What the IES Reform Recommendations Entail

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has released a comprehensive report titled "Reimagining the Institute of Education Sciences: A Strategy for Relevance and Renewal," authored by Senior Advisor Dr. Amber Northern. This 93-page document, submitted to Secretary Linda McMahon on February 27, 2026, outlines bold reforms to the Institute of Education Sciences (IES)—ED's primary research arm. IES, established by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA), operates four centers: the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), National Center for Education Research (NCER), National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE), and National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER). Its mission spans early childhood through postsecondary education, providing data, rigorous research, and evidence-based tools.

Following significant disruptions in 2025—including staff layoffs, contract cuts totaling over $1 billion, and budget slashes under the Trump administration—the report seeks to revitalize IES. It praises IES's past achievements, such as rigorous standards and tools like NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress), but critiques siloed efforts, slow timelines, outdated data, and disconnect from practitioner needs.

Background on IES and Recent Challenges

IES was created to be independent and nonpartisan, consolidating federal education R&D. NCES collects key data like IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System), which tracks enrollment, finances, and completions at over 6,000 colleges and universities. NCER funds research grants hosted at universities, while NCEE supports Regional Educational Laboratories (RELs) for technical assistance, and NCSER focuses on disabilities.

2025 saw chaos: over 100 staff dismissed, NCES reduced to skeleton crew, REL contracts halted (later partially restored by courts). Flat funding (~0.3% of ED budget, $793M in FY2026) and mandates strained operations. Stakeholders (400+ consulted, 230+ RFI comments) urged focus on timeliness and relevance.

Core Recommendations: Six Big Shifts

The report proposes six shifts:

• Concentrate on 3-5 high-priority challenges (e.g., literacy, math proficiency, college/career pathways) informed by states via National Board of Education Sciences (NBES).
• Streamline NCES data: review collections for relevance, consolidate longitudinal studies (e.g., BPS, NPSAS costing $46-48M each), prioritize IPEDS, CCD.
• Prioritize multi-state grants for scaling interventions like P-TECH (28 states) or CUNY ASAP.
• Emphasize practical, innovative research: causal mechanisms, rapid-cycle microgrants (<1 year), AI integration.
• Enhance dissemination: interactive dashboards, LLM-accessible APIs, practice guides.
• Reform RELs/WWC: state-directed, hub coordination, narrow WWC to guides/tools.

Internal fixes include faster peer review (4-5 months), less contractor reliance, better comms.

Implications for Postsecondary Data and NCES

NCES's postsecondary data is vital for colleges. IPEDS provides enrollment stats, NPSAS financial aid insights, BPS tracks beginning students. Reforms call for modernizing via APIs, CEDS standardization, P-20W SLDS expansion (preK-20-workforce), multi-state consortia. Potential cancellations of longitudinals raise concerns for trend tracking like time-to-degree, transfers, debt.Full IES Report

Universities rely on SLDS grants for researcher access, dashboards. Reforms boost interoperability, AI for small-area estimates, cross-agency links (e.g., ED-Labor for earnings).

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Research Funding Changes via NCER and NCSER

NCER, funding university-based research, shifts to high-need areas including postsecondary pathways. Multi-state awards scale programs like Early College High Schools. Rapid-cycle grants (<$500K, 1 year) test innovations; master's fellowships build evaluator capacity at colleges for state placement. NCSER aligns on disabilities in postsec transitions.

Examples: A2i for literacy, ASSISTments math platform (500K students). For higher ed, R&D Centers on AI tools span K-12/postsec.Tips for applying to NCER grants

RELs, WWC, and Capacity Building for Higher Ed

NCEE's RELs provide TA; reforms allow state choice (e.g., university partners), multi-state hubs. WWC narrows to guides (73K downloads for reading). Capacity: Fund MS in evaluation at universities, rotators for AI expertise.

• Benefits: Faster evidence for college readiness programs.
• Risks: Staffing shortages delay rollout.

Stakeholder Perspectives and Challenges

Acting Director Matthew Soldner endorses focus on outcomes. Experts like Sara Schapiro (Alliance for Learning Innovation) praise practitioner orientation; Knowledge Alliance sees affirmation of IES value.

Higher ed groups (e.g., prior comments from ACE, AACC) urged preserving data; concerns on implementation amid depleted staff, no new funding pledged. Congress maintained $793M budget.

Real-World Examples and Statistics

NAEP 2024: 1/3 8th graders below basic math. IES successes: CW-FIT (45 states for behavior), telehealth cuts autism waits 15-to-1 month. Postsec: P-TECH boosts credentials; CUNY ASAP raises degrees. Reforms target 2030 NAEP gains (e.g., 4th math proficient 36% to 41%).

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Future Outlook for Higher Education

Reforms promise timelier postsec data, scaled pathways research, university training opps. Challenges: ESRA reauth needed; staffing rebuild. Colleges may see more grants, but compete in focused priorities. Track via IES site.

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