Merriam-Webster includes the following in the definitions of progress:
“a forward or onward movement (as to an objective or to a goal) : ADVANCE”
“a gradual betterment especially: the progressive development of human kind”
“to move forward: PROCEED”
“to develop a higher, better, or more advanced stage”
Know history – diverse history. Use research to improve education and healthcare so we can move forward not backward. Image created by Dr. Nixon’s description provided to Adobe AI.
Imagine.
Pause. Imagine that it’s 1990. You are in a wheelchair. You do the same work as your peers, but you get paid less. You can’t go to a movie theater because there aren’t accessible seats.
Do we really want to go back to that?
That was life before the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 that includes Section 504. Section 504, the section being the one currently being challenged by attorneys general in 17 different states with Texas v. Becerra.
In an essay written in Time on February 19, 2025, Rebekah Taussig wrote:
“In many ways, Section 504 has operated as an almost invisible protection – easy to take for granted. And in doing so, we’ve been able to continue the fiction that disability is something that happens only to others. The undeniable fact is that every one of us will acquire a disability if we live long enough. Disability is an experience we can move in and out of over the course of our lives, and disabled people are the only minority group anyone can become a part of at any moment. Section 504 is not a law for “those people.” …
As with much of U.S. politics right now, Texas v Becerra feels like a reckless attempt to pull us back to a former time. But there is one crucial difference between 1977 and 2025. More than one generation of disabled children has grown up under the protections Section 504 provides us. And while the politicians are still reciting the same script, our revolutionary predecessors gave us a new story. We are a valuable part of our communities, we belong here, and we’ve been shown how to fight.”
It was because people were (and still are, just check Supreme Court Cases) treated differently based on their race, religion, national origin, (dis)ability, gender (and gender identity), and sexual orientation.
If you think that shouldn’t be a concern, just take a look at what Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga) said when asked about school lunches after Trump proposed a federal funding freeze that could affect nutrition support for children: “Before I was even 13 years old, I was picking berries in the field, before child labor laws that precluded that. I was a paperboy and when was I was in high school; I worked my entire way through”.
Use of the phrase “back in my day” to dismiss concerns
Just because something was one way in 1954, doesn’t mean it should continue – particularly when it comes to civil rights.
Disclaimer. This post is not medical or legal advice.
The information provided in this blog post is for educational and informational purposes only. It is based on historical research, analysis, and interpretation, which may be subject to varying perspectives and ongoing scholarly debate. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information presented, I do not guarantee its completeness or infallibility. Historical accounts can be complex and nuanced, and my interpretations reflect my understanding of the available sources at the time of writing.
This blog post may also contain personal opinions and reflections on the historical events and figures discussed. These opinions are my own and do not necessarily represent the views of others. They are offered as a basis for discussion and further exploration of the topic.
Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult multiple sources to form their own informed opinions. I am open to respectful discussion and feedback on the content of this blog post, and I acknowledge that historical understanding can evolve over time. Any errors or omissions brought to my attention will be considered and, where appropriate, corrected.
By reading this blog post, you acknowledge that you understand and agree to the terms of this disclaimer.
Many people talk about university researchers as living in the “ivory tower” unaware of the needs of people in society.
I challenge you to pause for about 10 minutes and watch this video courtesy of PBS News to better understand potential long-term impacts of Trump’s cuts to research funding.
(And yes, I know the video is about medical research funding, but the same applies to education. Also, NIH funds more than medication research. They fund research into child development, reading, language, speech production, and so much more.)
PBS News Hour clip about Trump’s cuts to medical research funding (2025). This is a wonderful summary.
Beyond that video, did you know that research grant funds also help pay tuition for students working in those labs? Yes. They can make higher education more affordable.
It’s part of the reason most grad and doctoral students look for labs with funding.
If research funding is decreased, then we may end up with less socioeconomic diversity in higher education due to the cost.
If research funding is decreased, then students who choose to pursue higher education degrees are likely to have higher student debt.
What can you do?
Contact your representative and senator
Speak UP! Post on social media!
Disclaimer. Information provided in this post by, Stephanie M. Nixon, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is provided in good faith. Nixon Speech and Language, LLC makes no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information supplied by other sources.
Information provided here is for informational purposes only.
If you don’t need this article to realize the necessity of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and their role in funding high quality independent educational grant research, then please sign this petition in an effort to halt actions by DOGE and the current Presidential administration: https://chng.it/vjdYGZw9wz
If you just need the numbers to sign the petition:
2024 entire Federal Budget was $6.75 trillion.
IES had an $807 million budget in 2024
Between $800 million and $1 billion in IES research grants were cut by DOGE (Grants are paid over multiple years. See the note below.)
Note. In this Washington Post Article posted 2/13/2025 by Meckler and Natanson, Nat Malkus, a senior fellow at American Enterprise Institute DOGE may have overstated the cost of the canceled contracts because many of the contractors were several years into the agreements, meaning the money has already been spent.
In other words, canceling the grants right now likely caused more waste, especially if the studies cannot be completed due to lack of funding.
Other reasons to sign:
IES is part of the accountability arm of the education system
Studies are being cut short including one called, ReSolve designed to help students learn math faster.
