---
kind: "section"
citation: "20 U.S.C. § 9514"
title: "20"
title_heading: "Education"
number: "9514"
heading: "Office of the Director"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/20/9514"
units:
  - "Chapter 76 — Education Research, Statistics, Evaluation, Information, and Dissemination"
  - "Subchapter I — Education Sciences Reform"
  - "Part A — The Institute of Education Sciences"
---

# §9514. Office of the Director

- (a) **Appointment—** Except as provided in [subsection (b)(2)](#b-2), the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint the [Director](/usc/20/9501.md?p=9) of the [Institute](/usc/20/9501.md?p=14).
- (b) **Term—**
  - (1) **In general—** The [Director](/usc/20/9501.md?p=9) shall serve for a term of 6 years, beginning on the date of appointment of the [Director](/usc/20/9501.md?p=9).
  - (2) **First Director—** The President, without the advice and consent of the Senate, may appoint the Assistant [Secretary](/usc/20/9501.md?p=21) for the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (as such office existed on the day before November 5, 2002) to serve as the first [Director](/usc/20/9501.md?p=9) of the [Institute](/usc/20/9501.md?p=14).
  - (3) **Subsequent Directors—** The [Board](/usc/20/9501.md?p=4) may make recommendations to the President with respect to the appointment of a [Director](/usc/20/9501.md?p=9) under [subsection (a)](#a), other than a [Director](/usc/20/9501.md?p=9) appointed under [paragraph (2)](#b-2).
- (c) **Pay—** The [Director](/usc/20/9501.md?p=9) shall receive the rate of basic pay for level II of the Executive Schedule.
- (d) **Qualifications—** The [Director](/usc/20/9501.md?p=9) shall be selected from individuals who are highly qualified authorities in the fields of [scientifically valid research](/usc/20/9501.md?p=20), statistics, or evaluation in education, as well as management within such areas, and have a demonstrated capacity for sustained productivity and leadership in these areas.
- (e) **Administration—** The [Director](/usc/20/9501.md?p=9) shall—
  - (1) administer, oversee, and coordinate the activities carried out under the [Institute](/usc/20/9501.md?p=14), including the activities of the National Education Centers; and
  - (2) coordinate and approve budgets and operating plans for each of the National Education Centers for submission to the [Secretary](/usc/20/9501.md?p=21).
- (f) **Duties—** The duties of the [Director](/usc/20/9501.md?p=9) shall include the following:
  - (1) To propose to the [Board](/usc/20/9501.md?p=4) priorities for the [Institute](/usc/20/9501.md?p=14), in accordance with [section 9515(a) of this title](/usc/20/9515.md?p=a).
  - (2) To ensure the methodology applied in conducting research, [development](/usc/20/9501.md?p=8), evaluation, and statistical analysis is consistent with the standards for such activities under this subchapter.
  - (3) To coordinate education research and related activities carried out by the [Institute](/usc/20/9501.md?p=14) with such research and activities carried out by other agencies within the [Department](/usc/20/9501.md?p=7) and the Federal Government.
  - (4) To advise the [Secretary](/usc/20/9501.md?p=21) on research, evaluation, and statistics activities relevant to the activities of the [Department](/usc/20/9501.md?p=7).
  - (5) To establish necessary procedures for technical and scientific peer review of the activities of the [Institute](/usc/20/9501.md?p=14), consistent with [section 9516(b)(3) of this title](/usc/20/9516.md?p=b-3).
  - (6) To ensure that all participants in research conducted or supported by the [Institute](/usc/20/9501.md?p=14) are afforded their privacy rights and other relevant protections as research subjects, in accordance with [section 9573 of this title](/usc/20/9573.md), [section 552a of title 5](/usc/5/552a.md), and sections [1232g](/usc/20/1232g.md) and [1232h](/usc/20/1232h.md) of this title.
  - (7) To ensure that activities conducted or supported by the [Institute](/usc/20/9501.md?p=14) are objective, secular, neutral, and nonideological and are free of partisan political influence and racial, cultural, gender, or regional bias.
  - (8) To undertake initiatives and programs to increase the participation of researchers and institutions that have been historically underutilized in Federal education research activities of the [Institute](/usc/20/9501.md?p=14), including historically Black colleges or universities or other institutions of higher education with large numbers of minority students.
  - (9) To coordinate with the [Secretary](/usc/20/9501.md?p=21) to promote and provide for the coordination of research and [development](/usc/20/9501.md?p=8) activities and [technical assistance](/usc/20/9501.md?p=23) activities between the [Institute](/usc/20/9501.md?p=14) and [comprehensive centers](/usc/20/9501.md?p=6).
  - (10) To solicit and consider the recommendations of education stakeholders, in order to ensure that there is broad and regular public and professional input from the educational field in the planning and carrying out of the [Institute](/usc/20/9501.md?p=14)’s activities.
  - (11) To coordinate the wide [dissemination](/usc/20/9501.md?p=10) of information on [scientifically valid research](/usc/20/9501.md?p=20).
  - (12) To carry out and support other activities consistent with the priorities and mission of the [Institute](/usc/20/9501.md?p=14).
- (g) **Expert guidance and assistance—** The [Director](/usc/20/9501.md?p=9) may establish technical and scientific peer-review groups and scientific program advisory committees for research and evaluations that the [Director](/usc/20/9501.md?p=9) determines are necessary to carry out the requirements of this subchapter. The [Director](/usc/20/9501.md?p=9) shall appoint such personnel, except that officers and employees of the United States shall comprise no more than ¼ of the members of any such group or committee and shall not receive additional compensation for their service as members of such a group or committee. The [Director](/usc/20/9501.md?p=9) shall ensure that reviewers are highly qualified and capable to appraise education research and [development](/usc/20/9501.md?p=8) projects. [Chapter 10](/usc/5/chptI/ch10.md) of title 5 shall not apply to a peer-review group or an advisory committee established under this subsection.
- (h) **Review—** The [Director](/usc/20/9501.md?p=9) may, when requested by other officers of the [Department](/usc/20/9501.md?p=7), and shall, when directed by the [Secretary](/usc/20/9501.md?p=21), review the products and publications of other offices of the [Department](/usc/20/9501.md?p=7) to certify that evidence-based claims about those products and publications are scientifically valid.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 107–279, title I, § 114, Nov. 5, 2002, 116 Stat. 1946; Pub. L. 117–286, § 4(a)(153), Dec. 27, 2022, 136 Stat. 4322.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### References in Text

Level II of the Executive Schedule, referred to in subsec. (c), is set out in section 5313 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.

### Amendments

2022—Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 117–286 substituted “Chapter 10 of title 5” for “The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.)”.