The federal spending on education research is not looking too hot these days. Last week, more cuts were made to education grants, and there were mass layoffs at the National Science Foundation (NSF), the agency that supports research and education in science, engineering, and math. The latest round of cutbacks on May 9 brought more uncertainty as a division focused on equity in education was axed, along with all its employees. The process for approving research grants was also thrown into chaos with the removal of division directors who were stripped of their powers.
In a previous round of cuts on May 2, over 330 grants were terminated, adding to a total of at least 1,379 grants that have been cut so far. Most of the terminated grants were in the education division, targeting efforts to increase the participation of women and Black and Hispanic students in STEM fields. The number of active grants by the Division of Equity for Excellence in STEM was nearly halved, going from 902 to 461. With the education sector bearing the brunt of these cuts, over half of the terminated grants and almost three-quarters of their $1 billion value have been wiped out, affecting universities and research organizations across the nation.
It’s still not entirely clear how NSF is deciding which grants to cancel and who is calling the shots. The cuts started after the Department of Government Efficiency made its way into NSF headquarters in mid-April, and it seems like not everyone is on board with the decisions being made. Senator Ted Cruz from Texas has labeled some of the terminated projects as “questionable” ones that promoted diversity, equity, and inclusion or advanced “neo-Marxist class warfare propaganda.” On the bright side, 60 percent of the terminated grants were not on Cruz’s questionable list, so that’s something, right?
As the chaos continues, education is not the only sector feeling the impact of NSF’s budget cuts. Earlier this year, the number of new students supported through graduate school was cut in half from 2,000 to 1,000. With universities anxiously waiting to hear about the fate of graduate students already in the research fellowship program, the uncertainty looms large over the education community. The fate of education research grants remains up in the air as NSF watchers scramble to compile a list of terminated grants from the most recent round of cuts on May 9.
In the midst of all this uncertainty, a federal judge in San Francisco has put a temporary halt to the “reduction in force” firings of federal employees at NSF and 19 other agencies. The elimination of the Division of Equity for Excellence in STEM has raised concerns about the future of congressionally mandated programs like the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation and the Eddie Bernice Johnson initiative. With the elimination of division directors and the chaos surrounding new grant approvals, the leadership structure at NSF is in disarray, leaving many positions up in the air, including the head of the education directorate.
The legal battle continues as education researchers take on the Department of Education in a series of legal cases scheduled for a hearing on May 16. The cases will determine whether terminated research studies and data collections should be restored temporarily, along with bringing back fired Education Department employees. The fight for education funding and research support rages on amidst the uncertainty and chaos at NSF.
