A staple since COSSA’s earliest days, the biweekly COSSA Washington Update newsletter provides members and the public with comprehensive coverage of policy developments impacting social and behavioral science research.
NIH “Clinical Trials” Definition Moving Forward: Researchers Take Notice
As previously reported, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has been working for the last few years to enhance its stewardship of and increase transparency over the clinical trials it funds. In a recent blog post, Mike Lauer, Deputy Director for Extramural Research, explained that while no changes have been made to the definition of a clinical trial, which is the primary area of concern for the social science community, the case studies developed by NIH to help investigators determine whether their research would now fall under the new definition have been updated and clarified. COSSA described the planned changes…
Trump Appoints James Woodworth to serve as Commissioner of Education Statistics
James Woodworth of the Center for Research on Educational Outcomes at Stanford University’s Hoover Institute has been appointed to lead the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) at the U.S. Department of Education. Mr. Woodworth has also worked as Distinguished Doctoral Fellow at the Arkansas Department of Education Reform and as a public-school teacher. NCES is the principal statistical agency within the Departments’ research arm, the Institute of Education Sciences. Mr. Woodworth was appointed for the remainder of a six-year term expiring in 2021. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
National Academies Launches Reproducibility and Replicability Study
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held the first meeting of the study committee on Reproducibility and Replicability in Science on December 12 and 13. The study is sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and is statutorily required by a provision in the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act. The committee will work to identify factors that affect reproducibility and replication, highlight best practices, and ascertain the extent of issues affecting reproducibility and replication. More information about project can be found here. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 36 Issue 24
Featured News Congress Passes Two-Week Stopgap Funding Bill, Returns to Debate Spending and Taxes COSSA in Action Linguist Evan Bradley Answers “Why Social Science?” Congressional News House Education and Workforce Committee Introduces Reauthorization of Higher Education Act; Democrats Introduce Competing Title VI Proposal Federal Agency & Administration News Trump Nominates Mark Schneider to Direct the Institute of Education Sciences NSF Seeking New Assistant Director for Education and Human Resources Directorate BLS Technical Advisory Committee Accepting Nominations COSSA Member Spotlight APA Seeking Congressional and Executive Branch Fellowship Applications AERA Offering Congressional Fellowship Opportunity Events Calendar Editor’s Note: Update Returns January 9
Congress Passes Two-Week Stopgap Funding Bill, Returns to Debate Spending and Taxes
Congress passed a continuing resolution (CR) on the evening of December 7 to continue federal appropriations through December 22, averting a partial government shutdown. The extension of fiscal year (FY) 2017 funding levels through this CR will give Congress more time to finalize FY 2018 spending and come to agreement on raising spending caps set in place by the Budget Control Act. While the House of Representatives has finished work on all twelve of its spending bills, the Senate has yet to vote on any, referencing a lack of agreement on overall spending levels. In addition to finalizing spending for…
House Education and Workforce Committee Introduces Reauthorization of Higher Education Act; Democrats Introduce Competing Title VI Proposal
On December 1, House Education and Workforce Committee Chair Virginia Foxx (R-NC) introduced the Promoting Real Opportunity, Success, and Prosperity through Education Reform (PROSPER) Act, a bill to reauthorize the Higher Education Act (HEA). The HEA authorizes federal aid programs that support institutions of higher education and postsecondary students. The bill proposes large changes to graduate student loan programs, rolling back regulations on for-profit colleges, and changing the process for applying for federal student aid. Additionally, the bill proposes the elimination of several Title VI-International Education programs and reauthorizes the remaining programs below current levels. Congress last authorized the Higher…
Trump Nominates Mark Schneider to Direct the Institute of Education Sciences
Mark Schneider, visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and Vice President at the American Institutes for Research (AIR), has been nominated to lead the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). IES is the statistics, research, and evaluation arm of the U.S. Department of Education and includes the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, the National Center for Education Research, the National Center for Education Statistics, and the National Center for Special Education Research. Prior to joining the AIR, Schneider served as Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics from 2005 to 2008 and as a professor…
NSF Seeking New Assistant Director for Education and Human Resources Directorate
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has initiated a national search for Assistant Director for the Education and Human Resources (EHR) Directorate. Dr. Jim Lewis has served as Acting Assistant Director since January of 2016. The Assistant Director for EHR will oversee the directorate, which includes the Division of Graduate Education, the Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings, the Division of Undergraduate Education, and the Division on Human Resource Development. The search committee is seeking candidates with outstanding leadership capabilities; a deep sense of scholarship; and a grasp of the issues facing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics…
BLS Technical Advisory Committee Accepting Nominations
