Beth Tipton

I didn't know the RFI responses were out - but if I did, I would have wanted to summarize them - but Betsy did the work for us!! This is a great summary - and suggests a lot of shared support for IES by practitioners and researchers. #Education

#Stats friends who do Social Statistics: Would you like to be an officer in the Social Statistics Section of the ASA in 2027? We're looking for people interested in serving as Program Chair, as well as some other positions. If you're interested, let me know ASAP. Thanks!

Trump Gutted IES. Skepticism of Its Renewal Abounds. The Education Department recently requested ideas on how to “modernize” the data collection and education research funding agency, and it sought to hire for a few positions.

A key point in this article is whether OMB will allow agencies to have funds and whether legislation by Congress will be respected. www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...

Same! Looking forward to meeting you, Jan, and Mona, and to seeing Issa Dahobrah!

An excellent story that shines a bright light on the devastation in my field.

Trump’s Job Cuts Leave a Profession Looking for Its Next Act Niche researchers in a government-dependent education field are trying to pivot. “There are no crops coming out of this ground anymore.”

www.wsj.com/us-news/educ...

Amen to this. I feel just as grim - but it's surprising how many others seem to be coping with the "head in the sand" approach...

‘Back to the Dark Ages’: Education Research Staggered by Trump Cuts With contracts severed and grants rescinded, experts say Washington’s hit to K–12 research will set back the field for years.

‘Back to the Dark Ages’: Education Research Staggered by Trump Cuts

With contracts severed and grants rescinded, experts say Washington’s hit to K–12 research will set back the field for years. @the74.bsky.social

www.the74million.org/article/back...

‘Back to the Dark Ages’: Education Research Staggered by Trump Cuts With contracts severed and grants rescinded, experts say Washington’s hit to K–12 research will set back the field for years.

This is a great article about what's happening in education research right now. (As my quotes show - I'm really rather annoyed and angry these days...)

www.the74million.org/article/back...

Ever since the former commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics was dismissed by the Trump administration in February, I wanted to hear her story. Peggy Carr was among a string of Black senior officials fired in early 2025. (1/3)

Or like as in "crash test dummy" - which stands in for a person. This is all to say, the word "dummy" can be used in a derogatory way, but that was not the original intent in this case (or many others).

I think the definition of dummy that is probably closest to how they are used is "something that imitates the real thing but isn't functional," as in these variables stand in for the the real variables, but aren't the real variables. (In British English, pacifiers are called dummies.)

"Federal statistics, one of the United States’ premier public goods, differ from privately provided data because they are privacy protected, aggregated to address relevant questions for decision-makers, constructed transparently, and widely available without a subscription"

Starting to look like I might not be able to work at Harvard anymore due to recent funding cuts. If you know of any open statistical consulting positions that support remote work or are NYC-based, please reach out! 😅

Education researchers sue Trump administration, testing executive power Prominent scholars ask the courts to reverse DOGE cuts at the Education Department

Education researchers sue Trump administration, testing executive power

How federal investments in education research help students succeed Researchers discuss how federally funded research projects have helped identify and scale programs that improved student outcomes.

Cuts to the Institute of Education Sciences threaten decades of progress in independent education research. We need more evidence—not less. Our case for strengthening IES:
🔗 www.brookings.edu/articles/how...
With @statstipton.bsky.social & Jessaca Spybrook
#EdResearch #IES #EduSky

Not sure how to add people - but @katierosefitz.bsky.social should be added!

Quick question for the hive mind - What are some prominent public policy decisions or big curricular changes that have resulted from IES-funded research or data?

Chaos and confusion as the statistics arm of the Education Department is reduced to a skeletal staff of 3 Acting stats chief booted after only 15 days in the job; fate of the Nation’s Report Card unclear

“Everyone’s entitled to their own policy ideas, but no one’s entitled to their own facts. You have to share the truth in order to make any kind of improvement, no matter what direction you want to go.” #StatsSky

hechingerreport.org/proof-points...

ASA Community The ASA Community is an online gateway for member collaboration and connection.

Applications due May 15. Info here: community.amstat.org/socialstatis...

This award is given every two years to honor contributions. This mid-career award will be given to candidates within 15 years of their terminal degree.

The focus is on contributions to the development and application of statistical science to social problems and issues including but not limited to demography, sociology, economics, political science, criminology, education and public policy.

The Social Statistics Section (SSS) of the American Statistical Association (ASA) invites nominations for the Social Statistics Section Mid-Career Award.

Put another way, scientists need to find allies, not engage audiences.

Elon Musk, apartheid, and America's new boycott movement If you think mass protests can’t combat evil, remember what we did in the 1980s.

"But opposition movements always seem hopeless until they’re not. Apartheid existed for decades and then came crashing down rapidly..."

www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

I'm looking forward to this WiDS event tomorrow - if you're interested in hearing about my path into the field, the role of statistics in evidence, and so on - feel free to join. Sign up link here:

www.virtu.com/wids-2025/

@linzpage.bsky.social @carajackson.bsky.social @mkurlaender13.bsky.social @dbassok.bsky.social

Cutting research funding would make education less effective and efficient Presidents of education research associations explain the impacts of recent funding cuts to the Institute of Education Sciences (IES).

In this op-ed, we - the presidents of SREE and AEFP - joined forces to argue for the importance of evidence on "what works" and how cutting such funding is not "efficient" - it is wasteful. www.brookings.edu/articles/cut...

How the national conversation shifted from structural racism to DEI How the conversation about DEI has evolved over time.

1/7. Public discourse about racial equity has changed a lot over the years. At @commhsp.bsky.social we’ve been monitoring those changes and their consequences. In a new 538 article, @efranklinfowler.bsky.social and I share what we’ve been seeing and why it matters.
abcnews.go.com/538/national...