Warren Simmons will leave his position as executive director of the University’s Annenberg Institute for School Reform, which conducts research on education reform policy, on June 30, the institute announced Tuesday.
Simmons, who became the institute’s second director in 1998, said he feels it is “the right time” to step down after serving for an “unprecedented period of time.”
President Christina Paxson wrote in an email to The Herald that a search for a new director is underway, with the goal of finding Simmons’ successor by July 1. “Whoever takes this position will have big shoes to fill,” she wrote, adding that the ideal candidate will be passionate about increasing access to education and will have school reform policy experience.
Paxson has taken a personal interest in the search, said Michael Grady, deputy director of the Annenberg Institute. She will have the final say in selecting the new director.
Simmons said he will remain at Brown as a senior fellow and continue to work on the Urban Philanthropists Network and Education Justice Network — two developing Annenberg intiatives.
According to the institute’s website, the Urban Philanthropists Network is an alliance of organizations that aim to “help disadvantaged students enter and succeed in college.” The Education Justice Network is a coalition that seeks to improve children’s access to high-quality education.
Over the course of his 16-year tenure, Simmons transformed the institute from a think tank to a place of advanced scholarship and research on problems that school districts confront, said Kenneth Wong, professor of education policy.
Focusing on school districts during the early part of his leadership, Simmons established the National Task Force on the Future of Urban Districts, which “developed a research-based framework and tools to help districts” boost teaching quality and student learning outcomes, Grady said. “This put districts back on the map.”
Simmons also shifted to a data-driven approach, Wong said. Policymakers and education leaders now always ask for evidence before implementing changes. Under Simmons’ leadership, the institute has grown its research capacity and increased its investments in research and evaluation, Grady said.
Grady said the institute’s research currently focuses on three major areas: college and career readiness, extended learning time and school transformation.
Strengthening community ties within districts was another pillar of Simmons’ agenda, Grady said. Simmons led the institute to build partnerships among school leaders, politicians, parents and other groups that “increase opportunities and outcomes for low-income students and students of color.”
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