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Education Policy and Legislation
Featured Reports | NRC Units | Congressionally Mandated Studies
Recent Activity
Given the recent testimony before the House Education and Labor Committee on the “Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965”, the messages highlighted in the Board on Testing and Assessment’s booklet Lessons Learned about Testing: Ten Years of work at the National Research Council become timely. The booklet underscores lessons learned about test uses, test design, test consequences, and the public’s understanding of the purposes and meanings of tests. Key principles in testing and assessment are illuminated by synthesizing recommendations and conclusions from a number of reports authored by committees convened by BOTA. Though widely accepted in the professional testing community, these principles are often neglected in practice and therefore bear repeating.
Featured Reports
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International Education and Foreign Languages: Keys to Securing America’s Future (2007)
In response to a congressionally mandated request, The National Academies convened a study to review the Title VI international education and foreign language studies of the Higher Education Act as well as section 102(b)(6) Fulbright-Hays programs. In particular, the study was charged with reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of these programs in addressing their statutory missions and in building the nation's international and foreign language expertise--particularly as needed for economic, foreign affairs, and national security purposes. The committee was asked to consider eight key areas specified by Congress in conducting its review and to develop a conceptual and methodological framework to guide the study; conduct a review of the existing research literature and sources of evidence; describe its findings and conclusions regarding the impacts and effectiveness of the programs based on the available evidence; and then provide recommendations for strategies to enhance the effectiveness of the programs in the future, as well as further research that could address any limitation of the current review.
Order Now | Read the Report Online | Executive Summary PDF
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Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future (2007)
In a world where advanced knowledge is widespread and low-cost labor is readily available, U.S. advantages in the marketplace and in science and technology have begun to erode. A comprehensive and coordinated federal effort is urgently needed to bolster U.S. competitiveness and pre-eminence in these areas. This congressionally requested report by a pre-eminent committee makes four recommendations along with 20 implementation actions that federal policy-makers should take to create high-quality jobs and focus new science and technology efforts on meeting the nation's needs, especially in the area of clean, affordable energy. 1) Increase America's talent pool by vastly improving K-12 mathematics and science education; 2) Sustain and strengthen the nation's commitment to long-term basic research; 3) Develop, recruit, and retain top students, scientists, and engineers from both the U.S. and abroad; and 4) Ensure that the United States is the premier place in the world for innovation.
Committee Members | Free Executive Summary (PDF)
Chapter 5 addresses What Actions Should America Take in K 12 Science and Mathematics Education to Remain Prosperous in the 21st Century?
Read the Chapter
Chapter 7 addresses What Actions Should America Take in Science and Engineering Higher Education to Remain Prosperous in the 21st Century?
Read the Chapter
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Congressionally Mandated Studies
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Report anticipated early 2008 from the Committee on Evaluation of Teacher Certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) who conducted an independent evaluation of the impact of teacher certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). The evaluation framework can be applied to other approaches for advanced teacher certification. Click here for more information on the study, committee, and meetings.
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Report anticipated early 2008 from the study committee convened to conduct an independent evaluation of the National Aeronautic and Space Administration's (NASA’s) pre-college science, mathematics, and technology education programs. This evaluation will review the NASA pre-college education portfolio and examine the extant evaluation data to determine how well the programs are aligned with overall pre-college education program goals. Click here for more information on the study, committee, and meetings.
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With the committee’s report is anticipated for release Spring 2008, the Study of Teacher Preparation Programs in the United States began through a Congressional Mandate directing the U.S. Institute of Education Sciences to contract with the National Research Council (NRC) to conduct a $1.5 million study of teacher preparation programs in the United States. The project has also received a supplemental award of $250,000 from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The Center for Education has brought together a committee of leading experts to provide an assessment and synthesis of the evidence associated with teacher preparation programs, in both traditional and alternative settings. Click here for more information on the study, committee, and meetings.
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With their report anticipated Summer 2008, The Committee on Developmental Outcomes and Assessments for Young Children, with oversight from NRC/IOM’s Board on Children, Youth, and Families in collaboration with the Center’s Board on Testing and Assessment will respond to a Congressional mandate for a National Research Council panel to "review and provide guidance on appropriate outcomes and assessments for young children." Click here for more information on the study.
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Minority Students in Special and Gifted Education (2002) considers possible contributors to the disproportionate representation of racial and ethnic minority students in special education and gifted and talented programs, including early biological and environmental influences and inequities in opportunities for preschool and K–12 education, as well as the possibilities of bias in the referral and assessment system that leads to placement in special programs. The book also considers whether disproportionate representation should be considered a problem. You may read and search the full text of this book online at http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=10128
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Evaluation of the Voluntary National Tests, Year 2: Final Report (1999) assesses several aspects of the first year’s development activities of the proposed voluntary national tests in fourth-grade reading and eighth-grade mathematics. It examines test specifications and frameworks, plans for pilot and field testing, the technical quality of selected test items, and also comments on overall plans and procedures for test-development review and revision. You may read and search the full text of the book online at http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=9684
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Embedding Questions: The Pursuit of a Common Measure in Uncommon Tests (1999) is in response to a congressional mandate to determine the technical feasibility, validity, and reliability of embedding test items from the NAEP or other tests in state and district assessments in fourth-grade reading and eighth-grade mathematics for the purpose of developing a valid measure of student achievement within states and districts and in terms of national performance standards or scales. You may read and search the full text of the book online at http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=9683
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Uncommon Measures: Equivalence and Linkage Among Educational Tests (1999) report examines the feasibility of developing a scale to compare individual student’s results on commercial and state tests to each other and to national standards. The report reviews methodological issues; the content, uses, and properties of existing tests; and efforts to link state tests to the NAEP. It also suggests criteria to evaluate the quality of linkages. You may read and search the full text of the book online at http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=6332
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Equivalency and Linkage of Educational Tests: Interim Report (1998) examines whether it is technically feasible to link the results of commercial and state tests to a common scale that would allow the comparison of individual scores from different tests, and individual scores against national and international benchmarks. This represents the first interim report in a series of NRC reports requested by Congress related to the testing of elementary and high school students in the wake of the debate over voluntary national educational testing. You may read and search the full text of the book online at http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=6209
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Educating One and All: Students with Disabilities and Standards-Based Reform (1997) examines how the seemingly contradictory goals of special education and standards-based reform can be reconciled. The movement to improve schools by setting high standards for all students poses new challenges for students with disabilities, whose education is rooted in individual goals and instruction. You may read and search the full text of this book online at http://books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=5788
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See the list of Policy, Reviews and Evaluations from the National Academies Press.
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