Baylor School of Education Dean Appointed to Texas Commission on Student Assessment and School Accountability

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WACO, Texas (Nov. 11, 2015) – Michael K. McLendon, Ph.D., dean of Baylor University's School of Education, is among 15 state education leaders who have been appointed to the Texas Commission on Next Generation Assessments and Accountability.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick appointed McLendon to serve on the new commission, which is tasked with developing and making recommendations for new systems of student assessment and public school accountability no later than Sept. 1, 2016. Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Joe Strauss also appointed members to the commission.

"I'm honored to be able to serve Texas by advising our state's elected leaders on how best to design future systems of educational assessment and accountability affecting both K-12 and higher education. The stakes for Texas, for its people and for its economy have never been greater," McLendon said.

Prior to joining Baylor on July 1 as dean, McLendon served at Southern Methodist University as the inaugural Harold and Annette Simmons Centennial Chair of Higher Education Policy and professor and associate dean for academic affairs at the Simmons School of Education and Human Development.

McLendon held appointments as the executive associate dean and chief of staff at Vanderbilt University's Peabody College of Education and Human Development. He also was professor of public policy and higher education for 13 years at the university.

Before his academic career, McLendon served as an aide to a member of the U.S. Senate and a policy analyst on the Higher Education Committee of the Florida House of Representatives. A specialist in the study of American higher education, McLendon has published extensively on topics relating to postsecondary education governance, finance and public policy. He has served on the editorial boards of numerous journals, and is a former elected member of the board of directors of the Association for the Study of Higher Education. McLendon has authored 100 peer-reviewed articles and presentations on topics pertaining to governance, finance and public policy for higher education.

McLendon currently holds appointment as a Senior Fellow at the John Goodwin Tower Center for Political Affairs at SMU and as a Faculty Fellow at the University of Georgia's Institute of Higher Education.

In 2007, McLendon was recognized as Baylor's Outstanding Young Alumnus. He earned his bachelor's degree in political science from Baylor, master's degree in higher education from Florida State University and his doctorate degree in higher education policy from the University of Michigan.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution, characterized as having "high research activity" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University provides a vibrant campus community for approximately 15,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 80 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 11 nationally recognized academic divisions. Baylor sponsors 19 varsity athletic teams and is a founding member of the Big 12 Conference.