Welcome from the Director

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Institute of Education Sciences' Third Annual Research Conference. Since its inception in 2002, the Institute has been actively engaged in the transformation of education policy and practice into a field that relies on objective evidence within a culture of learning. Under the banner of rigor, relevance, and utility, the Institute funds hundreds of research studies on ways to improve academic outcomes, conducts large-scale evaluations of federal education programs, collects and reports a wide variety of statistics on the condition of education, and conducts research on how best to meet the education needs of children with disabilities. The Institute also supports the building of an infrastructure for evidence-based education through grants to states to develop longitudinal data systems. And the Institute disseminates evidence on education to the public through its heavily used website, the What Works Clearinghouse, the ERIC education database, conferences, training sessions, publications, 10 regional education laboratories, and national research and development centers.

The research that many of you will have the opportunity to present in poster and panel sessions during this conference contributes greatly to this transformation of education. Your research is expanding the number of evidence-based solutions to many long-standing issues in education.

Thank you for your work and your attendance. My colleagues and I look forward to joining you during these exciting three days.

Grover J. (Russ) Whitehurst
Washington D.C.
2008