On March 20, President Trump signed an executive order calling for the dismantling of the Department of Education. We don’t yet know how that is going to impact schools in our region. While federal funds make up a small portion of school district budgets, we know that for many districts, even small reductions can do great harm to students’ educational opportunities.
In February, prior to the release of this executive order, the Department of Education shut down the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and all ten Regional Education Laboratories (RELs). The full impact of these closures is not yet known, but we know from personal experience how helpful these organizations are and the difference they make.
For about five years, starting in 2017, the Consortium was a partner in the Mid-Atlantic REL. They provided us with connections to research and experts in career readiness and helped inform our work. We were introduced to Dr. V. Scott Solberg, Boston University, and his studies on how students build meaningful, personalized career plans, research that still impacts our work today. Through Dr. Solberg, we have been connected to national groups and continue to learn from educational leaders across the country about best practices to help students, K-12, explore careers and plan for their futures. We would never have had these opportunities if it were not for the Mid-Atlantic REL. The quality and efficacy of the support and coaching we provide educators and students is much better because of their partnership.
We are confident that the REL’s support of our work and the federal dollars that made that possible had a positive impact on educators, students, and workforce development in our region. Nationally and historically, RELs have also done much to support schools and intermediary organizations like the Consortium in all areas of education, e.g., science of reading, English Language Learning, math instruction, social emotional learning, mental health, etc. Closing IES and RELs, just one impact of dismantling the Department of Education, is already negatively impacting teaching and learning and education for all students.
