Dean David Chard
David Chard, openly gay dean of SMU’s Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development, was elected by fellow board members as chairman of the National Board for Education Sciences, effective immediately.
The U.S. Senate approved President Obama’s nomination of Chard to the board in 2012. The 15-member board oversees and directs the work of the Institute of Education Sciences.
“Schools throughout the nation will benefit from David Chard’s leadership of this important board,” said SMU President R. Gerald Turner. “His support of evidence-based education practices will help ensure that proven teaching strategies make their way to the classroom.”
The institute collects and analyzes education research data and funds researchers nationwide who are working to improve education outcomes for all students, particularly those at risk. In addition, the institute produces the Nation’s Report Card.
As chair, Chard succeeds Bridget Terry Long from the Harvard Graduate School of Education where she is academic dean and the Xander Professor of Education.
“We can’t talk about how important education is to the future of our country when we invest so little in knowing what works and for whom it works in the classroom,” Chard said. “Taxpayer dollars have to be wisely invested in education research, and the results of research must be incorporated into our classrooms and schools.”
Chard is a frequently published education scholar and former public school teacher. He has served as dean of the Simmons School since 2007. He came to SMU from the University of Oregon, where he was associate dean for the College of Education. Under his leadership, the Simmons School has greatly expanded its research.
