William H. Schmidt

William H. Schmidt received his undergraduate degree in mathematics from Concordia College in River Forrest, Illinois, and his PhD from the University of Chicago in psychometrics and applied statistics. He carries the title of University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University and is currently co-director of the Education Policy Center, co-director of the U.S.–China Center for Research, and director of the NSF PROM/SE project. He holds faculty appointments in the departments of Statistics and Educational Psychology at MSU. Previously, he served as national research coordinator and executive director of the U.S. National Center, which oversaw participation of the United States in the IEA-sponsored Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). He has published in numerous journals, including the Journal of the American Statistical Association, Journal of Educational Statistics, and the Journal of Educational Measurement. He has co-authored eight books, including Why Schools Matter and Teacher Education Matters. His current writing and research concerns issues of academic content in K–12 schooling, assessment theory, and the effects of curriculum on academic achievement. He is also concerned with educational policy related to mathematics, science, and testing in general. He was awarded the honorary doctorate degree at Concordia University in 1997, received the 1998 Willard Jacobson Lectureship from the New York Academy of Sciences, is a member of the National Academy of Education, and is an American Educational Research Association (AERA) Fellow.