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

Foreword

In 1994, the Congress declared in Section 902 of Title IX of the Educational Research, Development, Dissemination, and Improvement Act that a significant investment by the federal government in attaining a deeper understanding of the processes of learning and schooling holds the best hope of making a substantial difference to the lives of every student in the United States. It charged the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) within the U.S. Department of Education with the task of developing a sound foundation of knowledge upon which to design school improvements. It urged the adoption of expanded, proactive roles and the creation of new institutions to promote the development of knowledge and the application of research findings.

At the same time, it established the National Educational Research Policy and Priorities Board to work collaboratively with the Assistant Secretary for OERI to determine the priorities that should guide the work of the Office. A further responsibility of the Board is to advise the United States on the federal educational research and development (R&D) effort.

The role and contribution of the federal government to that effort, now spanning well over a century, is vast, but a little known chapter in the history of the nation. Education today is at the forefront of domestic policy, and numerous panels and commissions are calling for substantial increases in the level of federal R&D funding. It was the decision of the Board to commission a series of papers from outstanding authorities on the federal role to delineate the history and outcomes of federal research initiatives from the recent past and set them in a historical context.

The present paper by Professor Maris A. Vinovskis is part of this series. We are happy to share his work, along with reactions and responses from the field, with a larger audience in the hope that we may gain perspective from it, understand the successes and failures of our predecessors, and appreciate the practical requirements of our contemporary mission.

Comments and responses are welcome and may be addressed to:
National Educational Research
Policy and Priorities Board
80 F Street NW, Suite 100
Washington, DC 20208-7564.

Kenji Hakuta, Chair
National Educational Research Policy and Priorities Board

Acknowledgments

Many individuals have provided useful comments on this paper. The author is particularly indebted to the current and former OERI staff for their insights and suggestions. Without their continued help and encouragement, this analysis could not have been done. Naturally, the views expressed in this paper are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of Education or any other group or organization.

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[National Educational Research Policy and Priorities Board]

[Introduction]