National Board for Education Sciences 2008 Annual Report
August 2007 to July 2008

Overview of the National Board for Education Sciences

On November 5, 2002, Congress passed the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA), establishing the Institute of Education Sciences (IES, or the Institute) and its board of directors, the National Board for Education Sciences (NBES, or the Board). The Institute reports to Congress yearly on the condition of education in the United States. The Institute provides thorough and objective evaluations of federal programs, sponsors research relevant and useful to educators and others (such as policymakers), and serves as a trusted source of unbiased information on what works in education.

The NBES consists of voting and ex-officio members (see Appendix A). The 15 voting members of the Board are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Members Richard Milgram and Herbert Walberg completed their respective terms in November 2007. Board chair Craig Ramey finished his term in March 2008. In 2007 and 2008, the President nominated and the Senate confirmed the following individuals to serve a second term on the Board: Jonathan Baron, Carol D'Amico, F. Philip Handy, Eric Hanushek, and Sally Shaywitz. In November 2008, the Board will have nine member vacancies without taking into account nominations and pending confirmations beyond the release of this report. During this reporting period (August 2007 through July 2008), the Board held meetings in September 2007 and January and May 2008.

Under the leadership of the elected chair, Robert Granger, and vice-chair, Beth Ann Bryan, the Board currently operates with three committees: communication, legislation, and IES evaluation. Each committee deliberates on appropriate Board and Institute issues and subsequently presents its findings to the full Board for consideration.