Cyril Kent McGuire 1 of 2 http://www.ed.gov/offices/OERV/mcguire.html CYRIL KENT MCGUIRE ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR THE OFFICE OF Cyril Kent McGuire is the assistant secretary for the Office of Educational Research and Improvement at As assistant secretary for educational research and improvement, McGuire will manage a $400 million McGuire, of Moorestown, N.J., joins the department after serving as program officer of the education From 1980 to 1989, he served as policy analyst and then as director of the School Finance Collaborative McGuire received a B.A. degree in economics from the University of Michigan, an M.A. degree in The Honorable Nick Smith Subcommittee on Basic Research U.S. House of Representatives Dear Chairman Smith: I very much appreciated the opportunity to provide testimony to your Subcommittee regarding education research, and am equally pleased to provide the additional information that you requested. The questions submitted by members of your Subcommittee follow, along with my answers. (1) What is the relationship between research activities funded under the Interagency Education Research Initiative and on-going, related research at OERI? One of the goals of the IERI is to develop the knowledge and research methods necessary for the implementation and evaluation of large-scale educational interventions. As such we hope that in the long term, a reciprocal relationship will evolve between IERI and other OERI-funded research. By using a large-scale, interdisciplinary approach to research, we expect that projects funded under IERI will build on the lessons learned through our research and development centers and our field-initiated studies (FIS) projects and that IERI findings will then, in turn, inform the work of the centers and FIS projects. OERI supports other work that is targeted at improving reading and math learning, yet this interagency initiative will support an evolving and integrated portfolio of research projects that, when taken together, will identify effective instructional practices and build a body of knowledge that informs the ways in which these practices can be implemented in real, complex, and varied educational environments and lead to enhanced student learning. IERI funds are supporting only those projects that meet high standards of methodological rigor, integrate educational technology, are conducted by interdisciplinary teams, and are of sufficient scale. The scale criterion is one of the key differences between IERI and other OERI-supported work. For example, IERI grants can extend five years and reach $6 million, enabling the investigation of particular interventions at any level from preschool through high school in large numbers of schools and districts and ensuring that the research will reflect the day-to-day realities of students and teachers. In comparison, the three-year limitation of FIS projects and the smaller grant awards (which typically fall under $1 million) forces a narrower focus to these studies. Together with these other investments, our goal is to accumulate knowledge; and with IERI specifically, we hope that the findings from various disciplines will give rise to a "knowledge base" on teaching and learning. (2) In general, what is your view of the merits of the NRC proposal for a Strategic Education Research Program? That is, is the idea sound and worthy of further study and the development of a detailed plan for implementation, or do you believe that there are fatal flaws in the framework and broad goals of the proposal? I believe the Strategic Education Research Program (SERP) detailed in Improving Student Learning: A Strategic Plan for Education Research and its Utilization is definitely worthy of further study and consideration as to how it might be implemented. Several ideas embedded in SERP are important: the idea that we need to be strategic, that we should focus on questions of teaching and learning; and that our research is connected to "problem" areas identified by the field. These are very important ideas, and to that extent, SERP is of interest. Funds were provided to implement the planning phase of SERP in our FY2000 appropriations and we do anticipate that the NRC work could inform our planning for continued collaboration with NSF and NICHD. (3) In general, is the framework for implementation and management of the Strategic Education Research Program feasible and likely to be successful? Will the four proposed networks on learning, motivation of students, transforming schools, and utilization of research lead to communication and cooperation among the diverse communities that need to be active participants in the program if it is to succeed? I am uncertain whether the SERP framework is likely to be successful, but I think it is worthy of careful examination and consideration. Several issues, such as the proposed four networks, need to be worked out over the next few years. For example, I agree that these four focus areas are important issues to focus on, yet I understood that the Academy acknowledges that the questions are not set in stone. They plan to study the feasibility of the framework over the next year and a half and will help us learn whether these are the right questions around which to organize. I do appreciate SERP's overarching goal of increased involvement of policymakers and practitioners in research planning and view this involvement as critical to the strategy's success. (4) Do you have a timetable for filling the currently vacant position of Research Advisor at OERI? What is it? I hope to fill this position by the end of the summer. (5) It was suggested at the hearing that education research programs should focus on addressing a small number of research questions instead of having 20-30 smaller-scale, uncoordinated projects. Yet the Department of Education's external advisory board, which reported its findings earlier this year, was apparently unable to make the kinds of tough decisions that are needed. Who should make those decisions? I see the role of the National Educational Research Policy and Priorities Board as advising us and helping us come to agreement on priorities. Our reauthorization proposal for OERI recognizes the continued need for an external research board with broad representation to suggest, consider, and approve priorities and standards for the agency's research. Such a role for an external, broadly representative body is one way to ensure that the research enterprise is independent and not politicized. Ultimately, however, the agency is responsible for these decisions and must make them not only in collaboration with the Board, but also taking into account the advice of experts from research, policymaker and practitioner communities whose needs we hope to serve. Having said that, we have -- through our reauthorization proposal -- suggested the need to focus OERI's efforts on solving a limited number of important problems, yet we do not see the need to restrict the number of projects that would cumulate knowledge in these identified areas. The broad priorities identified in reauthorization include: (1) improving teaching and learning of reading, writing, and mathematics for all students, especially for those most at risk of educational failure; (2) aiding schools, districts, and states with reform efforts, particularly standards-based reforms, school choice, teacher quality improvements, and school safety reforms; and (3) incorporating new knowledge from research from a variety of disciplines -- such as research on brain development, information technology, organizational theory, and student motivation education strategies, practices, and policies. to design effective Again, thank you for the opportunity to testify before your Subcommittee, and for this opportunity to respond to additional questions based on that testimony. Please let me know if you need further information. Sincerely, C. Kent McGuire, Ph.D. Statement of Dr. G. Reid Lyon Chief Child Development and Behavior Branch National Institute of Child Health and Human Development House Science Committee Education Research: Is What We Don't Know Hurting Our Children? October 26, 1999 |