Dr. Matthew Soldner | Acting Director of IES
Dr. Matthew Soldner was designated the responsibilities of IES Director in April 2024.
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.
Dr. Solder is also Commissioner of NCEE, a position he has held since 2018. In that role, he also serves as the Department of Education's Chief Evaluation Officer.
Contact Dr. Soldner via email here.
Staff in the Office of the Director assist in carrying out these responsibilities. The Deputy Director for Administration and Policy, Data Sciences, Science, and Communications Management report to the Director.
Within the Education Sciences Reform Act Sec. 117 (d) the Commissioner for Education Statistics is exempt from performing assigned responsibilities (within Part C of ESRA) "under the supervision and subject to the approval of the IES Director." However, it is important to note that the Commissioner for Education Statistics is subject to the supervision and approval of the IES Director on all matters relates to NCES spending, since budgetary authority is delegated solely to the IES Director by law. This distribution of authorities within ESRA between IES and NCES requires on-going communication and collaboration between the Commissioner for Education Statistics and the IES Director on all matters related to spending and budgetary approval necessary for the use of appropriated funds in the Statistics, Assessment, and Statewide Longitudinal Data accounts, along with use of administrative account spending that supports hiring, training, travel, and other related activities.
See the IES Organizational Chart.