December 2023

In December, AERA joined two letters on important initiatives in the overall scientific and education research enterprise.

On December 6, AERA joined a letter with seven other scientific associations to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) that encouraged partnership on actions to implement the provisions of the Combating Sexual Harassment in Science Act. This legislation was among several provisions included in the CHIPS and Science Act enacted into law in 2022.

The letter noted the importance of safe and welcoming work environments for fostering an inclusive STEM workforce, with harassment having particular impacts on women in STEM fields. The letter encouraged action by OSTP and leadership of federal scientific agencies to conduct an inventory of existing harassment policies and develop a uniform policy to address unwelcoming workplaces in federally funded projects.

AERA served as an endorser of the Combating Sexual Harassment in Science Act as a standalone bill when it was introduced in the 116th and 117th Congresses.

On December 11, AERA joined 55 other signers in a letter that supported the reintroduction of the New Essential Education Discoveries (NEED) Act in the House by Reps. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA). The bill was originally introduced in July 2022 during the previous Congress.

The NEED Act would establish a National Center for Advanced Development in Education (NCADE), similar to other federal agencies such as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in the Department of Defense and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health in the National Institutes of Health. The bill includes a $500 million authorization for NCADE. Currently, the Institute of Education Sciences is piloting the Accelerate, Transform, and Scale program, which builds on funding dedicated in the FY 2023 appropriations language to support quick-turnaround, high-reward scalable solutions intended to significantly improve outcomes for students.

The NEED Act would also modernize the Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems program, and include a $500 million authorization for the program.