The future of the Institute of Education Sciences, the nonpartisan research arm of the Education Department, is suddenly in jeopardy. The Department of Government Efficiency, a Trump administration task force led by Elon Musk, has announced plans to cancel most of the institute’s contracts and training grants.

The institute’s annual budget is less that US$1 billion – or less than 1% of the Department of Education’s budget – but it advances education by supporting rigorous research and sharing data on student progress. It also sets standards for evidence-based practices and formalizes the criteria for evaluating educational research.

In short, the Institute of Education Sciences identifies what works and what doesn’t.

As cognitive scientists who engage in educational research, we believe this often overlooked institute is key to advancing national education standards and preventing pseudoscience from entering classrooms.

Getting education right can help address some of the nation’s biggest challenges, such as high school dropout rates and poverty.

But throughout U.S. history, dissatisfaction with student achievement levels has spurred major education reform efforts.

Russia’s launch of the Sputnik space satellite, for example, triggered the 1958 National Defense Education Act. That measure attempted to strengthen science and math instruction to bolster Cold War defense efforts.

Concerns about educational inequality led to the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which funded schools serving students........

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