A DOGE-Driven Overhaul Could Improve the Education Bureaucracy

On February 10, the Department of Government Efficiency chopped away at the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), canceling at least 89 contracts worth more than $880 million. Big companies stand to lose lots of money from these terminations. The canceled contracts held by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) are valued at more than $180 million; those held by the Research Triangle Institute (RTI), more than $160 million; and Mathematica’s more than $100 million. Many smaller companies also lost funding. It’s not surprising that the profitable education research-and-development complex has gone ballistic.

Contractors across the nation view DOGE’s actions as catastrophic, and they are mobilizing to overturn the cancellations. That’s natural and reflects how they’ve done business for decades. But recipients of taxpayer dollars must embrace the new reality: Citizens want to see good returns — indeed, any returns — on their taxes; politicians now seem to agree.

MS

About the Author

Mark Schneider

Mark Schneider is a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where his work focuses on education research and development and higher education administration.

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On February 10, the Department of Government Efficiency chopped away at the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), canceling at least 89 contracts worth more than $880 million. Big companies stand to lose lots of money from these terminations. The canceled contracts held by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) are valued at more than $180 million; those held by the Research Triangle Institute (RTI), more than $160 million; and Mathematica’s more than $100 million. Many smaller companies also lost funding. It’s not surprising that the profitable education research-and-development complex has gone ballistic.

Contractors across the nation view DOGE’s actions as catastrophic, and they are mobilizing to overturn the cancellations. That’s natural and reflects how they’ve done business for decades. But recipients of taxpayer dollars must embrace the new reality: Citizens want to see good returns — indeed, any returns — on their taxes; politicians now seem to agree.

MS

About the Author

Mark Schneider

Mark Schneider is a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where his work focuses on education research and development and higher education administration.