U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona has announced the appointment of six education leaders to the National Assessment Governing Board, which oversees the Nation's Report Card. The new members include Danielle Gonzales and Jared Solomon, while four current members have been reappointed.

The Nation's Report Card, also known as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), is a nationally representative assessment of student achievement over time for the nation, states, and large urban districts.

Danielle Gonzales, a senior fellow at the One Generation Fund and school board president for Albuquerque Public Schools, joins as a local school board member. Gonzales has previously worked with New Mexico First, the Aspen Institute, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and was a 4th grade teacher.

Jared Solomon, delegate for Maryland's 18th district in the House of Delegates and deputy speaker pro tem, joins in a state legislator role. Solomon works as a senior policy advisor at Bose Public Affairs Group and has experience in various educational roles including high school social studies teacher in Baltimore.

Secretary Cardona reappointed Suzanne Lane from University of Pittsburgh’s School of Education; Julia Rafal-Baer from ILO Group; Ron Reynolds from California Association of Private School Organizations; and Mark White from Tennessee’s State Legislature.

Cardona emphasized that these appointments are crucial for promoting evidence-based strategies in student learning: “The talented appointees announced today represent the breadth of skills and lived experience—as community leaders and educators with hands-on experience in the classroom and in districts—to make grounded decisions around assessment and student achievement.”

Lesley Muldoon, Executive Director of the National Assessment Governing Board added: “Danielle Gonzales’ experience as a school board president and Rep. Jared Solomon’s legislative work on behalf of students and teachers at the state level make them well prepared to serve on the Governing Board."

The 26-member nonpartisan Governing Board was established by Congress to set policy for NAEP. It collaborates with the National Center for Education Statistics to release results. The new members will be sworn in at November's quarterly meeting.

For more information about the Governing Board visit www.nagb.gov.