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Miami Herald
16-05-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
Study: Teaching science and reading together yields double benefits for learning
This month marks the five-year anniversary of the World Health Organization's declaration that COVID-19 was a pandemic. That announcement shuttered school buildings and launched millions of students into remote learning. While the immediate health crisis is over, the long-term impact on students is not, The 74 reports. The latest Nation's Report Card underscores that academic recovery remains elusive, with many students needing months of additional instructional time to close the pandemic achievement gap. One of the most troubling areas is reading. Despite hopes for a rebound, students' reading progress remains stalled, with academic growth in 2023-24 again falling short of pre-pandemic trends. The gap between pre- and post-COVID reading scores has widened by 36%, and at the current pace, the average student needs nearly five more months of learning to catch up. The struggle is even greater for historically marginalized students, who remain the furthest behind, making it clear that pandemic recovery has a long way to go. Science achievement has also suffered, with uneven recovery across grade levels. While students in grades 3 through 5 have largely returned to pre-pandemic performance, middle schoolers are still struggling-particularly eighth graders, who remain more than three months behind. The setbacks are especially pronounced for Hispanic and Black students, highlighting persistent gaps that could have long-term consequences for STEM readiness. Without targeted support, these disparities may continue to widen, limiting opportunities for students already most at risk of being left behind. Education leaders have limited avenues for addressing these challenges, especially now that federal recovery funding has expired. One underutilized approach is the integration of literacy and science instruction in elementary schools, which creates a mutually reinforcing learning experience. Students read, write and discuss real-world scientific phenomena while building background knowledge, strengthening their ability to understand complex text and information, and engaging in meaningful conversations-all factors in literacy success. Plus, integration means literacy and science instruction don't have to compete with each other on the school schedule. A new report from NWEA dug into the research on the benefits of blending these two subjects in elementary school and found that first- and second-graders who received integrated literacy and science instruction retained more reading skills over the summer and performed better, by nearly 8 percentage points, on science-related reading tasks than their peers who did not. By building knowledge through thematic lessons and extensive reading of a broad range of informational texts on various topics, this approach helped students transfer what they learned to new reading challenges. Similarly, third through fifth graders participated in a three-year classroom study where instruction in reading and writing comprehension were woven into science lessons. The students read scientific texts, analyzed data, discussed key ideas and wrote about their findings, strengthening both their literacy and science skills. By the end of fifth grade, students in the study scored more than a full grade higher in science and more than a half-grade higher in reading on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills than their peers in traditional classrooms. These gains persisted into middle school, with students in grades 6 and 7 continuing to show higher achievement in both subjects. Another study focused on professional development to help preK-3 teachers integrate science, reading and math into daily instruction. In these classrooms, students explored scientific concepts through books, engaged in hands-on investigations and applied math to interpret their findings. As a result, they scored higher on early literacy, reading and math assessments than those whose teachers did not receive the training. Notably, students whose teachers participated in the professional development demonstrated reading achievement levels equivalent to an extra half-year of instruction compared with their peers. To do integration well, four components needed to be present: Engaging students with real-world phenomena that spark curiosity and drive deeper learning. When using everyday occurrences to anchor science instruction, students begin to see science all around academic vocabulary by immersing students in the specialized language of science to enhance their reading and writing skills. Supporting sustained and structured learning with science instruction that builds over time, with each lesson connecting to the next to help students develop understanding. Encouraging scientific discourse that involves students in planning investigations, making hypotheses and debating evidence to deepen their understanding of science concepts while reinforcing literacy skills. Implementing integration successfully means schools must allow time for collaboration among literacy instructors, science teachers and school librarians. It may also mean rethinking the master schedule, including the planning time needed. School leaders also need to acquire high-quality, phenomenon-based science materials, like science journals and texts, and ensure students have access. For schools with a limited budget, it might be useful to partner with a public library or identify free materials online. Lastly, schools must invest in sustained professional learning, including how to incorporate real-world science phenomena, leverage academic vocabulary, build structured instructional plans and sequences, and foster coordination between subjects to engage students. To help educators bring these components to life in the classroom, NWEA developed a Practitioner's Guide that provides concrete strategies, lesson ideas and examples of integrated instruction in action. The guide illustrates how teachers can engage students with real-world phenomena, build academic vocabulary, support structured learning and foster scientific discourse-all while strengthening literacy skills. The challenge of unfinished learning remains urgent. Integration of literacy and science instruction in elementary schools is one untapped approach for driving greater student outcomes. Doing both together can drive greater academic growth than either subject can do alone. This story was produced by The 74 and reviewed and distributed by Stacker. © Stacker Media, LLC.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Study: Teaching science and reading together yields double benefits for learning
