Much evidence shows that the wide dissemination of flawed, untested educational initiatives can be detrimental to the education of children. It is therefore imperative that the federal government be held to the highest standards in conducting education research, in evaluating the success or failures of federal education programs, and in producing education statistics, all of which are the foundation of crucial education decisions made at the national, state and local levels.

In an effort to ensure the quality and integrity of research, evaluation and statistics, this legislation proposes a significant restructuring of the current system.

• The Office of Educational Research and Improvement (currently located within the Department of Education) would be eliminated and replaced with a new National academy providing the infrastructure for the undertaking of coordinated and high quality education research, statistics gathering, program evaluation, and information dissemination.
• The academy would be separate from the Department of Education or any other federal agency as a means of ensuring its activities are carried out with the greatest level of independence and integrity.
• A director, appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, would replace the assistant secretary and serve a six-year term.
• The director would be responsible for overseeing and ensuring the integrity of the activities carried out under the academy.
• Under the director, a national board comprised of each of the commissioners appointed under the academy, appropriate federal agency directors, and individuals, (including teachers, parents and researchers), nominated by the president and Congress would help the director oversee the functions of the academy.
• The academy would consist of three main centers, including: the National Center for Education Research; the National Center for Program Evaluation and Development; and the National Center for Education Statistics.

• The National Center for Education Research would replace the six existing education institutes and be headed by a commissioner.
• The commissioner of Education Research would oversee all research activities, guided by a seven member committee with extensive technical expertise. This committee would replace the current 15-member National Educational Research Policy and Priorities Board and play a greater role in policy decisions.
• All research funded by the center would be required to meet the requirements of ‘scientifically valid research’ as defined in the legislation.
• The commissioner would be responsible for developing and carrying out a research agenda based upon a limited number of priorities identified through local, state, and regional surveys and ‘evaluative summaries’ designed to provide insight into the gaps in research covering a broad array of major issues in education.
• These summaries would also provide classification of all major educational research, providing insight to parents, teachers and others on the type, reliability and utility of such research. These evaluative summaries are based upon the work of the National Reading Panel that found that just a fraction of the research studies in reading actually met rigorous standards of research.
• Grants for the current National Research Centers would be extended for two years to carry out these evaluative summaries.
• After two years, individual grants for National Research Centers would be extended only if their work fits into the research plan developed by the commissioner and if the quality of work conducted by the center can be determined will meet the high standards of research as defined in the legislation.
• The legislation also expands competition to allow other research entities -- such as higher education institutions, and public or private, profit or non-profit, research organizations – to carry out research with funds from this act.
• Information on research grants, including the amount of funds, the use of funds and the findings would be made widely available to the public through such means as the internet as part of an annual report conducted by the commissioner.

• Currently, the Department of Education is charged with evaluating its own programs and doesn’t have the incentive to dedicate the resources necessary to conduct high quality evaluations that are able to demonstrate whether programs are actually working.
• This act ensures independent program evaluations designed specifically to determine what works and what doesn’t.
• The commissioner of the National Center for Program Evaluation would oversee all long-term, large-scale program evaluations, including for the Title I program, to determine the impact of such programs, especially on student outcomes. (Smaller scale evaluations would remain under the Secretary of Education)
• The commissioner would be authorized to establish independent review panels for each evaluation conducted by the center to ensure that evaluations are meaningful, rigorous in methodology, are timely and reflective of national priorities.