On November 9–19,  AERA held a two-day working conference on Open Access Publishing in the Social Sciences. The conference brought together representatives from social science associations, libraries, university presses, and publishing houses, as well as researchers, journal editors, and other open access experts to explore issues of central importance in open access publishing and the critical role of social and behavioral science associations in that process.

• View the conference agenda
• View conference attendees

AERA Executive Director Felice J. Levine was invited to join the Academy of Social Sciences in London to discuss the U.S. perspective on open access research. The conference theme, "Implementing Finch," examines the realization of the recommendations of the Finch Report on Open Access publishing in the UK.

Levine was the only American speaker invited to participate in the conference, with her presentation "The Finch Report and Open Access Publishing in Social Science from the US Side of the Pond." View the complete presentation below.

Related content: Finch Access Plan Unlikely to Fly Across the Atlantic via Times Higher Education

AERA Joins CNSF Associations in Support of NSF Funding Integrity
July 2012/ Highlights—In response to action in the U.S. House of Representatives, AERA and other scientific societies have sent a letter to the U.S. Senate urging that funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF) and its political science program be maintained.  


AERA-IEL Educational Policy Forum
June 2012—AERA, in conjunction with the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL), hosted a discussion with the new executive director for the National Association of State Board s of Education (NASBE), Jim Kohlmoos.

AERA Joins Efforts to Protect NSF Peer Review in Face of Congressional Actions Targeting Political Science 
On May 17, on behalf of AERA and other member organizations the Consortium of Social Science Associations (COSSA) urged the Senate not to act on a provision similar to one that recently passed the House of Representatives, prohibiting funding for the National Science Foundation’s Political Science Program.  

AERA Protects NSF Peer review in face of Congressional actions targeting political science
May 17, 2012

AERA to File Amicus Brief
AERA will file an amicus curiae brief in Fisher v. The University of Texas at Austin, a key Supreme Court case with major implications for race-conscious admissions policies in higher education. At its meeting on April 13, 2012, AERA Council unanimously passed the following resolution. 

AERA Testifies on FY 2013 NSF Budget
On March 22, AERA Executive Director Felice J. Levine testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies. Her testimony supported the proposed FY 2013 budget for the National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR). As proposed, EHR would receive $875.6 million in FY 2013, an increase of $46.6 million, or 5.6%, over the FY 2012 appropriation.  

U.S. Census Bureau Releases Eductional Attainment Statisics Along With Other Products  
On February 23, the U.S. Census Bureau released five new education statistical products, including “Educational Attainment in the United States: 2011,” a collection of national-level tables from the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS ASEC). Also released was “Educational Attainment in the United States: 2009,” a report showing monthly employment rates by educational attainment from January 2008 to December 2010, along with other information on education from the American Community Survey (ACS), the CPS ASEC, and the monthly Current Population Survey.   

Presidents Obama's Budget Requests for Education and Related Research
On February 13, President Obama sent his budget plan to Congress. In the days following, each federal agency held briefings with interested members of the public, primarily representatives of associations, to explain and justify the requests.  

PCAST Report Recommends Action to Increase Number of STEM Graduates
The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) issued a report on February 7 with five recommendations to President Obama to increase the number of STEM graduates by one million in the next decade to meet projected employment needs. These graduates would fill not only traditional STEM jobs but also “STEM-capable” jobs, or non-STEM positions that require STEM skills.  

NCES Releases Second Version of Common Education Data Standards  
On January 31, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released the second version of its Common Education Data Standards, better known as CEDS. 

STEM Education in the Federal Government: Is There Overlap Among Programs? 
Many federally funded STEM programs overlap, and few efforts are made to coordinate and evaluate program activities, according to a report released in January by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).  

Science and Engineering Indicators 2012 Released by National Science Board 
Last month, the National Science Board released Science and Engineering Indicators 2012, examining the state of science and engineering activities around the world. Using indicators such as number of academic degrees conferred, research published, inventions patented, and employment turnover, the report seeks to provide an understanding of trends in educational achievement, in research and development, and in state and regional economic development.