A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

National Research & Development Centers

A major component of the Institute is the National Research and Development Center program. We currently fund the following centers:

• National Center for Improving Student Learning and Achievement in Mathematics and Science. This Center is part of the Wisconsin Center for Education Reform located at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. The Center conducts research designed to improve student understanding in mathematics and science. Studies supported by the Institute are focused on the creation and validation of a set of principles for the design of classrooms that promote understanding in K-12 mathematics and science. Abstracts of currently supported Center studies are available. (Institute contacts: Wanda_Chambers@ed.gov.

• National Research & Development Center on English Learning & Achievement. Located at the University of Albany, SUNY, this Center examines features of curriculum and instruction that are essential to success in English, including skills with oral and written language, literature, and other forms of communication. The work is conducted in a variety of elementary and secondary classroom settings. Abstracts of currently supported Center studies are available. (Institute contact: Rita_Foy@ed.gov).

• Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing. This Center, located at the University of California, Los Angeles, works to advance the nation's understanding of educational quality by research and development on the design, development, implementation, and interpretation of student assessment and other evaluation information. Abstracts of currently supported Center studies are available. (Institute contact: David_Sweet@ed.gov).

• Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement. This Center is a collaborative effort whose prime partners are the University of Michigan, the University of Virginia, and Michigan State University. Located at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, CIERA conducts research designed to improve the reading achievement of America's children by generating and disseminating theoretical, empirical, and practical solutions to persistent problems in the learning and teaching of beginning reading. Abstracts of currently supported Center studies are available. (Institute contact: Anne_Sweet@ed.gov).

Over the past decade, the Office of Educational Research and Improvement has supported a number of additional research and development centers that focused on the improvement of student learning and achievement. Previous centers included:

• National Research Center on Student Learning

• National Center for Research on Teacher Learning

• National Center for the Study of Writing and Literacy

National Institute on Student Achievement, Curriculum and Assessment

This page last modified on November 29, 2001(tcs)