Herbert Pell: “the amendment I am offering to the Goals 2000 legislation is the Educational Research and Improvement Act. This…”

“the amendment I am offering to the Goals 2000 legislation is the Educational Research and Improvement Act. This amendment was reported from both the Subcommittee on Education, Arts and Humanities and the Committee on Labor and Human Resources unanimously as S. 286. It is a truly bipartisan bill and is supported by the Clinton administration. I am joined in offering it by Senators Kennedy, Kassebaum, and Jeffords. We spent considerable time fashioning the Educational Research and Improvement Act last Congress and improving it this Congress. I believe it most appropriate to move this educational research and improvement initiative as we consider the Goals 2000 legislation. To my mind, the most effective school reform is informed by quality research and development. As is the case with business, industry, and defense, the caliber of our educational system depends heavily upon the quality and scope of the investment we make in research and development. During all of our work on this reauthorization of authority for the Office of Educational Research and Improvement [OERI], we have had several specific goals in mind which we believe the amendment builds upon. First and foremost, we have sought to ensure that the Office be a beacon of educational excellence unsoiled by partisan politics.”