A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

OERI Has Key Role in National Education Agenda

That the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) is expected to play a lead role in many of the initiatives currently topping the President's and Secretary Riley's agenda for American education is reflected in the President's fiscal year (FY) 1999 budget request of $935.4 million for research and statistics. This is an increase of $344.9 million--or approximately 58 percent--over OERI's FY 1998 budget of $590.5 million.

Singled out for the largest boost is the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program, which supports before- and after-school services for children in a safe, drug-free environment. Currently funded at $40 million, it is hoped that this program will receive an additional $160 million in FY 1999, and thus provide services for up to 500,000 children, many of whom are left unsupervised after school each day. (See Dramatic Expansion Proposed for After-School Programs).

Another area of critical concern is the growing evidence that teachers are often not prepared to use technology with maximum effectiveness in the classroom. Anticipating the large number of new teachers who will be needed over the next decade, the President is seeking $75 million to prepare new and prospective teachers in the effective use of technology in the classroom. The FY 1999 request also includes $10 million to support community-based technology centers, so that disadvantaged students and adults unable to purchase computers for home use will have access to technology. (See Challenge Grants to Boost Teacher Technology Skills.)

A third area where OERI has been asked to assume a leadership role is in the improvement of mathematics instruction. A total of $50 million--an increase of $26.7 million--has been requested to support teacher preparation in this subject. Funds would be targeted in three areas: direct planning for improved professional development through better leveraging of existing resources; training teachers and administrators to lead professional development improvement efforts in their schools and districts; and developing effective professional training models and materials.

In addition, the President also is seeking $103.8 million--an increase of $50 million--for education research. These funds would support a new partnership with the National Science Foundation (NSF) and other agencies such as the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Working on the premise that research from other disciplines holds great promise in addressing some of education's major problems, OERI will convene the best minds from a wide range of disciplines to consider how recent findings from cognitive science can be translated into classroom strategies and how new technologies can change how children learn and teachers teach.

Finally, an increase of $13.5 million is being sought for the activities of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). This includes an additional $4.5 million for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). If these funds are forthcoming, the Center's statistics activities would be funded at $68 million, and NAEP would receive $40 million.

Among the new activities that NCES would undertake is development of a birth cohort in the early childhood longitudinal study and a new adult literacy survey. These would provide valuable data on the development of children in their preschool years and on the literacy levels of the adult population.

[Challenge Grants To Boost Teacher Technology Skills]

[Dramatic Expansion Proposed for After-School Programs]