Federal funding cuts including grant funding to researchers at the institutions is devastating. This article in the GW Hatchet by Jenna Lee (2/11/2025) addresses lawsuits related to the NIH Federal funding cuts
DOGE cut additional resources within that funding including:
Common Core of Data, primary database of all K-12 schools with enrollment, demographics, and other information is collected
What Works Clearinghouse: a project that has been essential to facilitating decisions for administrators and educators (see below for more)
School Pulse Panel: began surveying K-12 public schools about education related topics
Studies about international education
Career and technical education
Early childhood education
Contact your congressmembers. Protect this funding so our country can move forward with improving our education system on the whole vs. backwards. We need independently funded research. It is paramount.
I posted this in a previous post, and I’m posting it again.
If you need more convincing or just want some background, then read on.
Briefly…why do we have a Federal Department of Education?
Before we can discuss the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), we need to consider, why do we have a Federal Department of Education (DoEd)? Can’t the states do everything?
Time machine:
Let’s hop in our “time machines” and review history:
Non-cabinet level agency with Henry Barnard as the first commissioner (and a staff of 3 and only 2 rooms)
Objectives:
improve American education by providing strong education information to local- and state-level authorities without having official control of the authorities in the states
collect statistics and facts to show educational progress across states and territories
Henry Barnard
He deserves his own post (if I have time). For now, review the Barnard Papers and the information from Cross and Islas. Barnard had to collect data from the schools and send it to practitioners. He and his small staff produced reports and research to help give a context for education.
July 20, 1868: Congress decided the the efforts by Barnard was a waste of national resources, reduced the funding, and then on June 30, 1869 removed the DoEd’s independent status and relabeled it the Office of Education with the Department of Interior.
1870:John Eaton served as the US Commissioner of Education until 1886 with only a $6000 yearly budget.
1889 to 1906: Commissioner William Torrey Harris continued the data collection and expanded it to include public and private elementary school enrollment.
This path continued, the name changed and shifted. In 1953, the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. More funds were available due to political and social circumstances.
In 1963, President Lyndon B. Johnson emphasized the need for education to fight poverty leading to the Higher Education Act (1965) and Elementary and Secondary Education Act (1965).
Now, it’s 1979, President Jimmy Carter signed into law the Department of Education Act
This established the Federal Department of Education as a cabinet-level department.
What kind of funding did DoED receive in 2024?
Per USAfacts.org, DoED received 4% of all federal funding in 2024, totaling $268.35 billion.
Originally posted by USA FACTS.
DoEd is the smallest of any cabinet-level department with about 4,100 full-time employees (as of 2023).
What is/was the function of DoEd as of 2024?
Note. Given the unknowns related to what data/websites will remain available under the current administration, I cannot guarantee the existence of any links to federal websites. If you click a link and it is gone, then please contact me and I will do what I can to find the information and make it accessible (when possible).
“Strengthen the Federal commitment to assuring access to equal educational opportunity for every individual;
Supplement and complement the efforts of states, the local school systems and other instrumentalities of the states, the private sector, public and private nonprofit educational research institutions, community-based organizations, parents, and students to improve the quality of education;
Encourage the increased involvement of the public, parents, and students in Federal education programs;
Promote improvements in the quality and usefulness of education through Federally supported research, evaluation, and sharing of information;
Improve the coordination of Federal education programs;
Improve the management of Federal education activities; and
Increase the accountability of Federal education programs to the President, the Congress, and the public.”
As noted on the about page for DoEd, the mission “is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access for students of all ages. Learn more about our mission, offices within ED, key initiatives, and more.”
What is the Institute of Education Sciences (IES)?
promotes high quality comprehensive research to expand knowledge of children and youth with or at risk for disabilities
age range is infancy through post-secondary education
ERIC: Repository of education related information including journal articles, dissertations, and other such resources
Importance of IES
IES is how we improve education. Under this institute, there have been education advances. Chester Finn wrote commentary on February 12, 2025 about this current situation with funding cuts to IES by DOGE. IES in its current form “corrected much of what was weak and wasteful in the previous arrangement —and the new agency got off to a strong start under the leadership of Grover (Russ) Whitehurst, who strove with considerable success to see that its work would be conducted as proper scientific research—controlled experiments, etc.—and data gathered and reported with objectivity and integrity”.
Information for this post was pulled from these webpages (citations also linked within the post itself as appropriate):
Disclaimer: Including these links is not intended as Nixon Speech and Language, LLC’s or my an endorsement OR agreement with information created by the authors, companies, institutes, or websites. If you find factually inaccurate information in my post or a link, then please let me know and I will adjust.
Disclosure. I am writing this as a supporter of strong education science and research. I am writing this as educators need rigorous peer-reviewed randomized studies to facilitate decisions. In my opinion, they also need access to quickly disseminated information as is available in What Works Clearinghouse. I am concerned at the likely negative outcomes for all children, but particularly those with learning disabilities or at risk for learning disabilities.
I worked at the Institute of Education Sciences from January 2004 through about March 2005 in the National Center for Education Research. I saw the amazing research. I watched the peer reviews.
Disclaimer. Information provided in this post by, Stephanie M. Nixon, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is provided in good faith. Nixon Speech and Language, LLC makes no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information.
The opinions expressed in this post, are exactly that, opinions of Stephanie M. Nixon, Ph.D., CCC-SLP.
[…] distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License Version 3 (GPLv3). Essentially, this license guarantees you the…
[…] posted this in a previous post, and I’m posting it […]
[…] Toward Equity in Health Care for People with Communication Disabilities. You can also review disparities associated with health insurance…
Leave a Reply