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Title 20, EducationRelease 119-110

§9515 Priorities

Title 20 › CHAPTER 76 — EDUCATION RESEARCH, STATISTICS, EVALUATION, INFORMATION, AND DISSEMINATION › SUBCHAPTER I — EDUCATION SCIENCES REFORM › Part A — The Institute of Education Sciences › § 9515

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Director must put forward research and work priorities for the Institute. These should include long-term research and work on specific education problems tied to laws like the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and the Higher Education Act. Examples include closing achievement gaps between high- and low-performing students (including minority and disadvantaged students), making sure all children can get a high-quality education and reach state standards in subjects like math, science, and reading, improving access to college, and checking how well and how cheaply technology helps schools. The Board must approve, reject, or ask for changes to the Director’s priorities and make sure they match the Institute’s mission. Before the Board sees the proposed priorities, the Director must publish them online and in the Federal Register and accept public comments for at least 60 days, giving copies of those comments to the Board. After the Board approves priorities, the Director must also publish the Institute’s plan to address them and open that plan for public comment the same way.

Full Legal Text

Title 20, §9515

Education, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Proposal
The Director shall propose to the Board priorities for the Institute (taking into consideration long-term research and development on core issues conducted through the national research and development centers). The Director shall identify topics that may require long-term research and topics that are focused on understanding and solving particular education problems and issues, including those associated with the goals and requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.), and the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.), such as—
(1)closing the achievement gap between high-performing and low-performing children, especially achievement gaps between minority and nonminority children and between disadvantaged children and such children’s more advantaged peers; and
(2)ensuring—
(A)that all children have the ability to obtain a high-quality education (from early childhood through postsecondary education) and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging State academic achievement standards and State academic assessments, particularly in mathematics, science, and reading or language arts;
(B)access to, and opportunities for, postsecondary education; and
(C)the efficacy, impact on academic achievement, and cost-effectiveness of technology use within the Nation’s schools.
(b)Approval
The Board shall approve or disapprove the priorities for the Institute proposed by the Director, including any necessary revision of those priorities. The Board shall transmit any priorities so approved to the appropriate congressional committees.
(c)Consistency
The Board shall ensure that priorities of the Institute and the National Education Centers are consistent with the mission of the Institute.
(d)Public availability and comment
(1)Priorities
Before submitting to the Board proposed priorities for the Institute, the Director shall make such priorities available to the public for comment for not less than 60 days (including by means of the Internet and through publishing such priorities in the Federal Register). The Director shall provide to the Board a copy of each such comment submitted.
(2)Plan
Upon approval of such priorities, the Director shall make the Institute’s plan for addressing such priorities available for public comment in the same manner as under paragraph (1).

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, referred to in subsec. (a), is Pub. L. 89–10, Apr. 11, 1965, 79 Stat. 27, which is classified generally to chapter 70 (§ 6301 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 6301 of this title and Tables. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, referred to in subsec. (a), is title VI of Pub. L. 91–230, Apr. 13, 1970, 84 Stat. 175, which is classified generally to chapter 33 (§ 1400 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 1400 of this title and Tables. The Higher Education Act of 1965, referred to in subsec. (a), is Pub. L. 89–329, Nov. 8, 1965, 79 Stat. 1219, which is classified generally to chapter 28 (§ 1001 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 1001 of this title and Tables.

Amendments

2004—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 108–446, in introductory provisions, substituted “including those associated with the goals and requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.), and the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.), such as” for “including those associated with the goals and requirements established in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) and the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.), such as”.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

20 U.S.C. § 9515

Title 20, Education

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110