Conclusion
The contribution that evidence-based research provides is essential to policymakers, educators, and parents for improving education and meeting the academic needs of students. As IES continues to make significant progress in transforming education into an evidence-based endeavor, the Board continues to urge Congress to support the role of IES as the primary agency for federal education research.
The Board notes with regret the language in the 2008 House Appropriations bill, H.R. 2764, that halts the use of funds to conduct the evaluation of the Upward Bound Program until September 30, 2008.1 It would be very unfortunate to selectively exclude federally funded programs from scientific evaluation.
Chair's Message
Consistent with the highlights and OMB's high marks noted in this report, IES had an excellent year. With Russ Whitehurst's term as Director of IES ending, and the pending reauthorizations of NCLB and ESRA, we are entering a period during which important decisions will be made about the future of IES. In 6 short years, my view is that IES has transformed the rigor of federally funded education research. The National Board for Education Sciences is committed to seeing that the next period builds on IES's exceptional performance during its first phase.
Robert C. Granger