On March 16 and 17, a delegation of nine AERA members, led by AERA Executive Director Felice J. Levine and Government Relations Director Juliane Baron, met with White House staff and key congressional offices.  

The participating AERA members, who come from politically important congressional districts, represented a broad range of topic areas, methodologies, and expertise. These members have both received federal funding and rely on federally-supported data.

During their time in Washington, D.C., delegation members met with senior staff at the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Science and Technology Policy. On Capitol Hill, they visited with 29 legislative staff members serving in Senate and House of Representatives personal offices and committees with jurisdiction over agencies funding education research, including the Institute of Education Sciences at the Department of Education, the Education and Human Resources Directorate at the, National Science Foundation, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institutes of Health.

AERA members shared examples of their research and how federal funds help inform education policy decisions, improve student and school performance, and advance the field of education science.

In addition, the AERA delegation discussed several pieces of legislation impacting education research. While specific legislation has yet to be introduced, the AERA delegation was able to voice concerns about the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act as well as the reauthorization of the National Science Foundation. 

The AERA delegation included the following:

• Juliane Baron, AERA Director of Government Relations
• James Barufaldi, University of Texas at Austin
• Dan Goldhaber, University of Washington and American Institutes of Research
• Maeghan Hennessey, University of Oklahoma
• Odis Johnson Jr., Washington University at St. Louis
• Felice J. Levine, AERA Executive Director
• David H. Monk, Penn State University and Chair of AERA’s Government Relations Committee
• AERA Past-President Barbara Schneider, Michigan State University
• Walter G. Secada, University of Miami
• Zewelanji  Serpell, Virginia Commonwealth University
• Christy Talbot, AERA Government Relations Program Associate
• David J. Weerts, University of Minnesota

“Education is a major topic in the 114th Congress and research is critical to strong policy decisions,” said Levine. “Always, and particularly during tight fiscal times, AERA must have a unified and robust voice on Capitol Hill, explaining what we have learned from the field of education research and why policymakers must increase the federal investment.”