July 2025

In a July 8 letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon and Acting Assistant Secretary Craig Trainor, AERA and 10 other leading education research groups urged the U.S. Department of Education to finalize the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) for the 2025–26 school year. They warned that the timeline for approval and implementation had become critically short.

The CRDC collects data on educational access and equity in every public school district. These data are crucial for understanding student experiences and opportunities across race, gender, disability status, and other demographics. Researchers, educators, and families use the data to assess outcomes and inform improvement efforts.

Although the department took steps toward finalizing the 2025–26 data collection last fall and winter, it withdrew the most recent proposed collection in February 2025. No public updates have followed.

“In order to report quality data to the CRDC, school districts need sufficient time to prepare their student information systems to track and record the required information,” the groups wrote. “Ideally, school districts would know well before the school year begins what they will be required to report to the CRDC after the school year ends. But, at a minimum, school districts should be told early in the school year.”

In addition to AERA Executive Director Felice J. Levine, the signatories of the letter included the leaders of the Association for Education Finance and Policy, Division for Research at the Council for Exceptional Children, International Society of the Learning Sciences, Literacy Research Association, NARST: A global organization for improving science education through research, National Academy of Education, Society for Research in Child Development, Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness, and University Council for Educational Administration.

The Paperwork Reduction Act requires a final 30-day public comment period followed by a review period by the Office of Management and Budget. That process alone could push final approval past September, creating major logistical challenges for school districts.

“We urge immediate action in order to implement this essential data collection. Simply the timetable has no more flexibility,” the letter stated. “The Office for Civil Rights must restart the process by immediately publishing the proposed Civil Rights Data Collection for the 2025–26 school year for a 30-day comment period.”

Peggy Carr Speaks Out

Nearly three months after being abruptly placed on administrative leave, former National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Commissioner Peggy Carr issued a public message on July 14, decrying the effective dismantling of NCES.

Carr, who became the first NCES commissioner to be removed from a six-year term, described the Trump administration’s actions as a “devastating shutdown and decimation of a critical national institution.” In her message, Carr outlined why NCES is vital to the nation and offered strategies for strengthening the agency and safeguarding its mission moving forward.

The Hechinger Report published a detailed and revealing interview with Carr about her dismissal and the administration’s efforts to undermine NCES.

Matthew Soldner Appointed Acting NCES Commissioner

On July 7, the Education Department announced that Matthew Solder would serve as the acting commissioner of NCES. He had served as the acting director of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) since April 2024 and previously led the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE) within IES. He replaces Carr.

Mark Calabria Named Chief Statistician of the United States

On July 10, the White House announced the appointment of Mark Calabria as chief statistician of the United States. He will also continue in his current role as the associate director for treasury, housing, and commerce at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

Calabria succeeds Karin Orvis, who served as chief statistician from May 2022 to July 2025. Orvis remains at OMB as branch chief for statistical and social policy.

Supreme Court Allows Education Department Layoffs to Proceed

The Supreme Court issued an order on July 14 allowing the Trump administration to move forward with plans to fire half of the Education Department’s staff. The decision overturned a May injunction by a federal judge that had temporarily blocked the layoffs while ongoing legal challenges were being considered.

In a dissent joined by Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson and Elena Kagan, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote: “When the executive publicly announces its intent to break the law, and then executes on that promise, it is the judiciary’s duty to check that lawlessness, not expedite it. . . . [The majority] decision is indefensible.”