Strengthening Peer Review in Federal Agencies That Support Education Research

Peer review is a method used to inform decision-making by engaging experts in a critical evaluation of the merits of a product or proposal. It is most commonly known as a mechanism for judging the quality of proposals for research funding, or manuscripts submitted for publication in academic journals. It is at once a tool with which scientific judgment is formalized and decisions about the allocation of scarce public resources are legitimized. Strengthening Peer Review in Federal Agencies That Support Education Research seeks to advance an improved understanding of a scientific approach to addressing education problems and to engage the field of education research in action-oriented dialogue about how to further the accumulation of scientific knowledge. The focus of this report is on peer review as it is applied to the evaluation of proposals for federal funding of education research projects. The focus of this report is on peer review as it is applied to the evaluation of proposals for federal funding of education research projects. The primary source of evidence used to set forth the report's conclusions and recommendations about this topic is a workshop convened in February 25-26, 2003 at the National Academies' Keck Center in Washington, DC on peer review in federal agencies that support education research. It summarizes common issues and ideas that emerged from the presentations and discussion during the workshop and includes the committee's conclusions and recommendations on how to strengthen peer review in federal agencies that support education research. Appended are: (1) the workshop agenda; and (2) biographical sketches of the committee members and speakers Committee On Research In Education, Lisa Towne, Jack M. Fletcher, And Lauress L. Wise, Editors, Center For Education, Division Of Behavioral And Social Sciences And Education, National Research Council Of The National Academies. Includes Bibliographical References. Mode Of Access: World Wide Web.