Education Data in the Lurch as Dozens of Department Contracts Are Axed

Dozens of contracts with the Education Department’s research and statistics arm, the Institute of Education Sciences, were suddenly terminated Monday, jeopardizing efforts to provide the public and policymakers with reliable information about educational access, completion, and spending.

The institute, an independent agency within the Education Department, is among the latest targets of the Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE, created by the billionaire Elon Musk. His team has been combing through Education Department data for more than a week, interviewing employees about their work and posting on X about its efforts to root out what it considers wasteful spending.