On November 5, 2002, Congress passed the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA), establishing the Institute of Education Sciences (IES, or the Institute) and its advisory board, the National Board for Education Sciences (NBES, or the Board). The Institute reports to Congress yearly on the condition of education in the United States. The Institute provides thorough and objective evaluations of federal programs, sponsors research relevant and useful to educators and others (such as policymakers), and serves as a trusted source of gold-standard, reliable, unbiased information on what works in education.
ESRA mandates that the Board shall submit an annual report "that assesses the effectiveness of the Institute in carrying out its priorities and mission, especially as they relate to carrying out scientifically valid research, conducting unbiased evaluations, and collecting and reporting accurate education statistics, and translating research into practice."
July 2013 through June 2014 Report (655 KB)
2012 annual report (2 MB)
2011 NBES Annual Report
2010 annual report (730 KB)
2009 annual report (277 KB)
2008 NBES Annual Report
2007 NBES Annual Report
2006 NBES Annual Report
The Board shall submit a report that includes any recommendations regarding any actions that may be taken to enhance the ability of the Institute to carry out its priorities and mission five years after date of enactment.
2008 NBES 5-Year Report
2008 NBES 5-Year Report transmission letter (105 KB)
In July 2008, the Board commissioned an expert panel to examine the scientific validity of the What Works Clearinghouse's (WWC) review process and reports.
2008 WWC Expert Panel Report (166 KB)
2008 WWC Expert Panel Report transmission letter (124 KB)
2008 WWC Expert Panel Report response letter from the IES Director (172 KB)
2008 WWC Expert Panel Report response letter from the Principal Investigator for the WWC (61 KB)
In 2007 and 2008, the Board conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of IES in carrying out its priorities and mission.
2008 NBES Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Institute of Education Sciences in Carrying out its Priorities and Mission (840 KB)