This month marks the five-year anniversary of the World Health Organization's declaration that COVID-19 was a pandemic. That announcement shuttered school buildings and launched millions of students into remote learning. While the immediate health crisis is over, the long-term impact on students is not, The 74 reports. The latest Nation's Report Card underscores that academic recovery remains elusive, with many students needing months of additional instructional time to close the pandemic achievement gap. One of the most troubling areas is reading. Despite hopes for a rebound, students' reading progress remains stalled, with academic growth in 2023-24 again falling short of pre-pandemic trends. The gap between pre- and post-COVID reading scores has widened by 36%, and at the current pace, the average student needs nearly five more months of learning to catch up. The struggle is even greater for historically marginalized students, who remain the furthest behind, making it clear that pandemic recovery has a long way to go. Science achievement has also suffered, with uneven recovery across grade levels. While students in grades 3 through 5 have largely returned to pre-pandemic performance, middle schoolers are still struggling—particularly eighth graders, who remain more than three months behind. The setbacks are especially pronounced for Hispanic and Black students, highlighting persistent gaps that could have long-term consequences for STEM readiness. Without targeted support, these disparities may continue to widen, limiting opportunities for students already most at risk of being left behind. Education leaders have limited avenues for addressing these challenges, especially now that federal recovery funding has expired. One underutilized approach is the integration of literacy and science instruction in elementary schools, which creates a mutually reinforcing learning experience. Students read, write and discuss real-world scientific phenomena while building background knowledge, strengthening their ability to understand complex text and information, and engaging in meaningful conversations—all factors in literacy success. Plus, integration means literacy and science instruction don't have to compete with each other on the school schedule. A new report from NWEA dug into the research on the benefits of blending these two subjects in elementary school and found that first- and second-graders who received integrated literacy and science instruction retained more reading skills over the summer and performed better, by nearly 8 percentage points, on science-related reading tasks than their peers who did not. By building knowledge through thematic lessons and extensive reading of a broad range of informational texts on various topics, this approach helped students transfer what they learned to new reading challenges. Similarly, third through fifth graders participated in a three-year classroom study where instruction in reading and writing comprehension were woven into science lessons. The students read scientific texts, analyzed data, discussed key ideas and wrote about their findings, strengthening both their literacy and science skills. By the end of fifth grade, students in the study scored more than a full grade higher in science and more than a half-grade higher in reading on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills than their peers in traditional classrooms. These gains persisted into middle school, with students in grades 6 and 7 continuing to show higher achievement in both subjects. Another study focused on professional development to help preK-3 teachers integrate science, reading and math into daily instruction. In these classrooms, students explored scientific concepts through books, engaged in hands-on investigations and applied math to interpret their findings. As a result, they scored higher on early literacy, reading and math assessments than those whose teachers did not receive the training. Notably, students whose teachers participated in the professional development demonstrated reading achievement levels equivalent to an extra half-year of instruction compared with their peers. To do integration well, four components needed to be present: Engaging students with real-world phenomena that spark curiosity and drive deeper learning. When using everyday occurrences to anchor science instruction, students begin to see science all around them. Strengthening academic vocabulary by immersing students in the specialized language of science to enhance their reading and writing skills. Supporting sustained and structured learning with science instruction that builds over time, with each lesson connecting to the next to help students develop understanding. Encouraging scientific discourse that involves students in planning investigations, making hypotheses and debating evidence to deepen their understanding of science concepts while reinforcing literacy skills. Implementing integration successfully means schools must allow time for collaboration among literacy instructors, science teachers and school librarians. It may also mean rethinking the master schedule, including the planning time needed. School leaders also need to acquire high-quality, phenomenon-based science materials, like science journals and texts, and ensure students have access. For schools with a limited budget, it might be useful to partner with a public library or identify free materials online. Lastly, schools must invest in sustained professional learning, including how to incorporate real-world science phenomena, leverage academic vocabulary, build structured instructional plans and sequences, and foster coordination between subjects to engage students. To help educators bring these components to life in the classroom, NWEA developed a Practitioner's Guide that provides concrete strategies, lesson ideas and examples of integrated instruction in action. The guide illustrates how teachers can engage students with real-world phenomena, build academic vocabulary, support structured learning and foster scientific discourse—all while strengthening literacy skills. The challenge of unfinished learning remains urgent. Integration of literacy and science instruction in elementary schools is one untapped approach for driving greater student outcomes. Doing both together can drive greater academic growth than either subject can do alone. This story was produced by The 74 and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Teaching Science & Reading Together Yields Double Benefits for Learning
