The National Council on Educational Research (NCER) was part of the U.S. Department of Education. The Council was originally tasked with overseeing the activities of the educational Labs and Centers established by Congress, the largest of which was the located in Portland, Oregon. Although the labs and centers had budgets sometimes in the millions of dollars (largely from Congress) the Council, itself, was a very small body, consisting of just two or three permanent staff members. The Council members were presidential appointees confirmed by Congress. Historically, the Council met infrequently, and rarely did more than endorse what the labs and centers chose to do.