The Reading Recovery Council of North America joins 70+ other education associations and advocates in supporting funding for the Institute of Education Sciences. The coalition, Friends of IES, wrote a joint letter urging Congress to allocate at least $900 million to the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) in the FY 2026 budget. This comes in response to recent federal actions—specifically contract cancellations and staff reductions—that have severely disrupted IES’s essential work in education research, statistics, and data-driven policymaking. The letter also requests that FY 2025 funds be restored and used in line with prior commitments to reinstate halted activities.

IES plays a critical role in improving education outcomes nationwide by funding research, collecting data, and supporting tools like the What Works Clearinghouse. The recent cuts threaten the ability to gather and analyze education data, support special education research, and develop evidence-based solutions that help students, teachers, and policymakers. Without proper funding, the U.S. risks falling behind in both domestic education reform and global competitiveness.

Read the Letter