The Minister of Education has appointed a new director of the Educational Research Institute. In place of Robert T. Ptaszek, Barbara Nowacka appointed Dr. Maciej Jakubowski, DSc in the social sciences, professor at the University of Warsaw.
Maciej Jakubowski received a comprehensive education at the University of Warsaw, but also studied at the University of Pittsburgh in the United States and Ludwig and Maximilian University in Munich. He received prestigious fellowships from the Foundation for Polish Science, the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies and the European University Institute in Florence.
He gained extensive experience in economics and sociology in the research team of the Central Examination Board, where he worked on the added value of education. He developed an original method for studying this value for lower secondary schools. In 2012, Maciej Jakubowski was appointed undersecretary of state at the Ministry of National Education, where he was responsible for strategy and financing.
In 2014, he founded the Evidence Institute Foundation to promote the use of research in teaching practice and developing educational policy. His particular interests include providing teachers, students and parents with knowledge about teaching methods that are firmly grounded in research, as well as debunking popular educational myths. He works as a consultant for governments and international institutions such as the World Bank, OECD, UNESCO, UNDP, and the European Commission. He is the author of many scientific books and articles, as well as those targeted to a general audience.