Summary
Elon Musk’s DOGE cut nearly $900 million in contracts from the Education Department’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES), a federal agency that tracks student progress.
The cuts affected 169 contracts, including long-term studies on student learning, special education support, and equity research.
Critics warn this will harm educational accountability and transparency. Congress and research groups are pushing back, calling for reinstatement.
The cuts align with Trump’s broader goal to dismantle the Education Department, though it’s unclear how far he can act without congressional approval.
It’s interesting, I used to work with IES data and could have had a future in academia had I brown nosed my bigot advisor. All things equal, had I gone that path I think my research would be in jeopardy right around now.
Still a shame, though, IES does good work.