AERA News Updates

News reports from AERA.

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  Peggy Carr Statement on NCES
  July 16, 2025
  
  On July 14, Peggy Carr, former commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) shared a statement on NCES matters and what is needed now.

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  FY 2026 Budget Request Includes Deep Cuts for Federal Research Agencies
  June 30, 2025
  
  On May 30, the Trump administration began its rollout of the full budget request for the 2026 fiscal year. Read more

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  AERA Provides Comments on Proposed Updates to 2026 NAEP and EDFacts
  June 30, 2025
  
  AERA continues to respond to requests for comments regarding federal data collections and systems, despite Executive Orders that have created a precarious foundation for the continuation of, access to, and future planning for data and statistics under the aegis of the National Center for Education Statistics. Read more

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  AERA and SREE File Motion for Preliminary Injunction to Pause Termination of IES Contracts and Employees
  May 30, 2025
  
  After filing a lawsuit, on April 14, on behalf of AERA and the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness that challenged the Trump administration’s unlawful dismantling of the Institute of Education Sciences, Democracy Forward, a national legal organization, filed a follow-up motion on April 30 for a preliminary injunction to ask the court to pause the administration’s termination of IES contracts and employees while the case is being heard. Read more

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  Judge Blocks Dismantling of Education Department, Temporarily Reinstates Hundreds of Employees
  May 30, 2025
  
  On May 22, a federal judge in Boston issued a preliminary injunction on actions taken by the Trump administration to launch a reduction in force in the Department of Education and dismantle the department by executive order. Read more

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  President Trump Issues Executive Order on “Gold Standard Science”
  May 30, 2025
  
  On May 23, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that calls for federal agencies to commit to “gold standard science” in response to claims of a reproducibility crisis and misleading use of evidence. Read more

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  AERA Files Lawsuit Against Education Department
  April 14, 2025
  
  AERA, in partnership with the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (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 our members and the educators, policy makers, and countless families and students who benefit from education research. AERA and SREE are represented in this lawsuit by Democracy Forward.

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  AERA Partnering with 11 Other Education Research Associations Calls on Congress to Save Education Research and Data
  March 31, 2025
  
  In a March 25 letter, AERA and 11 other education research associations called on Congress to protect the nation’s education data, research infrastructure, and knowledge base, by safeguarding the Institute of Education Sciences and the broader Education Department staff, leadership, and mission. Read more

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  AERA Urges Action on Potential Cancellation of NCES Restricted-Use Data Licenses
  March 31, 2025
  
  On March 14, AERA issued a call to action responding to information that the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) could cancel access to restricted-use data, possibly as soon as March 20. Read more

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  Department of Education Initiates Reduction in Force with Significant Impact on IES Staffing
  March 31, 2025
  
  On March 10, the Department of Education announced a reduction in force among its workforce, resulting in laying off half of the staff across the Department. Read more

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  AERA Responds to the New Administration Efforts to Dismantle Scientific Research and Data—NCES and IES Take Big Hit
  February 28, 2025
  
  Since the Presidential inauguration on January 20, AERA has been speaking out, coordinating with other scientific organizations, and taking other steps to address executive orders, contract cancellations, and other actions that were immediately having adverse impacts on education research and the broader scientific community. Read more

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  NCES Commissioner Peggy Carr Placed on Administrative Leave
  February 28, 2025
  
  On February 24, news broke that Peggy Carr, the commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, had been placed on administrative leave. The Washington Post was first to report the news, with follow-up reporting from Education Week and The 74. Read more