(a) General duties
The Research Center shall—

(1) maintain published peer-review standards and standards for the conduct and evaluation of all research and development carried out under the auspices of the Research Center in accordance with this part;

(2) propose to the Director a research plan that—

(A) is consistent with the priorities and mission of the Institute and the mission of the Research Center and includes the activities described in paragraph (3); and

(B) shall be carried out pursuant to paragraph (4) and, as appropriate, be updated and modified;

(3) carry out specific, long-term research activities that are consistent with the priorities and mission of the Institute, and are approved by the Director;

(4) implement the plan proposed under paragraph (2) to carry out scientifically valid research that—

(A) uses objective and measurable indicators, including timelines, that are used to assess the progress and results of such research;

(B) meets the procedures for peer review established by the Director under section 9514(f)(5) of this title and the standards of research described in section 9534 of this title; and

(C) includes both basic research and applied research, which shall include research conducted through field-initiated research and ongoing research initiatives;

(5) promote the use of scientifically valid research within the Federal Government, including active participation in interagency research projects described in section 9518 of this title;

(6) ensure that research conducted under the direction of the Research Center is relevant to education practice and policy;

(7) synthesize and disseminate, through the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, the findings and results of education research conducted or supported by the Research Center;

(8) assist the Director in the preparation of a biennial report, as described in section 9519 of this title;

(9) carry out research on successful State and local education reform activities, including those that result in increased academic achievement and in closing the achievement gap, as approved by the Director;

(10) carry out research initiatives regarding the impact of technology, including—

(A) research into how technology affects student achievement;

(B) long-term research into cognition and learning issues as they relate to the uses of technology;

(C) rigorous, peer-reviewed, large-scale, long-term, and broadly applicable empirical research that is designed to determine which approaches to the use of technology are most effective and cost-efficient in practice and under what conditions; and

(D) field-based research on how teachers implement technology and Internet-based resources in the classroom, including an understanding ¹ how these resources are being accessed, put to use, and the effectiveness of such resources; and

(11) carry out research that is rigorous, peer-reviewed, and large scale to determine which methods of mathematics and science teaching are most effective, cost efficient, and able to be applied, duplicated, and scaled up for use in elementary and secondary classrooms, including in low-performing schools, to improve the teaching of, and student achievement in, mathematics and science as required under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.).

(b) Eligibility
Research carried out under subsection (a) through contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements shall be carried out only by recipients with the ability and capacity to conduct scientifically valid research.

(c) National research and development centers

(1) Support
In carrying out activities under subsection (a)(3), the Research Commissioner shall support not less than 8 national research and development centers. The Research Commissioner shall assign each of the 8 national research and development centers not less than 1 of the topics described in paragraph (2). In addition, the Research Commissioner may assign each of the 8 national research and development centers additional topics of research consistent with the mission and priorities of the Institute and the mission of the Research Center.

(2) Topics of research
The Research Commissioner shall support the following topics of research, through national research and development centers or through other means:

(A) Adult literacy.

(B) Assessment, standards, and accountability research.

(C) Early childhood development and education.

(D) English language learners research.

(E) Improving low achieving schools.

(F) Innovation in education reform.

(G) State and local policy.

(H) Postsecondary education and training.

(I) Rural education.

(J) Teacher quality.

(K) Reading and literacy.

(3) Duties of centers
The national research and development centers shall address areas of national need, including in educational technology areas. The Research Commissioner may support additional national research and development centers to address topics of research not described in paragraph (2) if such topics are consistent with the priorities and mission of the Institute and the mission of the Research Center. The research carried out by the centers shall incorporate the potential or existing role of educational technology, where appropriate, in achieving the goals of each center.

(4) Scope
Support for a national research and development center shall be for a period of not more than 5 years, shall be of sufficient size and scope to be effective, and notwithstanding section 9534(b) of this title, may be renewed without competition for not more than 5 additional years if the Director, in consultation with the Research Commissioner and the Board, determines that the research of the national research and development center—

(A) continues to address priorities of the Institute; and

(B) merits renewal (applying the procedures and standards established in section 9534 of this title).

(5) Limit
No national research and development center may be supported under this subsection for a period of more than 10 years without submitting to a competitive process for the award of the support.

(6) Continuation of awards
The Director shall continue awards made to the national research and development centers that are in effect on the day before November 5, 2002, in accordance with the terms of those awards and may renew them in accordance with paragraphs (4) and (5).

(7) Disaggregation
To the extent feasible, research conducted under this subsection shall be disaggregated by age, race, gender, and socioeconomic background.