Sudden cuts to federal education funds occurred with little transparency and have wasted federal money by terminating projects that were well underway, Democratic lawmakers say in a Feb. 21 letter to the U.S. Department of Education.
The lawmakers—including Democrats from the Senate and House of Representatives—demand the agency answer a list of 27 questions to explain about $900 million in recently terminated contracts associated with the the Institute of Education Sciences, the agency’s research arm. They also call for explanation of $350 million in cuts for federal equity-assistance centers, which advise schools on meeting obligations under civil rights laws; and regional education laboratories, which pilot and research strategies to improve student outcomes.
Among their demands: A detailed list of canceled contracts, which the Education Department has not yet provided; an explanation of the standard used to determine which contracts where canceled; information about the effects of scrapping projects; and an explanation of how the agency will comply with federal laws that require the data collections and technical support provided through the canceled contracts.
The moves are part of a series of sudden, aggressive spending cuts made by billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency effort. DOGE has also slashed grants for teacher-training programs and frozen or eliminated positions at the Education Department, along with other federal agencies. Musk has said many DOGE cuts relate to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts—to carry out an executive order from President Donald Trump ordering the end of all federal DEI programs—but officials have not detailed why or how targeted programs were identified.
“The lack of information about and apparent disregard for careful planning and consideration for sweeping terminations of contracts and firing of staff is alarming,” says the letter, which was signed by 86 lawmakers, including ranking members of the House and Senate committees that oversee education.
The Education Department’s press office did not respond to a request for comment on the letter before publication.
While Musk promised maximum transparency, the agency hasn’t even provided a detailed list of affected research contracts, and DOGE and the Education Department offered slightly different numbers of included programs, the letter says. Sources familiar with the cancellations have said the actual number of terminated contracts is much higher than the numbers supplied by DOGE and the Education Department.
IES, which has received bipartisan support in the past, is best known for overseeing the National Assessment of Educational Progress and statistics-gathering and dissemination through the National Center for Education Statistics. The agency also funds research that gauges the effectiveness of federal programs and identifies successful education strategies.
Cuts detailed in the letter include:
- Evaluation of programs related to fixing teacher shortages, career and technical education, literacy instruction, student mental health, English learner outcomes, and legally mandated support for students with disabilities to transition to college and careers.
- Evaluation of the Innovative Assessment pilot, which allows states to explore alternatives to traditional standardized tests under the Every Student Succeeds Act.
- Evaluation of the District of Columbia’s opportunity scholarship program, a federally funded effort through which District families qualify for private school scholarships.
- Federal data systems that report on student aid, school safety, postsecondary outcomes, teacher- and principal-workforce issues, and the long-term success of kindergarten students throughout their educational careers.
- Management of the common core of data, an online statistical database of schools and districts and student demographics that is used for research and policymaking.
- Peer-review panels that evaluate research-grant applications.
In some cases, IES had already spent millions of dollars on terminated contracts, lawmakers write in the letter.
“The consequences of these actions will prevent the public from accessing accurate information about student demographics and academic achievement, abruptly end evaluations of Federal programs that ensure taxpayer funds are spent wisely, and set back efforts to implement evidence-based reforms to improve student outcomes,” the letter says.
Critics of the spending cuts have said the administration is moving too quickly without examining potential consequences. For example, the common core of data, which was affected by the cuts, is used to plan the main NAEP, which the Trump administration pledged to keep. [The administration abruptly canceled the planned spring administration of a smaller planned NAEP that measures achievement of 17-year-olds after it made that pledge.]
