FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 12, 2025
Contact: Ericka Hatfield
Ericka@edreformnow.org
February 12, 2025 (New York, NY) — Today, Education Reform Now CEO Jorge Elorza released the following statement in response to the latest Department of Government Efficiency budget cuts:
“The recent decision by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, to terminate nearly $900 million in contracts at the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) is deeply concerning as it undermines essential educational research. Dismantling IES will lead to inefficiency, waste, and fraud; directly undermining Musk’s and DOGE’s stated purpose. Ultimately, these actions will end up hurting students throughout the country.
The abrupt cancellation of contracts disrupts critical data collection and research vital for informing effective education policies. Some of the cancelled contracts support research into elementary literacy, early education, mental health, and outcomes for high school students. In a time when we’re seeing a crisis in NAEP scores, with significant declines in reading and math proficiency, it is imperative to support, not dismantle, the systems that provide valuable data and insights for our schools.
The data-driven research the IES supports is crucial for identifying and implementing evidence-based strategies to improve student outcomes. Federal data collection is also the foundation for the accountability efforts that have driven education reform for the past thirty years.
Education Reform Now calls on the Trump administration to immediately reinstate these IES contracts and on Congress to perform its role in promoting science, research, and evidence to establish what works for our schools and our students.”
###