Dr. Jeffrey Howard

Dr. Jeffrey Howard was recently appointed to the Commonwealth’s newly expanded Board of Elementary and Secondary Education by Gov. Deval Patrick.

Howard, a social psychologist, is the founder of The Efficacy Institute, a national nonprofit agency for education reform that provides training and application methods to adults in school systems and community organizations throughout the United States. The training focuses on the root causes of the poor academic performance of so many American children, especially children in urban settings.

He is also the founder of J. Howard and Associates, a corporate training and consulting firm that is part of the Novations Group Inc. Howard holds an A.B. from Harvard College and a Ph.D. in social psychology from Harvard University.

Other appointments to the redefined Board of Elementary and Secondary Education included Dr. Dana Mohler-Faria, president of Bridgewater State College and Patrick’s special advisor on education, and Gerald Chertavian, the founder and CEO of Year Up, a nationally recognized one-year training and education program that serves low-income youth ages 18 to 24.

“Each of these individuals brings a deep personal commitment to improving educational opportunities for children all across the Commonwealth,” said Patrick in a statement announcing the appointments. “They will each serve the public well on these boards.”