Dr. Alejandro Tiana Ferrer is Professor of Theory and History of Education at Spain’s National Distance Teaching University (UNED) and since 2008 Director General of the Centre for Advanced Studies of the Ibero-American States Organization for Education, Science and Culture (OEI). He served for the Ministry of Education and Science of Spain as Secretary General of Education (2004-2008), Director of the Centre for Research, Documentation and Evaluation (1989-1993) and Director of the National Institute for Quality and Evaluation (1994-1996). He has been Chair (1999-2004) of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA)  Dr. Tiana is the author or co-author of 19 books and more than 150 chapters and articles about the history of contemporary education systems, theoretical models and management of distance education institutions, comparative education, and evaluation of education systems.