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The Trump administration’s attempt to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education has sent shock waves through one small but key division that handles data and research.
Over the past couple of months, the White House has gutted the Institute of Education Sciences. That arm of the DOE is nonpartisan, and as education experts have told outlets such as Inside Higher Ed, cuts to it are almost certain to undermine efforts to hold school systems accountable.
Local education advocates WW spoke with say without federal data that can show comparisons among states, it will be harder to understand Oregon’s academic performance in a broader context. Without a federal watchdog to ensure accountability, they say it’s imperative Oregon get its act together.
“These cuts underscore the need for Oregon to step up its role in consistently tracking student outcomes and building a strong system of accountability and improvement,” says Whitney Grubbs, executive director of Foundations for a Better Oregon, an education accountability nonprofit.
WHAT’S BEEN CUT: The IES, which has lost more than 90% of its staff, oversees a key database for education called the National Center for Education Statistics. NCES tracks tons of data around public schools, from the number of employees to state school finances.
Such data has shown Oregon’s increased spending and staffing in education haven’t resulted in better outcomes for Oregon students, a story first reported in WW that’s become a hot-button topic in Salem this legislative cycle (“Money for Nothing,” WW, Feb. 5).
NCES oversees the National Assessment of Educational Progress. That assessment is the only one that allows states to track how their students are doing in relation to other states.
When adjusted for demographics, the Urban Institute found Oregon’s performance on NAEP put its students dead last nationwide in fourth grade reading and mathematics. Dr. Charlene Williams, director of the Oregon Department of Education, told WW the state’s NAEP scores “reaffirm the trends we’ve observed in our state assessments.”
WHAT THAT MEANS FOR OREGON: Sara Kerr, vice president of education policy implementation for Results for America, a good-government nonprofit, says the federal cuts mean state departments will have much more responsibility, which can be dangerous. The DOE is “a really critical mechanism for ensuring opportunities for all students when states fail to act in the best interest of kids,” she says.
Kerr adds that when there’s no national standard, Oregon can present a skewed picture of itself. For example, she says, the state can control things like its graduation rates—the last time proving proficiency in essential skills was a requirement for an Oregon diploma was back in 2019.
This legislative cycle, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has come forward with her own push to link increased education spending to better outcomes. In two bills making their way through the Legislature, she wants to add interim assessments to schools, bolster ODE to support districts, and improve data transparency.
Kerr says Kotek’s accountability proposals are moving the state in the right direction, but she hopes the state will act with more urgency.
“It will be up to Oregon,” Kerr says, “to step up and say, here’s what we stand for, here is what we expect our kids to be able to do, and to set that high bar.”