April 2, 2026
Dear AERA Members,
I’m writing to update you on AERA’s ongoing challenge to last year’s cuts to the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), including the mass cancellation of contracts essential to data collections, studies, evaluations, peer review, data access, and research dissemination, as well as the termination of 90 percent of the Institute’s staff. This suit is being undertaken in partnership with the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness.
Last Friday, March 27, our legal team filed a motion for summary judgment seeking to reverse these actions and require IES to carry out its critical, congressionally mandated role in leading and funding education research and statistics. The motion seeks a final court order holding that the 2025 contract cancellations and terminations were unlawful.
Friday’s court filing was the result of monthslong efforts to gather facts about the Department of Education’s actions, including testimony from government officials and the production of internal Department documents. We believe that these records clearly demonstrate that the actions to eviscerate the nation’s premier agency supporting education research, statistics, evaluations, and evidence-based resources were both unconsidered and unlawful.
This effort could not have been possible without the assistance of our members. We want to thank you for responding to our March 2 survey and additional surveys last year, for sharing your experiences, for following this case with such sustained interest, and for your broader support of our field at such a critical time. Many of you have spoken with our legal team, and more than a dozen have provided statements to the court documenting and substantiating the harm caused by the Department’s actions. We are deeply grateful for your time, dedication, and courage.
We will continue to share updates as the case proceeds and as we continue our broader efforts to safeguard a vibrant ecosystem for education research that serves the public good and the needs of our nation’s students and educators.
Sincerely,
Tabbye Chavous, PhD Executive Director American Education Research Association