PHILADELPHIA – Rebecca Maynard of the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education has been named commissioner of the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance.

The appointment was announced by John Easton, director of the U. S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences.

Maynard is University Trustee Chair Professor of Education and Social Policy at Penn and director of the University’s Predoctoral Training Program in Education Sciences, an IES-funded program that supports 26 Ph.D. students annually from arts and sciences, business and education. 

She helped develop the What Works Clearinghouse, and her work was instrumental in the creation of the Campbell Collaboration, an international association of public-policy professionals who work to solve societal problems through scientific research and analysis.

“Dr. Maynard is an exceptional evaluator and researcher,” Easton said.  “She is among the very strongest specialists in this field, and she shares our belief that education research and evaluation should be useful and relevant and should help improve education policy and practice.” 

As commissioner, Maynard will oversee NCEE, one of four centers in the Institute of Education Sciences.  NCEE helps educators and policy makers make informed decisions about education.