Dear NCME Colleagues,
Like many of you watching executive activity in and around federal data institutions in the United States, we in NCME leadership have been alarmed by rapid and reckless changes and their effects on our many members who work for and with federal institutions. These changes threaten the NCME mission: to improve measurement scholarship and practice to benefit society.
On Tuesday, NCME joined our sibling organizations on the Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics (COPAFS) to uphold the value of federal data systems, the laws that govern their privacy and quality, and the role of Congress in funding and oversight. In an open letter, we called on Congressional leaders to restore federal data and prevent future removal of data from federal agency websites and portals.
As measurement scholars and professionals, we are united by principles of validity, fairness, comparability, transparency, and privacy. All of these principles are threatened by ongoing access and removal of federal data products, as well as cancellation and upheaval of related research and contracts that advance measurement science and practice.
On Wednesday, our NCME Executive Committee, in consultation with our full Board, voted unanimously to extend financial support to presenting members at our upcoming Annual Meeting in Denver on April 23-26 who are affected directly and financially by these changes. You are members of our community. Your peers reviewed and selected your contributions. Your NCME colleagues will benefit from your attendance and engagement at our sessions, receptions, and events.
If your ability to present at our Annual Meeting is affected directly by recent changes to U.S. federal institutions, grants, and contracts, NCME will waive your Annual Meeting registration fee. If this describes you, please email a request with these details to NCME Executive Director Rich Patz.
Remember, also, that NCME membership dues already include financial hardship provisions for those experiencing an acute financial crisis like job loss or a similar challenge. If you have questions about these policies, please contact me or Rich. It is our goal to keep NCME strong through the quality engagement of its contributing members.
As I stated in my February presidential message, the role of a strong organization is to support its members and its mission, particularly in volatile times. If you would like to share any experiences or ideas related to ongoing professional uncertainty and ways that NCME can support you concretely, we would be happy to hear them. Please feel free to contact me and/or Rich directly. We have also created this form where you can provide NCME leadership your thoughts anonymously if you would like.
The first words of our mission are, “NCME is a community.” With ongoing changes and uncertainty, community feels to us more important than ever. We look forward to convening as a community at our Annual Meeting in Denver in April, to uphold measurement science and practice.
Andrew Ho, President
Rich Patz, Executive Director
National Council on Measurement in Education
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