During my tenure at NCES, my main emphasis has been on the translation of statistical data into information that is understandable, useful, and timely for policymakers. Over the past several years, I have worked on reports that I think have been instrumental in informing the debate about our national education policy agenda. These include The Lake Wobegone Effect—A Skeleton in the Testing Closet (1988), A World of Differences: The First International Assessment of Educational Progress (1990), and The State of Mathematics Achievement: The First NAEP State-by-State Assessment (1991). The main purpose of each of these reports was to provide new and innovative information to help education researchers, policymakers, and the public better understand the condition of education in America. I've also been responsible for work that contributed to improvement in the methodology of educational measurement, such as Toward World Class Standards: The First Linking Study Between NAEP and International Assessments (1993) and Technical Issues in Large-Scale Performance Assessment (1995).

As Acting Commissioner, I recognize that my first goal is to "keep the train on track" and to continue the agency's solid record in the collection and dissemination of education statistics. However, it would be shortsighted of me to claim that there is no room for improvement, and in this spirit I would like to outline my vision for a better NCES.

My goals are to

• Focus on the fundamental mission of NCES, established in 1867 to "collect such statistics and facts as shall show the condition and progress of education in the several States and territories, and of diffusing such information respecting the organization and management of efficient school systems, and otherwise promote the cause of education throughout the United States."
• Improve the basic NCES infrastructure to better support agency functions. This means a renewed commitment to quality, based on updated statistical standards, a wider dissemination of data and reports including vehicles such as the Quarterly, and continuous improvement in management, such as the use of more sophisticated technology.
• Support the reauthorization of NCES to make the agency more independent, customer oriented, and focused on high-quality, timely, and relevant data. This will be done within the context of the reauthorizing legislation for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), and the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI).
• Increase the usefulness of the NCES Web Site by supporting more projects related to Web-based data collection, data harvesting, and online data analysis, as well as by continually expanding the Web site as a major means of releasing and disseminating reports.
• Work with colleges and universities, local and state agencies, associations, and other education constituency groups to help keep the Center's data agenda relevant to the nation's policy debates.