Update: AERA, in partnership with the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE), has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Education over the unlawful dismantling of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and its consequent harms to our members and the educators, policy makers, and countless families and students who benefit from education research.

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Federal education research and data are under attack. 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) from approximately 175 to about 20 and cutting the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) from 105 to 3. The administration is also canceling all restricted-use NCES data licenses, cutting off access to critical data sources and bringing research across the country to an abrupt halt. These actions follow the administration suddenly canceling IES contracts and placing the NCES commissioner on administrative leave. These deeply troubling steps are having an immediate and adverse impact on research across the country—and will hurt students, educators, and society. 

If the administration succeeds in gutting federal education research, policymakers and educators nationwide will be forced to make decisions in the dark, without reliable evidence to guide them. These cuts would jeopardize student achievement, weaken workforce readiness, and erode America’s global competitiveness. 

AERA is speaking out, alerting association members, and coordinating with the scientific community to advocate for protecting the integrity of federal research and data. Follow the links below to learn more and get engaged.