[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 51 (Thursday, March 15, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Page 15106]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-6501]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
National Educational Research Policy and Priorities Board;
Nominations
AGENCY: Department of Education.
ACTION: Acceptance of nominations for membership on the national
educational research policy and priorities board (Board).
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1. Introduction
The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Research
and Improvement (OERI) is authorized by Public Law 103-227 Title IX:
the ``Educational Research, Development, Dissemination, and Improvement
Act of 1994'' (the Act). Part B of the Act directs the Secretary to
establish, within OERI, a ``National Educational Research Policy and
Priorities Board.'' The Secretary is now accepting nominations of
individuals to fill several vacancies on the Board, described below,
which are created by expirations of terms.
2. Description of the Board
The Board consists of 15 members appointed by the Secretary. Five
members are appointed from researchers in the field of education who
have been nominated by the National Academy of Sciences; five are
outstanding school-based professional educators; and five are
individuals who are knowledgeable about the educational needs of the
United States and may include: parents with experience in promoting
parental involvement in education, Chief State School Officers, local
agency superintendents, principals, members of state or local boards of
education or Bureau of Indian Affairs-funded school boards, and
individuals from business and industry with experience in promoting
private sector involvement with education.
Members of the Board may not serve on any other governing or
advisory board within the Department of Education (Department) or as a
paid consultant of the Department. The term of office is six years. The
Board is required to meet quarterly, at a minimum.
3. Functions of the Board
Section 921(b) of the Act provides that the Board has the
responsibility to:
(a) Work collaboratively with the Assistant Secretary to determine
priorities that should guide the work of OERI and provide guidance to
the Congress in its oversight of OERI;
(b) Review and approve the Research Priorities Plan developed by
the Assistant Secretary in collaboration with the Board;
(c) Review and approve standards for the conduct and evaluation of
all research, development, and dissemination carried out under the
auspices of OERI; and
(d) Review regularly, evaluate, and publicly comment upon the
implementation of its recommended priorities and policies by the
Department and the Congress.
Additional responsibilities of the Board include:
(1) Providing advice and assistance to the Assistant Secretary in
administering the duties of OERI;
(2) Making recommendations to the Assistant Secretary of persons
qualified to fulfill the responsibilities of the director of each
research institute established within OERI, making special efforts to
identify qualified women and minorities and giving due considerations
to recommendations from professional associations and interested
members of the public;
(3) Advising and making recommendations to the President with
respect to individuals who are qualified to fulfill the
responsibilities of the Assistant Secretary for OERI;
(4) Reviewing and commenting upon proposed contract, grant, and
cooperative agreement proposals;
(5) Advising the United States on the Federal educational research
and development effort;
(6) Recommending ways for strengthening active partnerships among
researchers, educational practitioners, librarians, and policymakers;
(7) Recommending ways to strengthen interactions and collaboration
between the various program offices and components;
(8) Soliciting advice and information from the educational field,
making sure to involve educational practitioners, particularly
teachers, in the process, to define research needs and provide
suggestions for research topics;
(9) Soliciting advice from practitioners, policymakers, and
researchers, and recommending missions for the national research
centers which are funded by OERI by identifying topics which require
long-term, sustained, systematic, programmatic, and integrated research
and dissemination efforts;
(10) Providing recommendations for creating incentives to draw
talented young people into the field of educational research, including
scholars from disadvantaged and minority groups (Section 921(c) of the
Act)
4. Nomination Categories
Nominations are being requested for one outstanding school-based
professional educator and two individuals who are knowledgeable about
the educational needs of the United States as described under the
heading Description of the Board above. The Secretary must give due
consideration to the gender, race, and ethnicity of appointees to
assure that the Board is broadly representative of the diversity of the
United States. (Section 921(f)(2) of the Act).
5. Applicability of Certain Federal Legal Requirements
The Board is subject to Federal legislation (the Federal Advisory
Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App.2; and the Government in the Sunshine Act,
5 U.S.C. 552b), which is designed to ensure that public business is
publicly conducted, and that government advisory and policymaking
groups are not inappropriately used to advance the private interests of
their members. Board members are considered special government
employees who are subject to certain government-wide restrictions on
conflicts of interest.
6. Nomination Procedures
In order to be assured on consideration, nominations, which include
the nominee's name, address, telephone number, and a brief biography,
should be mailed or hand delivered no later than April 13, 2001, to
Jamie Burke, Office of the Secretary of Education, U.S. Department of
Education, Attention: National Educational Research Policy and
Priorities Board, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-0106.
Dated: March 9, 2001.
Roderick R. Paige,
Secretary, Department of Education.
[FR Doc. 01-6501 Filed 3-14-01; 8:45 am]
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