This month marks the five-year anniversary of the World Health Organization's declaration that COVID-19 was a pandemic. That announcement shuttered school buildings and launched millions of students into remote learning. While the immediate health crisis is over, the long-term impact on students is not: The latest Nation's Report Card underscores that academic recovery remains elusive, with many students needing months of additional instructional time to close the pandemic achievement gap. One of the most troubling areas is reading. Despite hopes for a rebound, students' reading progress remains stalled, with academic growth in 2023-24 again falling short of pre-pandemic trends. The gap between pre- and post-COVID reading scores has widened by 36%, and at the current pace, the average student needs nearly five more months of learning to catch up. The struggle is even greater for historically marginalized students, who remain the furthest behind, making it clear that pandemic recovery has a long way to go. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Science achievement has also suffered, with uneven recovery across grade levels. While students in grades 3 through 5 have largely returned to pre-pandemic performance, middle schoolers are still struggling — particularly eighth graders, who remain more than three months behind. The setbacks are especially pronounced for Hispanic and Black students, highlighting persistent gaps that could have long-term consequences for STEM readiness. Without targeted support, these disparities may continue to widen, limiting opportunities for students already most at risk of being left behind. Related Education leaders have limited avenues for addressing these challenges, especially now that federal recovery funding has expired. One underutilized approach is the integration of literacy and science instruction in elementary schools, which creates a mutually reinforcing learning experience. Students read, write and discuss real-world scientific phenomena while building background knowledge, strengthening their ability to understand complex text and information, and engaging in meaningful conversations — all factors in literacy success. Plus, integration means literacy and science instruction don't have to compete with each other on the school schedule. Our new report dug into the research on the benefits of blending these two subjects in elementary school and found that first- and second-graders who received integrated literacy and science instruction retained more reading skills over the summer and performed better, by nearly 8 percentage points, on science-related reading tasks than their peers who did not. By building knowledge through thematic lessons and extensive reading of a broad range of informational texts on various topics, this approach helped students transfer what they learned to new reading challenges. Similarly, third through fifth graders participated in a three-year classroom study where instruction in reading and writing comprehension were woven into science lessons. The students read scientific texts, analyzed data, discussed key ideas and wrote about their findings, strengthening both their literacy and science skills. By the end of fifth grade, students in the study scored more than a full grade higher in science and more than a half-grade higher in reading on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills than their peers in traditional classrooms. These gains persisted into middle school, with students in grades 6 and 7 continuing to show higher achievement in both subjects. Related Another study focused on professional development to help preK-3 teachers integrate science, reading and math into daily instruction. In these classrooms, students explored scientific concepts through books, engaged in hands-on investigations and applied math to interpret their findings. As a result, they scored higher on early literacy, reading and math assessments than those whose teachers did not receive the training. Notably, students whose teachers participated in the professional development demonstrated reading achievement levels equivalent to an extra half-year of instruction compared with their peers. To do integration well, four components needed to be present: Engaging students with real-world phenomena that spark curiosity and drive deeper learning. When using everyday occurrences to anchor science instruction, students begin to see science all around them. Strengthening academic vocabulary by immersing students in the specialized language of science to enhance their reading and writing skills. Supporting sustained and structured learning with science instruction that builds over time, with each lesson connecting to the next to help students develop understanding. Encouraging scientific discourse that involves students in planning investigations, making hypotheses and debating evidence to deepen their understanding of science concepts while reinforcing literacy skills. Implementing integration successfully means schools must allow time for collaboration among literacy instructors, science teachers and school librarians. It may also mean rethinking the master schedule, including the planning time needed. School leaders also need to acquire high-quality, phenomenon-based science materials, like science journals and texts, and ensure students have access. For schools with a limited budget, it might be useful to partner with a public library or identify free materials online. Lastly, schools must invest in sustained professional learning, including how to incorporate real-world science phenomena, leverage academic vocabulary, build structured instructional plans and sequences, and foster coordination between subjects to engage students. To help educators bring these components to life in the classroom, we developed a Practitioner's Guide that provides concrete strategies, lesson ideas and examples of integrated instruction in action. The guide illustrates how teachers can engage students with real-world phenomena, build academic vocabulary, support structured learning and foster scientific discourse — all while strengthening literacy skills. The challenge of unfinished learning remains urgent. Everyone from teachers to superintendents to education researchers must rethink approaches to how students learn and what can drive greater academic growth. Integration of literacy and science instruction in elementary schools is one untapped approach for driving greater student outcomes. Doing both together can drive greater academic growth than either subject can do alone.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
