As the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES) reexamines how best to generate and apply evidence that improves education outcomes nationwide, Mathematica shared recommendations to help the agency strengthen the relevance, timeliness, and impact of its research, evaluation, and dissemination efforts.
Among other recommendations, Mathematica’s response to IES highlights opportunities to do the following:
- Create a logic model for IES’s work that clarifies the unique contributions of each IES center, the core audiences for each center and its products, and where IES hands off its products to other entities that are best positioned to drive change at the state and local levels.
- Develop a five- to 10-year strategic road map that identifies high-priority topics that IES intends to pursue.
- Balance its response to short-term needs with long-term investments in data and foundational research.
- Build evidence capacity at state agencies by supporting data and evaluation staff and learning agendas.
Drawing on its extensive work with IES—including conducting large-scale evaluations, developing What Works Clearinghouse review standards, and operating two Regional Educational Laboratories—Mathematica’s recommendations offer a way forward that helps IES strengthen its impact.
Read Mathematica’s full response to IES’s request for information here.
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Mike Burns
Mathematica, Senior Director, Communications and Public Affairs
mburns@mathematica-mpr.com
202-484-4683