September 2013

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) have released a report, “Common Guidelines for Education Research and Development.” The report provides important guidance to program officers in both of the agencies, prospective grantees, and peer reviewers.

Overall, the report is intended to create a shared framework for six types of research that the agencies fund. It describes the purpose of each type of research, the theoretical and empirical justifications for conducting the research, the expectations for the design and products of the research, and the expectations for review of the products.

As noted in the Preface, the report generally adheres to the guiding principles for research as set forth in the National Research Council 2002 report Scientific Research in Education. The report also cites AERA's Standards for Reporting on Empirical Social Science Research in AERA Publications. Executive Director Felice Levine applauded the document on its release as “another valuable set of guidance in the cycle of knowledge production.” She urged researchers and students to consider these Guidelines well before they consider the submission of a proposal for federal funding.

A draft of this report was presented at a featured symposium that included small discussion groups at the 2013 AERA Annual Meeting. Further follow-up is anticipated at the 2014 Annual Meeting.