administer, oversee, and coordinate the activities carried out under the Institute, including the activities of the National Education Centers; and

coordinate and approve budgets and operating plans for each of the National Education Centers for submission to the Secretary.

To propose to the Board priorities for the Institute, in accordance with section 9515(a) of this title.

To ensure the methodology applied in conducting research, development, evaluation, and statistical analysis is consistent with the standards for such activities under this subchapter.

To coordinate education research and related activities carried out by the Institute with such research and activities carried out by other agencies within the Department and the Federal Government.

To advise the Secretary on research, evaluation, and statistics activities relevant to the activities of the Department.

To establish necessary procedures for technical and scientific peer review of the activities of the Institute, consistent with section 9516(b)(3) of this title.

To ensure that all participants in research conducted or supported by the Institute are afforded their privacy rights and other relevant protections as research subjects, in accordance with section 9573 of this title, section 552a of title 5, and sections 1232g and 1232h of this title.

To ensure that activities conducted or supported by the Institute are objective, secular, neutral, and nonideological and are free of partisan political influence and racial, cultural, gender, or regional bias.

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, including historically Black colleges or universities or other institutions of higher education with large numbers of minority students.

To coordinate with the Secretary to promote and provide for the coordination of research and development activities and technical assistance activities between the Institute and comprehensive centers.

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’s activities.

To coordinate the wide dissemination of information on scientifically valid research.

To carry out and support other activities consistent with the priorities and mission of the Institute.