After Musk’s team cut scores of contracts, it’s uncertain how much the Education Department’s Institute of Education Sciences will survive.
Nearly $900 million is being eliminated from a federal research office that monitors the academic success of American students after Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency determined that much of its work was unnecessary.
After Musk’s team cut scores of contracts, it’s uncertain how much the Education Department’s Institute of Education Sciences will survive. According to industry groups, a significant portion of the institute’s activity was affected by the abrupt termination of at least 169 contracts on Monday.
Information about the reduction was not immediately made public by the Education Department. According to agency spokesperson Madison Biedermann, the action won’t impact IES’ key activities, such as the College Scorecard, a database of institution expenses and results, and the NAEP exam, also referred to as the country’s report card.
Students’ advocates expressed concern that the cuts may undermine the accountability of the American educational system.
According to the Education Trust, a nonprofit research and advocacy organization, IES brings attention to inequality and its work is “more than just numbers and statistics.” In a statement, the group stated, “Without it, we are left in the dark, unable to see where educational gaps exist or how to close them.”
Biedermann clearly declined to share all the names of vendors whose contracts were cut. They also cite it as “sensitive business information.” As a response to questions, she directed to a social media post from DOGE. This social media post said Musk’s team entirely terminated the 89 contracts with $881 million. Also included $1.5 million to a contractor who was hired to “observe mailing and clerical operations” at a single mail center. Another post also stated that 29 DEI training grants of about $101 million had been cut off.
The institute revealed the most recent NAEP data last month, showing that, following the COVID-19 pandemic, American children have not improved much in math and have continued to deteriorate in reading.
Last year, the institute received approximately $800 million from Congress or about 1% of the Education Department’s yearly budget.
Together, two well-known research organizations demanded that the contracts be restored, arguing that IES’s small workforce is supported by contracts and that a large portion of its work is required by Congress. According to the groups, 169 contracts were terminated, which limited the institute’s capacity to disclose information on student results and school budgets.
