90% Staff Reduction at NCES Under Trump Administration Sparks Concerns Over Education Data Future

Washington D.C. – The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has experienced a drastic reduction in its workforce, with approximately 90% of its staff laid off in February and March 2025 under directives from the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This significant downsizing followed the abrupt administrative leave of NCES Commissioner Peggy Carr, a Biden appointee, on February 24, 2025, despite her congressionally mandated term extending until June 2027. The American Educational Research Association (AERA) Executive Director Felice Levine recently lauded journalist Jill Barshay for her "exceptional account of the assault on NCES" and praised Carr's "profile of courage" in the wake of these events.

Carr, who had served the Education Department for 35 years, was reportedly escorted from her office without explanation. Her deputy, Chris Chapman, was named acting commissioner but was subsequently terminated on March 11, 2025, as part of broader mass layoffs that left the agency with only a skeletal staff of three. This move has raised alarms among education experts and former officials about the future integrity and availability of critical national education data.

The cuts by DOGE involved the cancellation of nearly 90 contracts essential for NCES's data collection and research activities. These include vital programs such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), often referred to as the "Nation's Report Card," and data used to calculate federal Title I aid for low-income schools. Former NCES Commissioner James (Lynn) Woodworth, a Trump appointee, expressed his dismay, calling Carr's removal a "disturbing development" and emphasizing that "the data belongs to the people," not any single administration.

The American Statistical Association's executive director, Ron Wasserstein, warned that "removing the head of a statistical agency without justifiable professional cause is likely to erode public trust." Critics argue that these actions undermine the apolitical nature of federal statistical agencies, which are crucial for evidence-based policymaking in education. The extensive reporting by Jill Barshay for The Hechinger Report has brought these internal departmental changes to public attention, highlighting the severe implications for national education data infrastructure.

The long-term impact of these reductions remains uncertain, with concerns that the diminished capacity of NCES could hinder the collection, analysis, and dissemination of essential educational statistics. This situation threatens the ability to monitor student achievement, allocate federal funding accurately, and inform future education policies, potentially leaving policymakers and the public operating in the dark.