National Academies to Conduct Three Studies on IES
National Academies to Conduct Three Studies on IES
 
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April 2021

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will be conducting three studies directed by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) this year, with the purpose of providing recommendations on the agency’s programs

The first, The Future of Education Research at IES, will focus on critical problems where new research is needed, new methods or approaches for conducting research, and new types of research training investment. Adam Gamoran, president of the W. T. Grant Foundation and former member of the National Board for Education Sciences, will chair the committee undertaking this study. The committee  includes AERA Division L (Educational Policy and Practice) Vice President Janelle Scott, Division L Past Vice President Lora Cohen-Vogel, and Division G (Social Context of Education) Past Vice President Alfredo Artiles, among many other high-profile AERA members. This study follows on a request for feedback from IES Director Mark Schneider on research topics in the National Center for Education Research and the National Center for Special Education Research.

The second, A Vision and Roadmap for Education Statistics in 2030 and Beyond, will examine trends in the use and collection of survey and administrative data; review budget, staffing, and contractor use; and provide recommendations on data products, collections, and governance. Larry Hedges, Board of Trustees Professor of Statistics and Professor in the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University, will chair the committee, which also includes former U.S. Chief Statistician Katherine Wallman. Hedges is an AERA Fellow and longstanding member of the AERA-NSF Grants Program Governing Board.

The third, Opportunities for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in an Age of AI and Pervasive Computation, will focus on potential innovations for conducting NAEP. Committee members have not yet been announced.

The reports stemming from these studies are expected to be released in 2022 to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the establishment of IES under the Education Sciences Reform Act.