UA Professor to Advise U.S. Department of Education

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Sean Mulvenon, holder of the George M. and Boyce W. Billingsley Chair in Educational Research and Policy Studies, will take lessons learned in Arkansas as director of the National Office for Research, Measurement and Evaluation Systems to aid educators at the federal level. He has been named to a 13-month appointment in Washington, D.C., as a senior adviser to the deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Education.

Deputy Secretary of Education Ray Simon said, “Sean’s deep expertise and relevant experience are an ideal fit for one of the U.S. Department of Education’s top priorities right now: improving the way we — and others — collect, use, and manage data to make the best instructional and policy decisions. We are excited about his decision to join us on these important issues in the new year.”

Mulvenon will review the data collection and analysis activities currently under way in the department, particularly involving the Performance Based Data Management Initiative, which is a federal effort to consolidate the collection of education information in a way that improves data quality while reducing the burden of paperwork. He will make recommendations on policy improvements to benefit the department and school systems nationally. Mulvenon will also serve as a liaison between the deputy secretary’s office and other Department of Education offices involved in similar initiatives. His appointment begins on Thursday, Dec. 1.

Reed Greenwood, dean of the UA College of Education and Health Professions, said, “Dr. Mulvenon’s work with educational statistics and databases has made a significant contribution to the college’s mission of serving the state and nation. We are proud to lend him to the U.S. Department of Education and are confident that his talents and experience will benefit children and schools throughout the nation.”

Mulvenon began NORMES with a $500 grant in 1996 and has guided its development into an organization with funding in excess of $1 million annually. The nationally award-winning NORMES Website provides educational statistics data for Arkansas public schools at http://normes.uark.edu.