Functional Statements > Institute of Education Sciences

D. National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance

The National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance is one of the four National Education Centers of the Institute. The mission of the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance is to:

• Conduct evaluations of Federal education programs administered by the Secretary, and as time and resources permit, other education programs, to determine the impact of such programs;
• Support synthesis and widespread dissemination of the results of evaluation, research, and products developed;
• Provide technical assistance; and
• Encourage the use of scientifically valid education research and evaluation throughout the United States.

The National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance is headed by a Commissioner for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, who reports to the Director of the Institute. The duties of the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance are to:

• Conduct evaluations;
• Examine evaluations supported by others to determine the quality and relevance of the evidence of effectiveness generated by those evaluations;
• Disseminate information widely on scientifically valid research, statistics, and evaluation in education, especially with respect to information relating, at a minimum, to the core academic areas of reading, mathematics, and science, closing the achievement gap, educational practices that improve achievement and promote learning, education technology, including software, and those topics covered by the Education Resources Information Center;
• Make information accessible in a user-friendly, timely, and efficient manner;
• Support regional educational laboratories in conducting applied research, development, dissemination, and technical assistance to serve the needs of their respective regions;
• Support a prekindergarten through grade 12 mathematics and science teacher clearinghouse; and
• Manage the National Library of Education.

The National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance consists of two divisions, each headed by an Associate Commissioner.

Evaluation

The Evaluation Division is responsible to the evaluation activities of the center. The staff is organized in teams responsible for:

• Teaching and Learning Evaluations,
• Policy and Systems Evaluations, and
• The What Works Clearinghouse.

Team leaders and team members report to the Associate Commissioner. Teams design evaluations, develop Requests for Proposals and Requests for Applications, serve as contracting officer representatives for evaluation contracts, monitor and evaluate the substantive aspects of the performance of evaluation contractors and grantees, prepare evaluation reports and summaries and syntheses of evaluation findings, coordinate the work of technical advisory groups, and carry out other activities to further the mission of the center. Teams may be reconfigured over time as needed to reflect changes in the evaluation agenda of the center.

Knowledge Utilization

The Knowledge Utilization Division is responsible for dissemination and technical assistance activities. The staff is organized in teams responsible for:

• Regional Educational Laboratories,
• National Library of Education, and
• Education Resources Information Center.

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