
Aug 16, 2023
Blog
How State Education Agencies Can Leverage Their Regional Educational Laboratory to Support Students' Academic, Social, and Mental Health Needs
(A Dear Colleague Letter sent to Chief State School Officers on February 23, 2023.) Dear Colleague: As state and local education agencies leaders reflect upon the successes and challenges of the 2022-2023 school year--and the opportunity that summer 2023 presents to further support students' academic, social, and mental health needs--I am writing today to encourage you to take full advantage of the services offered by your Regional Educational Laboratory (REL). The REL Program, sponsored by the
Date published:
Feb 24, 2023
Blog
An open letter to Superintendents, as summer begins
If the blockbuster attendance at last month's Summer Learning and Enrichment Collaborative convening is any sign, many of you are in the midst of planning--or have already started to put in place--your plans for summer learning. As you take time to review resources from the Collaborative and see what's been learned from the National Summer Learning Project, I'd like to add one just one more consideration to your list: please use this summer as a chance to build evidence about "what works" to im
Date published:
May 27, 2021
Blog
An Evidence-Based Response to COVID-19: What We're Learning
Several weeks ago, I announced the What Works Clearinghouse's(tm) first ever rapid evidence synthesis project: a quick look at "what works" in distance education. I asked families and educators to send us their questions about how to adapt to learning at home, from early childhood to adult basic education. I posed a different challenge to researchers and technologists, asking them to nominate high-quality studies of distance and on-line learning that could begin to answer those questions. Betwe
Date published:
Apr 27, 2020
Blog
Seeking Your Help in Learning More About What Works in Distance Education: A Rapid Evidence Synthesis
Note: NCEE will continue to accept study nominations after the April 3rd deadline, adding them on a regular basis to our growing bibliography found here. Studies received before the deadline will be considered for the June 1 data release. NCEE will use studies received after the deadline to inform our prioritization of studies for review. Awareness of these studies will also allow NCEE to consider them for future activities related to distance and/or online education and remote learning. In th
Date published:
Mar 26, 2020
Blog
The Role of RELs in Making WWC Practice Guides Actionable for Educators
Earlier this year, I wrote a short blog about how I envisioned the Regional Educational Laboratories (REL) Program, The What Works Clearinghouse(tm) (WWC), and the Comprehensive Center Program could work together to take discovery to scale. In it, I promised I would follow-up with more thoughts on a specific--and critically important--example: making WWC Practice Guides actionable for educators. I do so below. At the end of this blog, I pose a few questions on which I welcome comments. The chal
Date published:
Oct 10, 2019
Blog
Taking Discovery to Scale
Along with my NCEE colleagues, I was excited to read the recent Notice Inviting Applications for the next cycle of Comprehensive Centers, administered by the Department's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. As you can see in the notice, Regional Comprehensive Centers will "provide high-quality intensive capacity-building services to State clients and recipients to identify, implement, and sustain effective evidence-based programs, practices, and interventions that support improved edu
Date published:
Jul 10, 2019
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