Dear AERA Members:

We want to inform you that the American Educational Research Association (AERA), in partnership with the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE), has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Education over the unlawful dismantling of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and its consequent harms to our members and the educators, policy makers, and countless families and students who benefit from education research.

AERA and SREE are represented in this lawsuit by Democracy Forward, a national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy, public education, and regulatory engagement.

As you are aware, the administration has arbitrarily canceled foundational contracts that support the work of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and essential programs of the other IES centers, gutted IES staff, and created conditions that hinder researchers’ access and use of essential federal education data. These actions are causing serious harm to the work of education researchers, upending the academic progress of graduate students, and undermining the ability of practitioners and policymakers to make evidence-based decisions.

You can read Democracy Forward's news release here and access the full complaint here.

Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Felice J. Levine, PhD
Executive Director

Janelle Scott, PhD
President