§9562 — Title 20 Education | U.S. Code

§9562 Commissioner for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance

Title 20 › Chapter CHAPTER 76— - EDUCATION RESEARCH, STATISTICS, EVALUATION, INFORMATION, AND DISSEMINATION › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER I— - EDUCATION SCIENCES REFORM › Part Part D— - National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance › § 9562

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Create a Commissioner to lead the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance. The Commissioner must run evaluations called for in law. The Commissioner must collect and share clear, science-based research and data about education. That information must focus on reading, math, and science; ways to close the achievement gap; teaching practices that improve learning; education technology like software; and topics covered by the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) clearinghouses as they were on November 4, 2002. The information must be easy to use, including a searchable online database. The Commissioner must also support regional educational labs, manage a National Library of Education, help prepare the Department’s biennial report, and award a contract for a K–12 math and science teacher clearinghouse. The Commissioner must make sure materials are cost-effective, not duplicated, and include the latest research. The Center must say what kind of scientific evidence supports each finding and explain proper and improper ways to use the findings and the evidence. The Center must answer questions from schools, educators, parents, policymakers, and others. The Department must keep current ERIC clearinghouse and regional lab awards in place until those awards end, under their existing terms. The National Library of Education must be run by a qualified librarian, collect and archive education materials, serve as a central federal source, offer reference help to Department staff and the public, and promote sharing among education information providers.

Title 20, §9562

Education — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance shall be headed by a Commissioner for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (in this part referred to as the “Evaluation and Regional Assistance Commissioner”) who is highly qualified and has demonstrated a capacity to carry out the mission of the Center and shall—

(1)conduct evaluations pursuant to section 9563 of this title;

(2)widely disseminate information on scientifically valid research, statistics, and evaluation on education, particularly to State educational agencies and local educational agencies, to institutions of higher education, to the public, the media, voluntary organizations, professional associations, and other constituencies, especially with respect to information relating to, at a minimum—

(A)the core academic areas of reading, mathematics, and science;

(B)closing the achievement gap between high-performing students and low-performing students;

(C)educational practices that improve academic achievement and promote learning;

(D)education technology, including software; and

(E)those topics covered by the Educational Resources Information Center Clearinghouses (established under section 941(f) of the Educational Research, Development, Dissemination, and Improvement Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 6041(f)) (as such provision was in effect on the day before November 5, 2002);

(3)make such information accessible in a user-friendly, timely, and efficient manner (including through use of a searchable Internet-based online database that shall include all topics covered in paragraph (2)(E)) to schools, institutions of higher education, educators (including early childhood educators), parents, administrators, policymakers, researchers, public and private entities (including providers of early childhood services), entities responsible for carrying out technical assistance through the Department, and the general public;

(4)support the regional educational laboratories in conducting applied research, the development and dissemination of educational research, products and processes, the provision of technical assistance, and other activities to serve the educational needs of such laboratories’ regions;

(5)manage the National Library of Education described in subsection (d), and other sources of digital information on education research;

(6)assist the Director in the preparation of a biennial report, described in section 9519 of this title; and

(7)award a contract for a prekindergarten through grade 12 mathematics and science teacher clearinghouse.

(b)In carrying out subsection (a), the Evaluation and Regional Assistance Commissioner shall—

(1)ensure that information disseminated under this section is provided in a cost-effective, nonduplicative manner that includes the most current research findings, which may include through the continuation of individual clearinghouses authorized under the Educational Research, Development, Dissemination, and Improvement Act of 1994 (title IX of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act; 20 U.S.C. 6001 et seq.) (as such Act existed on the day before November 5, 2002);

(2)describe prominently the type of scientific evidence that is used to support the findings that are disseminated;

(3)explain clearly the scientifically appropriate and inappropriate uses of—

(A)the findings that are disseminated; and

(B)the types of evidence used to support those findings; and

(4)respond, as appropriate, to inquiries from schools, educators, parents, administrators, policymakers, researchers, public and private entities, and entities responsible for carrying out technical assistance.

(c)The Director shall continue awards for the support of the Educational Resources Information Center Clearinghouses and contracts for regional educational laboratories (established under subsections (f) and (h) of section 941 of the Educational Research, Development, Dissemination, and Improvement Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 6041(f) and (h)) (as such awards were in effect on the day before November 5, 2002)) for the duration of those awards, in accordance with the terms and agreements of such awards.

(d)(1)There is established within the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance a National Library of Education that shall—

(A)be headed by an individual who is highly qualified in library science;

(B)collect and archive information;

(C)provide a central location within the Federal Government for information about education;

(D)provide comprehensive reference services on matters related to education to employees of the Department of Education and its contractors and grantees, other Federal employees, and members of the public; and

(E)promote greater cooperation and resource sharing among providers and repositories of education information in the United States.

(2)The information collected and archived by the National Library of Education shall include—

(A)products and publications developed through, or supported by, the Institute; and

(B)other relevant and useful education-related research, statistics, and evaluation materials and other information, projects, and publications that are—

(i)consistent with—

(I)scientifically valid research; or

(II)the priorities and mission of the Institute; and

(ii)developed by the Department, other Federal agencies, or entities (including entities supported under subchapter II of this chapter and the Educational Resources Information Center Clearinghouses (established under section 941(f) of the Educational Research, Development, Dissemination, and Improvement Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 6041(f)) (as such provision was in effect on the day before November 5, 2002))).11 So in original. The third closing parenthesis probably should not appear.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Educational Research, Development, Dissemination, and Improvement Act of 1994 (as such Act existed on the day before November 5, 2002), referred to in subsecs. (a)(1)(E), (b)(1), (c), and (d)(2)(B)(ii), is title IX of Pub. L. 103–227, Mar. 31, 1994, 108 Stat. 212, which was classified principally to subchapter IX (§ 6001 et seq.) of chapter 68 of this title and was substantially repealed by Pub. L. 107–279, title IV, § 403(2), Nov. 5, 2002, 116 Stat. 1985. section 941 of the Act was classified to section 6041 of this title prior to repeal. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 6001 of this title and Tables.