U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige today issued the following statement on the passage of legislation creating a new education research office -- a key principle of No Child Left Behind:

"This is another big win for improving the education of America's children. Both the House and Senate have worked hard on passing this legislation and I applaud their commitment and focus on this very important issue. Like the administration, Congress recognizes the importance of providing our schools with the best tools necessary to successfully teach our children.

"One of the major tenets of our education policy is that teaching and learning practices be based on sound, scientific research. Congress shares that understanding with us and it is clear from this bill that they view the role of research as the cornerstone of educational reform.

"Also critical is the fact that this bill establishes the new Institute of Education Sciences, which will include national education centers focused on research, statistics, and evaluation, and will allow us to move forward aggressively to support the high-quality research, evaluation, and statistical activities needed to improve education policy and practice.

"I applaud Reps. Boehner, and Miller, and Sens. Kennedy and Gregg for their support and leadership on this critically important issue. I'm especially grateful to Rep. Castle for his deep commitment to this issue and his extra efforts to make these essential reforms a reality. Together, we will continue to work to make sure no child is left behind."

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