Archived  Information

II. F.  Institute of Education Sciences

• Overview
• Research, Development, and Dissemination
• Statistics
• Assessment

Overview

The Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 reauthorized the Department's educational research, statistics, and assessment activities and placed them in the newly created Institute of Education Sciences (IES). The Administration firmly believes that in order to improve student achievement, the government must invest in research that can identify effective instructional and program practices, as well as in data collection needed to track student achievement and measure educational reform. The new structural and management reforms underway at the Institute ensure that the Federal investment in education research is well-managed and relevant to the needs of educators and policymakers.

For 2004, the Administration is seeking $375.9 million for Education Research, Statistics, and Assessment. This request would support new programs of research, development, and dissemination in areas where our knowledge of learning and instruction is inadequate. The request also would maintain the Administration's commitment to supporting high quality statistics and assessment programs.

Research, Development, and Dissemination

The budget would provide $185 million for education research, development, and dissemination sponsored by the Institute, including research designed to address gaps in our scientific knowledge on how to increase teacher quality, how schools can reduce behavior problems and help children develop character, and how to teach reading and mathematics more effectively. Research in these areas is critical to the successful implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act. Other important research programs will help educators identify the most effective preschool curricula for getting children ready for school, and for helping children whose first language is not English develop English-language skills.

The Institute is also funding research to bridge the gap between scientific research on the brain and teaching and learning in classroom settings. Other research projects will identify conditions that foster the use of research findings by teachers, school administrators, and policymakers and an interagency initiative to fund large-scale implementations of promising educational practices and technologies. The request also continues support for the national research and development centers, field-initiated research, and Small Business Innovation Research grants.

Our request for dissemination includes funds to expand the What Works Clearinghouse, which provides evidence-based information for policymakers, researchers, and educators on promising approaches and interventions. The request also continues support for the National Library of Education and the ERIC clearinghouses.

Statistics

The request includes $95 million for Statistics to support the collection, analysis, and dissemination of education-related statistics in response both to legislative requirements and to the particular needs of data providers, data users, and educational researchers. The Department's statistics programs—administered by the Institute through the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)—provide general statistics about trends in education, collect data to monitor reform and measure educational progress, and inform the Institute's research agenda. The request also supports NCES efforts to meet the statistical needs of the future through new technologies, training, data development and analysis, and methodological studies that will enable more efficient data collection and produce information that is more useful for parents, teachers, administrators, and policymakers.

Assessment

The request would fund the on-going National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and the National Assessment Governing Board. NAEP is the only nationally representative and continuing assessment of what American students know and can do, and has become a key measure of our Nation's educational performance. NAEP measures and reports on the status and trends in student learning over time, on a subject-by-subject basis, and makes objective information on student performance available to policymakers, educators, parents, and others.

Higher Education Programs Programs Proposed for Elimination

For further information contact the ED Budget Service.

This page last modified—September 15, 2006 (jer).