Protecting Education Research at the Department of Education

The Trump administration has fired half the staff at the U.S. Department of Education. This includes axing the number of employees at the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) by roughly 90 percent and cutting the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) from 105 to 3. The administration suddenly canceled IES contracts, placed the NCES commissioner on administrative leave, and dismantled the National Board for Education Sciences (which advises IES). The administration is also blocking all new restricted-use NCES data licenses, limiting access to critical data sources and slowing research across the country. These deeply troubling steps are having an immediate and adverse impact on research across the country—and will hurt students, educators, and society for years to come.

Legal Developments

• May 20, 2025 -- AERA provided an update on the lawsuit filed in April to challenge the Department of Education’ s unlawful dismantling of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES).
• April 30, 2025 -- AERA and the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE) asked for an injuction to protect the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), by asking the court to pause the dismantling of the IES while the case is heard.
• April 14, 2025 -- AERA, in partnership with SREE, filed a lawsuit against the Department of Education over the unlawful dismantling of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and its consequent harms to members and the educators, policy makers, and countless families and students who benefit from education research.