The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and the National Science
Foundation (NSF) have released a report, “Common Guidelines for
Education Research and Development.” The report provides important
guidance to program officers in both of the agencies, prospective
grantees, and peer reviewers.
Educational research and development
Overall, the report is intended to create a shared framework for six
types of research that the agencies fund. It describes the purpose of
each type of research, the theoretical and empirical justifications for
conducting the research, the expectations for the design and products of
the research, and the expectations for review of the products.
As noted in the Preface, the report generally adheres to the guiding
principles for research as set forth in the National Research Council
2002 report Scientific Research in Education. The report also cites
AERA's Standards for Reporting on Empirical Social Science Research in
AERA Publications. Executive Director Felice Levine applauded the
document on its release as “another valuable set of guidance in the
cycle of knowledge production.” She urged researchers and students to
consider these Guidelines well before they consider the submission of a
proposal for federal funding.
A draft of this report was presented at a featured symposium that
included small discussion groups at the 2013 AERA Annual Meeting.
Further follow-up is anticipated at the 2014 Annual Meeting.
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