AERA, COPAFS issue statement on sudden termination of National Center for Education Statistics contracts
Felice J. Levine, PhD, Executive Director of the American Educational Research Association and Board Chair of the Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics, released the following statement.
“The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the second oldest and among the largest federal statistical agencies, provides nonpartisan and unbiased information on important education indicators. We are deeply concerned about actions by the new administration to terminate 169 contracts within the Institute of Education Sciences, including those that NCES holds for the collection and reporting of education statistics. The robust collection and analysis of data are essential for ensuring quality education.
“NCES is congressionally mandated to collect data on many aspects of education across the lifespan and, with limited resources and staff, has relied on contracts to conduct this work. These administration actions will prevent NCES, for example, from participating in international assessments; reporting data on school, college, and university finances; and collecting survey data to understand the extent of teacher shortages and chronic absenteeism in our nation’s schools.
“Limiting the important work that NCES does by terminating these contracts will have ramifications for the accuracy of national-level data on the condition and progress of education, from early childhood through postsecondary to adult workforce. Without such research, student learning and development will be harmed.
“NCES has long had broad bipartisan support, with its data widely cited by policymakers, including during a recent House Education and Workforce Committee hearing on Feb. 5, and extensively used in analysis. The capacity to collect and report on these indicators is essential to assuring that education works for all Americans.
“On behalf of the American Educational Research Association and the Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics, we call on this administration to reinstate these contracts to ensure that those who rely on and trust NCES data are able to access them without interruption and can continue to monitor educational progress and performance and inform sound educational policy and practice.”
The American Educational Research Association (AERA) is the largest national interdisciplinary research association devoted to the scientific study of education and learning. Founded in 1916, AERA advances knowledge about education, encourages scholarly inquiry related to education, and promotes the use of research to improve education and serve the public good. Find AERA on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Threads and Bluesky.
Founded in 1981, the purpose of the Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics is to advance and promote understanding of federal statistics and federal statistical agencies and their vital role in serving the public good. COPAFS represents individual researchers, educators, public health professionals, civic groups and businesses that rely on the quality and accessibility of statistics that can only be effectively collected by the federal government.
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