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Technical Advisory Committee is accepting nominations to fill five upcoming vacancies. The Committee advises the Bureau on technical aspects of data collection and the formulation of economic measures and makes recommendations on areas of research. BLS is interested in candidates who have a strong familiarity with BLS data and economic statistics. Nominations should be submitted by January 5, 2018. More information is available in the Federal Register notice. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
APA Seeking Congressional and Executive Branch Fellowship Applications
The American Psychological Association (APA), a COSSA governing member, is accepting applications for its 2018-2019 Congressional and Executive Branch Fellowships. The APA Congressional Fellowship Program provides two psychologists each year with the opportunity to spend a year working as special legislative assistants in a Senate or House office. The APA Executive Branch Fellowship Program gives psychologists the opportunity to spend a year working within a federal agency working on issues related to science policy and research administration. More information about both programs is available on the APA website. Applications for both fellowships are due by January 5, 2018. Back to…
AERA Offering Congressional Fellowship Opportunity
The American Educational Research Association (AERA), a COSSA governing members, is inviting education researchers to apply for its 2018 Congressional Fellowship Program. The program offers doctoral scientist from any field of education research the opportunity to spend as year as a resident scholar within a Congressional office. More information is available on the AERA website. Applications are due by December 15, 2017. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
Events Calendar
Friends of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Happy Hour, December 13, 2017, Washington, DC The Lunch @ DC: Trust, Engagement, and Governance: Democracy from the Bottom-Up, December 14, 2017, Washington, DC Association of American Law Schools Annual Meeting, January 3-6, 2018, San Diego, CA Southern Political Science Association Annual Meeting, January 4-7, 2018, New Orleans, LA Linguistic Society of America Annual Meeting, January 4-7, 2018, Salt Lake City, UT American Historical Association Annual Meeting, January 4-7, 2018, Washington, DC American Economic Association Annual Meeting, January 5-7, 2018, Philadelphia, PA Society for Social Work and Research Annual Meeting, January 10-14, 2018, Washington,…
COSSA Washington Update, Volume 36 Issue 23
Featured News Save the Date: 2018 COSSA Science Policy Conference and Social Science Advocacy Day – April 30 & May 1 COSSA in Action SRCD Answers “Why Social Science?” Congressional News Budget Deal to Raise Spending Caps in Negotiation; Senate Releases Remaining Appropriations Bills Federal Agency & Administration News Administration Considering Controversial Pick for Census Deputy Director Jeffrey H. Anderson Appointed BJS Director National Endowment for the Humanities Releases 2018 Summer Programs for Teachers Publications & Community Events National Academies Requests Nominations for Study on the Well-Being of Military Families COSSA Member Spotlight ASA Accepting Applications for Science Policy Fellowship…
Save the Date: 2018 COSSA Science Policy Conference and Social Science Advocacy Day – April 30 & May 1
COSSA’s 2018 Science Policy Conference and Social Science Advocacy Day will take place on April 30 and May 1, 2018 in Washington, DC. The Conference brings together COSSA members and other stakeholders for a day of discussion about federal policy impacting our science followed by the only annual, coordinated advocacy day in support of all of the social and behavioral sciences. Early bird registration will open later in December. More details will be posted on the Conference webpage as they are made available. Back to this issue’s table of contents.
Budget Deal to Raise Spending Caps in Negotiation; Senate Releases Remaining Appropriations Bills
Congressional leaders have indicated over the past few weeks that they plan to extend the current continuing resolution under which the government is operating past its December 8 expiration date. Extending the continuing resolution will give Congress more time to wrap up fiscal year (FY) 2018 appropriations and reach a deal to raise spending caps. According to the latest reports, Congressional Republicans are proposing an increase of $54 billion in defense spending and $37 billion in nondefense spending, which includes federal science agencies, for the 2018 and 2019 fiscal years. While the House of Representatives completed its work on the…
Administration Considering Controversial Pick for Census Deputy Director
The Trump Administration is reportedly considering naming Thomas Brunell, a political science professor at the University of Texas, Dallas, as the next Deputy Director of the Census Bureau. The pick has raised concerns for Census stakeholder groups both because Brunell has no prior government experience and would be the top operations official overseeing the decennial census, the government’s biggest non-wartime operation, and because his selection would appear to politicize what has historically been a non-political position. Brunell has testified on behalf of Republican redistricting efforts and is the author of a 2008 book called Redistricting and Representation: Why Competitive Elections…
Jeffrey H. Anderson Appointed BJS Director
The Trump Administration has announced that it intends to appoint Jeffrey H. Anderson as director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), the principal statistical agency housed within the Department of Justice. Anderson most recently served as Director of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Health Reform, after his appointment was announced in May 2017. He is a former Hudson Institute Senior Fellow and co-founder of the 2017 Project, a conservative policy organization. Anderson hold a Ph.D. in political science from Claremont Graduate University. The position of BJS Director does not require Senate confirmation, so Anderson can…