Bill Evers Confirmed as Assistant Secretary of Education for the Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today announced that the U.S. Senate has confirmed Williamson M. “Bill” Evers as assistant secretary for the Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development at the U.S. Department of Education. As assistant secretary, Evers will serve as the principal adviser to Secretary Spellings on all matters relating to K-12 and higher education policy development and review; performance measurement and evaluation; and budget processes and proposals.

“Bill is a knowledgeable, trusted advisor with vast experience in education policy, and I’m thrilled to have him at the helm of my policy team,” Secretary Spellings said. “As assistant secretary, Bill will help ensure the policies developed by the Department are based on sound, scholarly research and serve the best interests of America’s students.”

Evers joined the U.S. Department of Education in February 2007, as a senior advisor to Secretary Spellings. Evers worked at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution where he was a research fellow and a member of the Institution’s Koret Task Force on K-12 Education.

Evers has published research articles and edited books on a variety of education policy issues—especially in the areas of curriculum, teaching, testing, accountability, and school finance. Before joining the Department, he was a member of the editorial board of Education Next magazine.

In 2003, Evers served with the Department of Defense as a senior advisor for education to Administrator L. Paul Bremer, III of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, where Evers helped re-start Iraqi schools. He has also served on the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars and the National Educational Research Policy and Priorities Board, as well as an education policy adviser to President George W. Bush during his 2000 and 2004 campaigns.

Evers also served for three years as an elected trustee of Santa Clara County Board of Education in California. He is the former board president of a charter school. He was also appointed by Governor Pete Wilson to the California State Academic Standards Commission, where he helped draft grade-level content standards for California public schools.

As a member of several review panels, Evers has offered his expertise on educational matters ranging from professional development to grant applications, the content of statewide tests, and statewide textbook adoptions. He also taught political science at Santa Clara University and Emory University.

Evers received his bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and Ph.D. in political science from Stanford University. He currently resides in Washington, D.C.