Education Research Policy Page

The purpose of this page is to post information on federal policy related to research, statistics, evaluation and dissemination in education, with a special emphasis on OERI. I am interested in this topic not just as a member of the research community who cares about the scientific basis for education research, but also in my (past) capacity as Chair of the National Educational Research Policy and Priorities Board for OERI, U.S. Department of Education (NERPPB ceased operations on November 5, 2002 when President Bush signed HR 3801 replacing OERI with the Institute of Education Sciences. I happen to believe that the improvement of the quality of education research is perhaps the single most underrated public policy issue in the United States.

		National Educational Research Policy and Priorities Board (NERPPB) Home Page
		Final Statement of NERPPB, on the occasion of the first meeting of the National Research Council SCORE (Subcommittee on Research in Education). The meeting occurred on November 7, 2002, and the Chair of NERPPB took this occasion on the program (as sponsor for SCORE) to summarize NERPP's past accomplishments. President Bush signed the Education Sciences Reform Act into law on November 5, 2002, and NERPPB terminated its operation. Click here for MS Word version. November 7, 2002.
		U. S. Dept. of Education seminar on "Scientifically Based Research" in the context of No Child Left Behind. February 6, 2002.
		HR 3801. Education Sciences Reform Act. PDF version. October 15, 2002.
		Scientific Inquiry in Education. Report of the Committee on Scientific Principles in Education Research, Richard Shavelson (Chair) and Lisa Towne (Study Director). November, 2001. Center for Education, National Research Council. This committee at the National Academies was funded by NERPP to develop recommendations on scientific principles in education research. The interim report also has great quotes and raw materials, including audio, and even contains some entertainment value! Click here for link.
		Educational Knowledge Building in Context. (William Morrill). August, 2001. This paper places the issue of quality control and peer review in the context of various Dept. of Education programs that address whole school reform efforts, including the CSR (Comprehensive School Reform) programs.
		Evaluation of the Expert Panel Review System for Identifying Promising and Exemplary Programs (William Morrill). March, 2001. This study looks at the functioning of expert panels to review programs, with an eye to the improvement of Phase II standards for OERI.
		House Subcommittee on Education Reform Hearing on "From Research to Practice: Improving America’s Schools in the 21st Century". July 17, 2001. Michael Castle, Chairman. Witnesses: Frank Newman, Susan Fuhrman, Mary Ann Schmitt, Pascal Forgione, Albert Bennett, Dawn Goldstine.
		A BLUEPRINT FOR PROGRESS IN AMERICAN EDUCATION: A Statement of The National Educational Research and Priorities Board. November 28, 2000. This statement summarizes the major deliberations and conclusions of the board for the benefit of the Bush Transition Team.
		Improving Educational Research: A Brief (Draft 9/19/00) by the National Educational Research Policy and Priorities Board.(note: This draft was discussed at the Board meeting 9/23/00 and has been modified and is being circulated to the Presidential transition and Congressional leadership in November and December -- see above).
		NERPPB Policy Statement: Investing in Learning: A Policy Statement with Recommendations on Research in Education by the National Educational Research Policy and Priorities Board. June, 1999.
		NERPPB, Second Policy Statement with Recommendations on Research in Education. Draft, adopted June, 2000. This is in MS Word format. Click here for pdf format
		Kenji Hakuta's presentation  on quality in education research (Powerpoint slides), National Research Council. July 15, 2000.
		Reid Lyon (Chief, Child Development and Behavior, NICHD), Education Research: Is What We Don't Know Hurting Our Children? Congressional Testimony, House Science Committee Subcommittee on Basic Research, October 26, 1999.
		Can We Make Education Policy on the Basis of Evidence? What Constitutes High Quality Education Research and How Can it Be Incorporated Into Policymaking? Transcript from a Brookings Institution Forum, Dec. 8, 1999.
		Proceedings on: "Options for the Future of the Office of Educational Research and Improvement", House Committee on Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Youth and Families, May 4, 2000 (McGuire, Vinovskis, Lyon, Slavin).
		William Bennett, Chester Finn, William Hansen, Tom Loveless, Bruno Manno, Diane Ravitch, Nina Shokraii Rees, and Maris Vinovskis. Principles for Reauthorizing OERI, NAEP and NAGB. (May 4, 2000; Revised May 10, 2000)
		Chester Finn. The Most Important Federal Education Programs Need Fundamental Overhaul. Testimony prepared for delivery to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Youth and Families, Committee on Education and the Workforce, U.S. House of Representatives, May 11, 2000
		Discussion Draft H.R. 4875. Scientifically-Based Education Research, Statistics, Evaluation, and Information Act of 2000. July 14, 2000. (pdf file)
		H.R. 4875. Scientifically Based Education Research, Statistics, Evaluation, and Information Act of 2000, Introduced July 18, 2000. To track the status of HR 4875, click here.
		Press Release from Reps. Castle and Goodling on H.R. 4875. July 18, 2000.
		AERA Initial Comments on H.R. 4875. July 24, 2000.
		Books and Articles on Research Quality