In 2002 Congress passed the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA), authorizing the creation of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) as the research, evaluation, statistics, and assessment arm of the Department of Education, and crystallizing the federal government's commitment to providing national leadership in expanding fundamental…

As transformative reforms like the Common Core State Standards and educator evaluation roll out amidst a rapidly changing demographic landscape, the need for getting high-quality research on timely topics into the hands of practitioners grows all the more urgent. While rigor and relevance need not be a question of "either/or", but rather…

As described in "Go8 Backgrounder 24: Answering the Global Challenge--Experiences from European Excellence Initiatives," Germany began a debate about how to strengthen its position as an excellent location for science and research in 2004. This debate focussed in particular on the competitiveness of the country's universities and…

In fiscal year 2007, the majority of the Department of Defense's (DOD) basic research obligations were provided to higher education institutions. DOD reimburses these institutions for both direct and indirect costs for research. Two federal agencies, DOD and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), negotiate indirect cost rates used to…

The challenge of creating evidence-based practice bedevils a number of fields. In education, the federal government has historically placed substantial responsibility for translational research in the hands of the Regional Educational Laboratories (RELs), which were established in 1966 as part of the original Elementary and Secondary Education Act…

The data contained in the tables of this publication were derived from the Survey of Federal Funds for Research and Development and cover Fiscal Years 1996-1998. The data reflects research and development (R&D) funding levels as reported by 31 federal agencies from February through August 1997. All agencies that were identified as conducting R&D…

Discusses historical and current federal role in educational research and development; asserts need for improved quality and expanded scope of research from Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement. Describes shortcomings and desired changes; advocates creation of independent R&D agency and open competition for…

This report describes federal funding mechanisms used, including relative magnitudes of support, by the six federal agencies that support most of the scientific research at universities and examines trends of how the use of these mechanisms has changed over time. The six agencies are the National Institutes of Health, the National Science…

Institutions of higher education perform about half of the nation's basic research. Consequently, the level, distribution, and characteristics of federal academic support are of much interest to officials at all government levels and in nongovernmental sectors. Federal legislation requires that the National Science Foundation (NSF) determine the…

This document contains descriptions of the methods used by three government agencies (National Institute of Mental Health, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Office of Economic Opportunity) in managing practice-oriented research. Each agency is treated separately, with a presentation of the steps that its managers and researchers actually…

The report presents a detailed description of the structure, capabilities, and current research activities of virtually all Federal Government R and D Laboratories engaged in environmental studies. Information shown for each of the approximately 170 laboratories includes: name, agency, location, mailing address and telephone number, director, type…

The report concludes an inventory listing of the structure, capabilities, and current research facilities of virtually all Federal Government R and D laboratories engaged in environmental studies. The inventory from DOD/USA through DOT/USCG is presented. Volume I is SE 015 598. (Author/RH)

This paper examines the involvement of the federal government in information activities and services, and raises questions about the legitimacy and consistency of this involvement. Three major areas of government policy in the information sector are discussed: research and development, the National Technical Information Service (NTIS), and public…

The relationship between the government and universities conducting federally sponsored research is under a strain. University researchers dread nit-picking. Government auditors claim poor management and questionable spending practices by university researchers. (Author/RE)

Presents statistics for the distribution of research and development funds and manpower in industry, universities and colleges, other nonprofit organizations, and the Federal government. (MLH)