After Gutting Staff, Education Department Remains Quiet on Future of NAEP Test
The fallout from last week's purge at the U.S. Department of Education has left a cloud of uncertainty surrounding what is perhaps its most basic job: measuring how much students know. Among the hardest-hit offices in Education Secretary Linda McMahon's elimination of more than 1,300 employees: the National Center for Education Statistics and the Institute for Education Sciences. IES now employs fewer than 20 people, down from 175 at the beginning of the second Trump administration, according to several sources familiar with the layoffs. And NCES, which administers the National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as The Nation's Report Card, went from about 100 employees to just three. None of the three works directly with NAEP. Mark Schneider, who served as IES director under both presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden — and as NCES commissioner under President George W. Bush — said the layoffs left just a single testing expert at NCES. Related 'Somewhere along the line,' he said, 'somebody's going to have to decide: 'We want to protect NAEP. What do we do? We can't just run NAEP with one person in NCES.'' Several experts said the layoffs put NAEP's future in jeopardy, even as the pandemic's aftermath has put a sharper focus than ever on deficiencies in students' basic math and literacy skills. A paper airplane or a 747? Ten people familiar with the cuts, who asked not to be identified due to ongoing professional commitments with the department, said they have heard suggestions that NAEP could soon be administered by the National Assessment Governing Board, a 25-member, independent group of researchers, policymakers, testing experts and educators that sets policy for the tests and oversees dissemination of its results. It is co-led by former Democratic North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue and Martin West, a professor of education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and its academic dean. NAGB was spared in last week's cuts, but it wasn't immediately clear how the board, with a $7 million budget and a small staff of 11, would administer the massive assessments in schools nationwide. A few NAEP tests rely on samples of 10,000 to 20,000 students, and in years in which it runs multiple tests, the number of test-takers can exceed 100,000. Related The board typically creates the NAEP framework that lays out what's assessed in each subject, sets achievement levels and approves assessment schedules. An Education Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment and the department hasn't publicly said how it will continue to shepherd a test it has administered since 1969 without a dedicated staff. In previous rounds of cuts, administration officials have said NAEP would not be affected. 'What folks don't necessarily appreciate is that NAGB is basically the management, public relations and communications arm for NAEP,' said Frederick Hess of the conservative American Enterprise Institute. 'The actual work is coordinated by a unit within NCES, and that subcomponent got wiped out.' While NAGB members can strategize and talk about big-picture issues, Hess said, 'the people who handle relationships with the districts and states, those folks have been laid off.' Even if educators like board co-chair West are intimately familiar with testing, Hess said, many others on the board 'know little or nothing about assessment.' He estimated that 30 to 40 people were employed in the NAEP unit of NCES before last week. That may well have been more than needed to run the program, he said. He's not exactly sure how many it would take, but the correct number 'is somewhere north of zero.' Andrew Kolstad, a former longtime Education Department statistician who retired a decade ago, said NCES personnel must constantly review draft NAEP reports to ensure there are no errors, a 'labor-intensive process with multiple stages of review.' If a state score rises or falls sharply, for instance, NCES staff talk to state officials about whether it's a mistake or an actual improvement. And of course they keep the bills paid and contracts signed. 'If the government doesn't do its work,' he said, 'then things can fall apart.' Related A former Democratic Education Department staff member who is familiar with NAEP, and who asked not to be identified so as not to jeopardize future professional opportunities, was a bit more blunt, saying the board is too small to effectively oversee the tests and lacks the expertise to do so. 'I mean, NAGB gets together at fancy hotels and talks about things around the periphery of the program. They are a bunch of people who are appointed to a policy board, and they think they're doing important work — and the important work is actually done in the field.' NAGB members, this person noted, 'don't do any of the analysis of the data. They just take the analysis that NCES does, and then they communicate it as if it's their own.' Two NAGB spokespersons either didn't immediately respond to requests for comment or said they couldn't comment. Two board members also declined to speak. But Schneider, the former IES director who served until 2024, said the 'fancy hotels' criticism isn't true. 'I've been to many NAGB meetings,' he said. 'They don't stay in swanky hotels.' He recalled a recent meeting in Los Angeles. 'The hotel was a true dump,' he said — NAGB members must abide by government rules on lodging costs.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Is Trump Gutting Ed Research a New Beginning or Just ‘Slashing & Burning'?
