Trump Administration Moves to Close Education Research Arm Amid Job Fears

WASHINGTON, D.C. — An independent research arm within the U.S. Department of Education, the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), faces significant budget cuts that may lead to its near shutdown, according to employees briefed on the situation. These reductions come as the department embarks on a controversial realignment under the Trump administration.

The IES is critical for collecting and disseminating data on teaching practices and U.S. student achievement. In a meeting on February 10, employees learned that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) plans to terminate most existing contracts with IES. The layoffs have sent a wave of anxiety throughout the office, with employees describing a somber atmosphere during the discussions.

One employee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to fears of retribution, revealed, “All of the contracts we oversee have been terminated. So it begs the question, what will this mean for our jobs?”

According to sources, as many as 89 contracts valued at $881 million have been canceled, including studies related to private school education, homeschooling, and various data collection projects. This also impacts research currently underway to help students recover lost ground in mathematics.

Another employee expressed skepticism about the department’s claims of efficiency, stating, “If they’re doing this to save government money, they are wasting millions today. All the money we have spent working on these products, down the drain.”

Thomas Weko, a former commissioner at the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), criticized the move, calling it “shocking” and “pointless.” He explained, “The creation of IES was an attempt to put our understanding of education on a scientific footing, akin to other fields like medicine.”

With contracts related to IES and NCES potentially terminated, a vast repository of educational data collected over decades could become difficult to access, disrupting future research and data collection efforts.

Despite these significant cuts, employees indicate that the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), known as The Nation’s Report Card, will be preserved at least for the immediate future. This assessment provides essential data on K-12 student performance across core subjects, including math and reading.

In recent remarks, President Trump reiterated his aim to restructure the Education Department, announcing plans to call on Congress to reduce its budget significantly and potentially close the department altogether. During a recent interview, he noted, “We’re going to find billions, hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud and abuse” within the department.

As these discussions unfold, uncertainty looms over the future of educational data collection and the implications for federal funding in education systems across the U.S.