David N. Plank joined PACE as Executive Director after leading the Education Policy Center at Michigan State University. With a background in educational finance and policy, he has extensive experience in academia and international consulting for organizations like the World Bank and governments in Africa and Latin America. At Michigan State, he focused on using research to influence state education policy, publishing reports on accountability, school finance, and school choice. Plank aims to leverage his expertise to expand PACE's policy research network, strengthen relationships with California policymakers, and elevate the organization's impact in addressing the state's unique educational challenges.

"Getting Down to Facts" is a new research initiative commissioned by Governor Schwarzenegger's Committee on Education Excellence, state Democratic leaders, and Superintendent Jack O'Connell. Led by Susanna Loeb, a Stanford Graduate School of Education Professor and PACE codirector, this project seeks to explore California's school finance and governance systems. Its objective is to provide comprehensive insights essential for assessing the effectiveness of potential reforms. The initiative addresses three key questions: the current state of school finance and governance, optimizing existing resources for improved student outcomes, and evaluating the need for additional resources to meet educational goals. The studies from this project are expected to be available by January 2007.

We are delighted to announce that Professor David N. Plank, an economist teaching at Michigan State University (MSU), will become PACE's executive director in January 2007. Professor Plank is world renown for his work on school quality and democratic governance both in the U.S. and within developing countries. He currently directs an education policy center at MSU which operates much like PACE. Professor Plank has conducted extensive research in Brazil and is fluent in Portuguese. He will start work from our UC Berkeley office part time, beginning this summer.