Three Hoover Institution fellows, all members of the Institution's Koret Task Force on K–12 Education, were confirmed by the U.S. Senate on November 21 as members of the National Board for Education Sciences.
Confirmed were Eric A. Hanushek for a term of two years, Caroline Minter Hoxby for a term of four years, and Herbert J. Walberg for a term of three years.
They joined 11 other individuals nominated for the position by President George W. Bush to form the initial board. Additional confirmed appointments include F. Philip Handy, a member of Hoover's Board of Overseers, for a term of three years.
The National Board for Education Sciences was created to advise the director of the Institute of Education Sciences on the research activities to be supported by the Institute, and to present the director with recommendations for strengthening education research and the funding of the Institute. As such, this board is designed to act as the board of directors for educational research, similar to the role of the National Science Board for scientific research.
Established by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, the Institute of Education Sciences is the research arm of the Department of Education. Its mission is to develop and strengthen the scientific underpinnings of educational policies and practices. In short, its goal is the transformation of education into an evidence-based field in which decision makers routinely seek out the best available research and data before adopting programs or practices that will affect significant numbers of students.
The Hoover Institution's Koret Task Force on K–12 Education is a team of education experts brought together by the Hoover Institution, with the support of the Koret Foundation, to work on education reform. The task force is designed to provide systematic analyses of programs and reform measures that will enhance the quality and productivity of K–12 education.
