Almost six years after its last gathering, a national committee that assists in guiding federally funded education research is set to become active once again. President Biden has appointed 14 new members to the National Board for Education Sciences, which provides advice to the Education Department’s research agency. The reconstituted board returns to an Institute of Education Sciences that is financially constrained and under pressure to help educators and policymakers understand the effects of the pandemic on education. The field is currently facing significant declines in math and reading performance, increasing student mental health needs, decreasing teacher labor pools, and evolving technology use in classrooms, among other challenges. The new board consists of education researchers, city and business leaders, and educators from across the country.
Felice Levine, the executive director of the American Educational Research Association, expressed her satisfaction with the board’s diverse expertise and attention to critical mission areas, such as marginalized populations, disabilities, and immigrant communities. The National Board for Education Sciences was established by Congress to approve research priorities for the Institute of Education Sciences and provide advice to the agency. However, the board has not held a meeting since November 2016. The terms of the existing members expired without replacements under the previous administration, causing the board to lose its quorum. Levine is pleased that the board is being reinstated during this crucial time to support and advise the Institute of Education Sciences.
Earlier this year, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a report recommending structural and topic changes to the Institute of Education Sciences’ research. The report also called for increased support for diverse researchers and improvements in peer review to ensure equitable representation.
Mark Schneider, the director of the Institute of Education Sciences, stated that the board’s first task will be to approve research priorities for the agency. The priorities have not been officially updated since 2010, and proposed updates in 2018 were not approved due to the absence of the National Board for Education Sciences. Schneider acknowledges the impact of the pandemic and the changing priorities of the current administration. The declining scores in the National Assessment of Educational Progress in reading and math highlight the urgency to effectively allocate limited funds. The newly appointed board members do not require Congressional approval, but they must undergo ethics training and clearance to address any conflicts of interest. Therefore, Schneider anticipates that the new board will not convene before the new year.
(Note: The information about "New Members of the National Board of Education Sciences" was not provided in the original text.)
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