WASHINGTON (AP) – Federal lab tracking progress in American students is hit by nearly $900 million cuts Elon Musk The government’s efficiency department has found that it doesn’t require much of its work.
It is unclear how well the Ministry of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences will be after Musk’s team has significantly reduced contract scores. The industry group said at least 169 contracts ended abruptly on Monday, accounting for much of the lab’s job.
Education Department We didn’t share any details about the cut right away. Agency spokesman Madison Biederman said the action would not affect key IES work. NAEP evaluationknown as the national report card College scorecardsa database of university costs and results.
Student supporters raised alarms as the cut could undermine the accountability of the American education system.
IES shed light on inequality and its work is “more than just numbers and statistics,” says Education Trust, a nonprofit research and advocacy group. “Without that, we would be left in the dark and we would not be able to see where the educational gaps exist or how we would close them,” the group said in a statement.
Biedermann refused to share the names of vendors whose contracts were reduced, citing “sensitive business information.” In response to the question, she mentioned a Social Media Posts 89 million, including $1.5 million for contracts hired at the postal centre for “observing mail and office operations” from Doge, who said Musk’s team ended its 89 contracts for $881 million. Included dollars. According to another post, 29 DEI training grants totaling $110 million have been cut.
The Institute of Educational Sciences is a central source of information on the health of the American education system. Nationwide, it tracks student progress across time and demographics. Evaluating the effectiveness of federal programs, universities and schools rely on their research to improve student outcomes.
Last month, the institute released the latest NAEP results, revealing what American children have I kept losing the ground Regarding reading skills, I have hardly improved my maths in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Congress awarded about $800 million last year, about 1% of the education sector’s annual budget.
Many of the IES jobs are mandated by Congress and rely on contracts to support limited staff, two prominent research associations have jointly called for the contract to be restored. The group said 169 contracts were cut and curtailed the institute’s ability to report data on school finances and student outcomes.
According to leaders of the American Education Research Association and the leader of the Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics, “Without such research, students’ learning and development will be harmed.”
The Institute oversees a wide range of tasks, including administering the NAEP exam and participating in the US. Pisaan evaluation that compares academic progress between nations. It is also a leading funder of educational research and maintains a database of research that has shown results for improving education.
Democrats Patty Murraya former teacher and member of the committee on health, education, labor and pensions, said she would “stoke an alarm” to fight back.
“Unelected billionaires are currently bulldozing the Department of Education’s research department. We need to take beer for high quality research and basic data and improve public schools,” said Senator Washington. said in a statement. “Reducing these investments after the contract has already been inked is the definition of waste.”
Trump has pledged to abolish the education sector and hand over its power to states and schools. The White House is considering an order that directs Trump’s education director to dismantle agencies whenever possible, calling on Congress to close completely.
It is unclear how much Trump will be able to act on his own to reduce sector spending. Many of them are ordered by the Congress.
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