Creating a Culture of Science

The recent National Research Council report on scientific research in education concluded that building a scientific culture within the Department's research agency is a prerequisite for all else. This is my view as well. It is very important to understand that successful research agencies, such as the NIH, embody a scientific culture because the people in the principal program management roles share the dispositions and training that characterize scientists. It is this shared culture, much more than statutes, rules, and regulations, that supports high-quality research. My experience in trying to increase the number of qualified scientists at OERI highlights the importance of our excepted service authority, which allows us to hire scientists for limited terms outside the regular civil service. OERI has had this authority for its entire existence, as do our sister research agencies. It is critical that it be continued so that we can rotate scientists through the agency for limited terms and under flexible conditions.

Building a scientific culture at the Department's research agency also requires stability in leadership and the shared sense that the organization can pursue its agenda over the long term.