2008. Currently a full professor of mathematics and statistics at the Lisbon School of Economics and Management, Crato has published on the fields of time series analysis and probabilistic models, with applications in econometrics, computer algorithms, human behavior, and other topics. Political career In June 2011, he was appointed Minister of Education, Higher Education and Science, in the cabinet of the Portuguese Government led by Pedro Passos Coelho. During his tenure, mandatory schooling was increased from 9th to 12th grade, dropout rates were substantially reduced (from 23-27% to 13.7%), English was introduced as a mandatory subject, retention decreased to historical low levels, and academic results improved. International evaluations TIMSS and PISA showed a significant improvement: from 2011/2012 to 2015, Portuguese students results raised to above OECD and IEA averages, attaining the best results ever for Portugal. A few analysts explain these advances by some of the educational measures put in place during his tenure: the development of more demanding curricula, the external evaluation of students, teachers and schools, and the creation of vocational paths. He also stressed the need for improvement of teacher's initial training. He has no party affiliation. After his tenure in government he returned to the University of Lisbon. Publications In addition to his scientific research contributions , he has published extensively in the fields of science popularization and education. Some of his books have been published in a few languages and countries, such as Portugal, Brazil, the U.S., the U.K., and Italy. His recent books include: Improving a Country's Education: Pisa 2018 Results in 10 Countries, N. Crato, (ed.), Springer 2021 Data-Driven Policy Impact Evaluation: How Access to Microdata is Transforming Policy Design, N. Crato and P. Paruolo (eds.) Springer 2019 Raising Public Awareness of Mathematics, E. Behrends, N. Crato, and J.F. Rodrigues (Eds.), Springer 2012 Figuring It Out: Entertaining Encounters with Everyday Math, N. Crato, Springer 2010 References 1952 births Living people Technical University of Lisbon alumni Education ministers of Portugal 20th-century Portuguese economists 20th-century Portuguese mathematicians 21st-century Portuguese mathematicians