Education Research: Preliminary Observations on the Institute of Education Sciences' Research and Evaluation Efforts Page: 3 of 17
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Chairman Kline, Ranking Member Miller, and Members of the Committee,
Thank you for inviting me here today to discuss the preliminary results of
our ongoing work for this committee on the Department of Education's
(Education) Institute of Education Sciences (IES). For more than 100
years, the federal government has invested in conducting education
research and collecting education data. The Education Sciences Reform
Act of 2002 (ESRA) outlines a broad mission for IES to expand
fundamental knowledge and understanding of education and to provide
this information to a wide variety of stakeholders, including parents,
educators, researchers, policymakers, and the general public. 1As the
primary research and evaluation arm of Education, IES is charged with
providing information about educational policies, programs, and practices
that improve academic achievement and access to educational
opportunities for all students. In fiscal year 2013, IES had a budget of just
under $600 million, which it used to support a range of research, data
collection, and evaluation activities.2 In order to assist the Committee in
the reauthorization of ESRA, my testimony will focus on (1) the extent to
which IES supports high-quality research and fulfills its mission, (2) the
extent to which selected Education research and technical assistance
groups disseminate relevant products to the education field, and (3) IES's
coordination within Education and with other federal agencies.
Our analysis is based on a review of relevant federal laws and regulations
as well as agency documents, including budget justifications, guidance
and procedures, grantee and contractor performance work statements,
and annual grantee and contractor performance reports. We also
conducted interviews with officials from IES, other offices within
Education, other federal agencies, and a range of stakeholder groups
representing researchers, policymakers, and practitioners, as well as
several members of IES's advisory board-the National Board for
Education Sciences (NBES). In addition, we interviewed the directors of
the Regional Educational Laboratories (REL) and Comprehensive
Technical Assistance Centers (Comprehensive Center), and administered
a survey to the directors of the National Research & Development
Centers (R & D Center). We selected these three research and technical
1 Pub. L. No. 107-279, Title I, Part A, 111, 116 Stat. 1940, 1944.
2 According to IES, this figure does not include funds that support certain program
evaluations conducted by IES, for example those required and funded by other statutes.GAO-13-852T
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United States. Government Accountability Office. Education Research: Preliminary Observations on the Institute of Education Sciences' Research and Evaluation Efforts, text, September 10, 2013; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc298948/m1/3/: accessed April 20, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.