Last week, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) released a report outlining recommendations on reforming the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), including focusing on CTE and college and career pathways as among the most urgent education challenges. These recommendations align with Secretary McMahon’s supplemental priorities, which identified CTE and work-based learning as focus areas for future discretionary grant programs.
The report, compiled by Senior Advisor Dr. Amber Northern, argues that while IES has contributed significantly to education research and the nation, much of its current work does not capture the on-the-ground realities and challenges facing local and state leaders and educators. The report identifies six broad recommendations for reforming IES:
- IES should focus on the most urgent education challenges rather than spreading resources across disconnected projects.
- The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) should develop a streamlined and coordinated data strategy instead of funding multiple data collections and surveys that may be redundant.
- IES should prioritize multi-state grants that seek to scale interventions and policies instead of awards to individual states and institutions.
- Research conducted by IES should focus on practicality, innovation and relevance.
- IES should ensure that the research and technical assistance activities of its Regional Educational Labs (RELs) is responsive, timely, coordinated and disseminated across the nation.
- IES should narrow the scope of the What Works Clearinghouse to focus on practical guides and tools backed by a strong evidence base.
The report also makes recommendations around state longitudinal data systems, including supporting technological upgrades, enhancing technical assistance, expanding the types of entities who can receive grants and improving interoperability among states. Other recommendations include improving cross-agency data collaboration and utilizing AI tools to support researchers and improve dissemination.
The report comes after significant staffing reductions and grant cancellations occurred at IES last year.