Updated The Trump administration's gutting of the Institute of Education Sciences on Monday temporarily disables an essential source of data on a host of basic information — everything from high school graduation rates and school safety to which neighborhoods have the highest quality schools. At its most basic, it tells Americans how well U.S. schools educate young people, at a time when the public is more focused than ever on basic questions of achievement. Advocates for a more focused and efficient federal education infrastructure view the move as an opportunity to rid the institute of old, inefficient and ineffective ways of doing research, even as researchers and industry leaders say the cuts will stop many key studies, trials and interventions in their tracks. The move could also complicate Senate confirmation hearings for Education Secretary nominee Linda McMahon, setting the stage for contentious questioning Thursday. One industry insider called Monday's actions 'pretty devastating to the research infrastructure,' with several others saying administration officials canceled 189 contracts. But even that was unclear after Monday's chaos. An administration official said the number totaled 89, citing a tweet from the Department of Government Efficiency that put the dollar total at $881 million. The department didn't issue any official statements or breakdowns of the cuts. Most sources with knowledge of the cuts asked not to be named in order to speak freely about them — and in a few cases to preserve their ability to compete for future contracts. DOGE, an informal agency led by billionaire Elon Musk, has spent the past few weeks slashing federal programs at President Trump's direction. 'It's apocalyptic, is all I can say,' said the director of one federal office who asked not to be identified so he could speak candidly. DOGE workers for the past week have essentially occupied U.S. Education Department offices in downtown Washington, D.C., accessing sensitive information systems. On Friday, private security personnel blocked a group of House Democrats from entering the building, setting up a videotaped confrontation that went viral. Several sources said Monday's moves don't affect what's widely considered a key IES function: the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), known familiarly as the Nation's Report Card. NAEP will continue to be administered, sources said, but contracts to analyze the data and report it publicly were canceled and will be offered to new bidders. On the chopping block: a host of programs including the What Works Clearinghouse, Common Core of Data, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) database of colleges and universities, and many others. The programs provide Americans with wide-ranging data on school quality, effective school interventions and college data on finances, tuition, financial aid, enrollment, completion and graduation rates, among other indicators. Related Dana Tofig, a spokesman for the American Institutes for Research, confirmed that AIR had received notices of termination on multiple IES evaluation and statistics contracts. The notices, he said late Monday, 'are still coming in.' A person familiar with AIR's work said the lost contracts amount to 'millions of dollars.' Tofig called the cancellations 'an incredible waste of taxpayer dollars' already appropriated by Congress. 'These investments inform the entire education system at all levels about the condition of education and the distribution of students, teachers, and resources in school districts across America,' he said. 'Many of these contracts are nearing completion and canceling them now yields the taxpayers no return on their investment.' The terminated evaluation and data contracts, Tofig said, are 'exactly the work that determines which programs are effective uses of federal dollars, and which are not.' There's a bunch of stuff that's been accumulating for all these decades and they're built on old technology. They're not even measuring the things that we care the most about. Mark Schneider, former IES director One person who was not broken up about Monday's events is Mark Schneider, a former longtime federal education official, who said his expectation is that much of the key research work will resume under new contracts. He couldn't immediately confirm that, but said his understanding was that, with the exception of NAEP and one or two other untouched programs, 'every other contract, as far as I know, has been canceled.' Schneider, who served as an IES director in the first Trump administration and stepped down last spring after more than three years under President Biden, estimated that about three-fourths of the institute's 100 or so employees would be affected. The move amounts to the temporary dissolution of two key Education Department operations: the National Center for Education Statistics and the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance. One source with knowledge of the move described an emergency meeting on Monday in which IES employees heard of the contract cancellations. 'I think they thought that IES's independence was going to allow it to kind of squeak through,' he said. 