Washington, D.C. – "Watching the Department of Government Efficiency indiscriminately cancel contracts at the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) feels a bit like watching the fast-moving Los Angeles wildfires threaten the homes and lives of the people there. Like my friends evacuating the affected areas—hastily grabbing their precious treasures before they were gone—my team rushed to download irreplaceable data that we depend on to answer critical questions and promote a strong teacher workforce and high-quality education for all children.
"Yet this is a wildfire of our own government's making.
"Teacher quality impacts student success more than any other factor in school. As a non-profit, nonpartisan research organization, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) exists to ensure all students have access to effective teachers.
"We bring research to bear on this mission—and we depend on federal datasets to succeed. For example:
- National Center for Education Statistics provides a wide range of datasets, such as the Common Core of Data (which is the nation's primary source of data on public schools, including information about how many students are in each grade), the National Teacher and Principal Survey (which provides insights into our teacher workforce and why teachers leave—critical information at times of shortages), and IPEDS (which is the core system for tracking institutions of higher education and offers information like graduation rates, tuition costs, and financial aid awarded to students, all of which is connected to the teacher workforce).
- What Works Clearinghouse produces invaluable Practice Guides, which pull together only the most rigorous and high-quality research to offer actionable and specific guidance to teachers and education leaders about how best to support student learning. It also serves as the source for high-quality evaluations of hundreds of education practices and interventions, providing unparalleled information about what works—and what doesn't—in teaching students.
"What seems most unclear right now is which contracts are being cut—and why? And what is the plan moving forward? At NCTQ, we use data to shine a light on areas to improve and to spotlight states, districts, and teacher prep programs leading the way to ensure all students have access to effective teachers.
"Without the data, we have no light, and the result will be policymaking that happens in the dark—uninformed, disconnected from the best available evidence, stumbling without light. We will be unable to answer our most basic questions about schools and teachers. And in the end, it is unclear what we will save, what this will cost, and what, if anything, will be rebuilt when the fires are finished raging."
—NCTQ President Heather Peske
February 2025
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About the National Council on Teacher Quality: NCTQ is a nonpartisan research and policy organization on a mission to ensure every child has access to an effective teacher and every teacher has the opportunity to be effective. We believe a strong, diverse teacher workforce is critical for providing all students with equitable educational opportunities. More information about NCTQ can be found on our website, www.nctq.org.