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

Attaining Excellence: A Handbook on the Standards for the Conduct and Evaluation of Research Carried Out by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement - April 1999

Foreword

One of the chief responsibilities of the Congress gave the National Educational Research Policy and Priorities Board (NERPPB) in its authorizing legislation was to review and approve standards for the conduct and evaluation of all research, development, and dissemination carried out under the auspices of the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) of the U.S. Department of Education. These standards were designed to assure that such activities meet the highest criterion of professional excellence.

The development of the standards was a lengthy process. The Assistant Secretary for the Office of Educational Research and Improvement examined the procedures utilized by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and other federal agencies, and solicited recommendations from research organizations and from the public. The standards were published in three phases over several years, as the law required.

The Board has chosen to complete its mandate with this brief handbook which explains the scope and significance of the standards for the research community and the public, and reproduces in the appendices the full text of the standards as published in the Federal Register. We have firm expectations that the standards will be another powerful engine for eliciting the knowledge upon which educational reform may continue to build.

Kenji Hakuta
Chair
National Educational Research Policy and Priorities Board
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[National Educational Research Policy and Priorities Board]

[Acknowledgments]