'And I think the leadership was just beyond shocked. I mean, they hadn't been talking about any of this stuff happening.' Related In some ways, the move echoes those taking place at other agencies — Trump has essentially dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development, putting most of its more than 2,000 employees on paid leave, though a federal judge last week paused the move until Friday. The administration on Saturday also ordered the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to stop its investigative work. The agency, created by President Obama after the 2008 financial crisis, has long been a target of conservatives. In late January, Trump issued an executive order that directed all federal agencies to temporarily pause grants, loans and federal assistance, but 22 states and the District of Columbia sued, challenging the legality of the move and eventually blocking it. A federal judge on Monday said the administration hadn't complied with that ruling and ordered federal agencies to immediately restore any paused or withheld dollars. Schneider, the former IES director, said Monday's developments don't mean the end of the agency, but rather 'an opportunity to clean out the attic' and revitalize essential research functions that the department has long neglected. 'There's a bunch of stuff that's been accumulating for all these decades and they're built on old technology,' he said. 'They're not even measuring the things that we care the most about.' 'How people decide where to buy houses' News of the canceled contracts took education researchers and officials by surprise Monday afternoon, with at least two members of the National Assessment Governing Board, which sets NAEP policy, saying they were just hearing about it through colleagues — or via the rumor mill. An official at a trade organization that represents research firms said that in many cases, classroom interventions such as tech tools being studied in real time will also disappear. The official also said shutting down the Common Core of Data will dramatically affect 'every single real estate site' on the Internet that helps users probe neighborhoods on the basis of school quality. 'That's how people decide where to buy houses.' Felice Levine, executive director of the American Educational Research Association, said the group was 'deeply concerned' about Monday's actions, saying NCES provides nonpartisan and unbiased information on important education indicators. 'The robust collection and analysis of data are essential for ensuring quality education,' she said. But another person with knowledge of IES's inner workings, who requested anonymity to speak freely, agreed with Schneider that the nation needs 'a different kind of approach to R&D to think about how we want to move forward.' Related Data from many recent large assessments, including NAEP, suggest that 'things are not going the way they need to in this recovery, and it's time to start thinking about what a research agenda can look like — particularly if the department decides that they're going to move in a direction where we're going to have block grants to states,' as many state superintendents in Republican-led states have requested in recent weeks. That, she said, will require a commitment to research focused on effective teacher practice, among other indicators. That won't happen with the current system. 'I think we've gotten to a point with the current IES structure where things have been done the way they've been done for so long that no one can roll it back. That's a real challenge.' Schneider, IES's most recent director and now a nonresident senior fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, has recently suggested breaking up the entire Education Department and moving its major functions to other Cabinet-level agencies. Related He admitted on Monday that the changes are 'pretty serious,' but said the agency needed 'a full shake-up' to become more effective. He noted, for instance, that IPEDS, 'the premier system' for reporting on colleges, is 'totally archaic,' costing about $9 million annually but is, in his view, based on old technology, hard to use and provides little value. 'What does a modern system look like, and how do we get that?' he asked. 'To just throw everything away is easy. To try to imagine how to rebuild some of these essential data systems that the nation needs so that they're modern, efficient, effective — that's a much harder challenge, and that's the challenge I hope that we rise to meet.' In a podcast broadcast Tuesday on LinkedIn, Schneider admitted that 'given how much work I put into reforming IES with only marginal success, that they could do in one day … I'm a little envious.' But he said DOGE's technique of 'moving fast and breaking things' in this case might be 'dumb' for a few reasons: While he favors, for instance, getting rid of the IPEDS contract, he noted that the department can't publish its College Scorecard, which it wants to protect, without it. The department also can't effectively produce NAEP reports without the Common Core of Data. 'If you break X, you're actually breaking Y and Z,' he said. 'I mean, that's a lack of experience, a lack of information.' In an interview with The 74, Schneider wouldn't immediately say whether he'd accept an offer to lead IES again. An industry insider who asked to remain anonymous in order to speak freely said she has worked well with Schneider in the past and predicted that if he were once again in charge of IES, she might have faith that his leadership could start 'a different conversation' about research. 'But I just don't see it yet.' If she and her colleagues were dealing with 'rational policy actors' in the Trump administration, she said, she might believe that improvement is possible. But the new administration doesn't represent 'a sort of regular Republican world,' she said. 'We're in a world in which they're slashing and burning everything.'
