Ed. Dept. Releases Proposed Guidelines for Research

By Debra Viadero

Washington

Researchers themselves could be under the microscope for virtually the first time under new evaluation guidelines proposed by the Department of Education.

The guidelines call for peer-review panels to appraise all research grants awarded by the department--from the smallest purchase order to the largest federal research center--at least twice after they are approved. One review would come once the project was under way; a second would come when the work ended.

Currently, projects are evaluated by outside panels only once--when the...