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The U.S. Department of Education has hired a new senior adviser to the secretary of education tasked with reforming the Institute of Education Sciences, according to a Friday announcement.
The department’s pick, Amber Northern, is on leave from her role as senior vice president for research at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a conservative education policy think tank. The announcement said IES, which houses the National Center for Education Statistics, has “failed to provide a clear and compelling research agenda that puts students at the center.” Department officials also accused IES of prioritizing “politically charged topics and entrenched interests” in its research contracts.
The move comes after the Education Department axed $900 million in IES contracts in February then fired more than 80 percent of its 120 employees a month later as part of wider layoffs across the department. Multiple lawsuits have been filed by research groups in response to the cuts.
“As we return education to the states, it’s essential that educators have access to accurate data to inform their work and develop best practices,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. “Dr. Northern’s deep expertise in education statistics and years of experience in the classroom will be an asset as we re-envision the work of IES.”
Northern said she’s honored “to examine IES with fresh eyes and consider how it might be more responsive to the students, parents, and educators that it serves.”
“I know that the education community values the role that the federal government plays in Research & Development,” she said in a statement, “and I look forward to working with them on this rebuild.”
