To: Rep. Peter DeFazio (OR-4)
Please get the Education Department to Respond to our FOIA Appeal
We have been requesting assistance from your office in resolving a FOIA appeal for 2 months and have gotten no substantive help. Please push the Department of Education to resolve USDOE tracking numbers
• 15-00013-A for the determination made on 14-02242-F
• 15-00018-A for the determination made on 14-02241-F
• 15-00013-A for the determination made on 14-02242-F
• 15-00018-A for the determination made on 14-02241-F
Why is this important?
NIFDI wants to know how various decisions regarding the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) were made. In July of 2013 ago we filed a Freedom of Information act (FOIA) request to the Department of Education, which oversees the WWC. Some, but not all of the requested information was received. The initial information revealed that the WWC suffers from a lack of transparency in their policies and guidelines, the conclusions they create in their reports can be misleading, and the reports are potentially damaging to program developers and ultimately the success of students.
(See http://www.nifdi.org/research/reviews-of-di/what-works-clearinghouse for more information on the WWC as revealed through FOIA-released documents.)
We have made 2 appeal requests to the Department of Education under the Freedom of Information Act to receive the information that was not sent to us initially, to no avail. According to their rules, the DOE needs to provide us the information requested within 20 days, and if not possible, then a timeline for responding to our appeal must be provided. We have been trying to resolve this for over 16 months.
That's why I created a petition to Rep. Peter DeFazio (OR-4) to get the DOE to follow the law and send us the information per our FOIA request. DeFazio's office has been only semi-responsive on this issue and needs to know that our request is critical for kids, decision-makers and the field of education in general.
Once we have at least 50 signatures from DeFazio constituents the petition will be forwarded. Please send this on to anyone who lives in the 4th district and ask that they join us.
(See http://www.nifdi.org/research/reviews-of-di/what-works-clearinghouse for more information on the WWC as revealed through FOIA-released documents.)
We have made 2 appeal requests to the Department of Education under the Freedom of Information Act to receive the information that was not sent to us initially, to no avail. According to their rules, the DOE needs to provide us the information requested within 20 days, and if not possible, then a timeline for responding to our appeal must be provided. We have been trying to resolve this for over 16 months.
That's why I created a petition to Rep. Peter DeFazio (OR-4) to get the DOE to follow the law and send us the information per our FOIA request. DeFazio's office has been only semi-responsive on this issue and needs to know that our request is critical for kids, decision-makers and the field of education in general.
Once we have at least 50 signatures from DeFazio constituents the petition will be forwarded. Please send this on to anyone who lives in the 4th district and ask that they join us.