Institute of Educational Sciences

Institute of Educational Sciences
Name	Institute of Educational Sciences
Formation	2002
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Parent organization	United States Department of Education
Chief1 name	Director

Institute of Educational Sciences.

The Institute of Educational Sciences is a federal research agency charged with supporting rigorous scientific studies and program evaluations to inform policy and practice within the United States Department of Education, alongside partnerships with National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and agencies such as the Institute for Educational Leadership. The agency funds projects at institutions including Harvard University, Stanford University, University of Michigan, University of California, Berkeley, Columbia University, University of Chicago, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins University, Pennsylvania State University, University of Texas at Austin, University of Florida, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Yale University, Princeton University, Duke University, Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, Brown University, Cornell University, Indiana University Bloomington, University of California, Los Angeles, University of California, San Diego, University of Virginia, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Michigan State University, Ohio State University, Arizona State University, University of Southern California, Georgetown University, George Washington University, Syracuse University, Boston College, Boston University, University of Minnesota, Rutgers University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Vanderbilt University, University of Maryland, College Park, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Pittsburgh, Auburn University, Florida State University, University of Georgia, CUNY Graduate Center, University of Iowa, University of Kansas, University of Oregon, University of Arizona, University of Notre Dame, Colorado State University, Temple University, University of Cincinnati, University of Connecticut, University of Tennessee, University of Missouri.

Overview

The Institute conducts applied and basic research, program evaluation, and statistical analysis with an emphasis on randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental designs, and longitudinal studies; it supports investigators at Carnegie Mellon University, Purdue University, Texas A&M University, Washington University in St. Louis, Stony Brook University, Clemson University, University of Alabama, Brigham Young University, Oregon State University, Mississippi State University, Iowa State University, Southern Methodist University, Lehigh University, University of Utah, University of Kentucky, Kansas State University, Oregon Health & Science University, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Montana State University, University of New Mexico, University of Hawaii at Mānoa, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Florida International University, University of South Florida, University of Louisville, West Virginia University, Louisiana State University, University of Oklahoma, San Diego State University, San Francisco State University, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

History

Established by legislation enacted in the early 2000s, the Institute emerged in the aftermath of federal initiatives and commissions such as the No Child Left Behind Act, the National Commission on Excellence in Education, and policy reviews influenced by reports from National Research Council, President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, Brookings Institution, RAND Corporation, American Institutes for Research, and watchdogs like Government Accountability Office. Key administrative linkages have included collaborations with Office of Management and Budget, Congressional Research Service, House Committee on Education and the Workforce, Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, and advisory input from bodies such as the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Education, Spencer Foundation, Ford Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Annenberg Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Lumina Foundation, William T. Grant Foundation, The Wallace Foundation, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and MacArthur Foundation.

Organization and Leadership

The Institute is organized into program centers and statistical units and has been led by directors appointed through the United States Senate confirmation process or designated by the Secretary of Education. Leadership has interfaced with officials from U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Endowment for the Arts, Smithsonian Institution, Library of Congress, Federal Reserve Board, Social Security Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Administration for Children and Families, Head Start program administrators, and education stakeholders including National Education Association, American Federation of Teachers, Council of Chief State School Officers, National Governors Association, Education Commission of the States, Association of American Universities, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, American Council on Education, State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, and National School Boards Association.

Research Programs and Priorities

Programs prioritize literacy, numeracy, early childhood, special education, STEM, postsecondary completion, career and technical education, and workforce transitions via competitions and partnerships with labs and centers at SRI International, WestEd, HighScope, RAND Corporation, MDRC, Abt Associates, RTI International, Evaluation Research Corporation, American Institutes for Research, Educational Testing Service, ACT, Inc., College Board, ETS Research, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, and testing consortia tied to Common Core State Standards Initiative, PARCC, Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement Program, Programme for International Student Assessment, Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, World Bank, UNESCO, UNICEF, and OECD research units.

Grants and Funding Mechanisms

The Institute administers competitive grants, fellowships, training grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements distributed through peer review panels and grant competitions linking to recipients in networks such as Teach For America, KIPP Foundation, Charter Schools USA, Alliance for Excellent Education, National Writing Project, Reading is Fundamental, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, YMCA, Jumpstart for Young Children, Communities In Schools, KnowledgeWorks Foundation, NewSchools Venture Fund, EducationPioneers, Data Quality Campaign, Council of the Great City Schools, Urban Institute, Pew Charitable Trusts, Annenberg Institute for School Reform, Center for American Progress, Heritage Foundation, Cato Institute, American Enterprise Institute, and state education agencies across all fifty states and territories including Puerto Rico Department of Education, Guam Department of Education, U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Education.

Impact and Criticisms

The Institute's funded studies have influenced policy decisions tied to programs such as Head Start, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Pell Grant Program, Higher Education Act of 1965, Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, Every Student Succeeds Act, and evaluations that informed litigation like cases appearing before the United States Supreme Court and analyses by Congressional Budget Office. Criticisms have centered on reproducibility debates associated with teams from Open Science Framework, disputes highlighted by commentators at Education Week, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, ProPublica, Inside Higher Ed, and policy critiques from Brookings Institution, Hoover Institution, Manhattan Institute, Cato Institute, and civil rights advocates including NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

Category:United States federal agencies