The Institute of Education Sciences, the research arm of the U.S. Department of Education, is facing nearly $900 million in cuts on Tuesday following a cost-reduction effort led by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, according to the Associated Press.
The cuts have resulted in the sudden termination of at least 169 contracts, raising concerns about the future of the U.S. Education Department and the ability to track the progress of students, the news agency said.
Among the contracts eliminated were long-term studies monitoring student learning from kindergarten through high school, research on elementary reading strategies and support programs for youth with disabilities. However, key programs such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the nation’s report card, and the College Scorecard database will remain intact, Education Department spokesperson Madison Biedermann told the AP.
The controversy deepened when the Education Department on Tuesday temporarily blocked DOGE workers from accessing internal systems containing sensitive information.
The research from IES is considered a vital source of education data, providing insight into school performance, effectiveness of federal programs and education policy. Many of the terminated contracts supported federally-mandated research and logistical support for international assessments. One project cut was the ReSolve study, which aimed to accelerate math learning for fourth and fifth graders.
Advocacy groups and researchers condemned the funding cuts, arguing they undermine efforts to track educational disparities, particularly among low-income students and students of color, according to the AP.
Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), who sits on the Senate’s education committee and is a former preschool teacher, cautioned in a statement that the move was "just the first step Trump and Musk are taking to abolish the Department of Education" without considering the needs of working class kids in America.
