OERI: 



• mainly supports research-intensive universities by awarding funds to OERI-supported research and 

 development centers located at those institutions and also funds a small number of individual field-initiated 

 research projects; 



• seeks assistance from faculty at research-intensive universities to help develop and implement world-class 

 curriculum standards and assessments for elementary and secondary schools and to improve teacher educa- 

 tion; and 



• collects a wide range of educational data from research intensive universities as part of its education statis- 

 tics gathering activities. 



ED Expectations/Requirements from Relationship with Universities: 



Educational and social expectations from, and purposes for, the expenditures include: 



• improving research and teaching at national, regional, state and institutional levels; 



• improving the training, and increasing the number, of scientists and educational analysts; 



• increasing access to higher education; and 



• developing and maintaining a large body of educational data and statistics. 

 Requirements and restrictions imposed on the institutions that receive these funds include: 



• compliance with all Federal guidelines and regulations and provision of the high quality of research and 

 services needed to improve American education; 



• submission of proposals that promise to strengthen research and teaching at national, regional, state and in- 

 stitutional levels and which include data to support statements of project need and evidence of past achieve- 

 ment of project objectives; 



• submission of meaningful performance reports, which include evaluative data that identify project-related 

 achievement of project objectives; and 



• compliance with requirements of eligibility, fiscal and administrative capability, and program administra- 

 tion set forth in the statutes and regulations governing the Federal student aid programs. 



Issues with Current Relationships/Barriers to Effective Relationship: 



OPE has found that some proposals lack objective program-need data and some reports lack valid evaluative 

 data on accomplishments. In addition, an accretion of differing statutory requirements on a program-by-program 

 basis over time has resulted in unnecessary complexity and administrative burden for institutions participating in the 

 Federal student aid programs. Regulatory and statutory requirements intended to curb abuse particularly in the 

 proprietary sector are generally applied to all institutions (as ED does not have authority to regulate by sector), thus 

 unnecessarily adding to the administrative burden placed on research institutions. 



OERI is working closely with its grantees and contractors at research intensive universities to guarantee the 

 production of high quality research and other services. OERI is especially concerned with increasing the proportion 

 of its funds that goes directly to research and school improvement activities rather than to indirect costs or other ad- 

 ministrative expenses. 



Elements/Characteristics of a Productive Future Relationship: 



With respect to OPE, a productive future relationship will involve the development of a consensus agenda for 

 action, the cooperative establishment of relevant data bases and the cooperative establishment of priorities with 

 regard to academic fields and levels. In addition, ED has initiated and is expanding a project of using performance- 



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