Trump administration suspends education commissioner Peggy Carr after dismal NAEP results show 20-year lows in reading and math scores

The Trump administration has placed Peggy Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), on administrative leave. This decision follows the release of troubling National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores, which revealed that US students' reading and math scores have dropped to their lowest levels in two decades. The suspension has sparked concerns about the future of education data collection and analysis in the United States, especially as the nation continues to recover from the academic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Carr, a career educator with over 30 years of experience at NCES, was appointed as commissioner in 2021 by former President Joe Biden. The agency is responsible for overseeing key educational data, including the well-known NAEP report, often referred to as the "nation's report card." The suspension comes amid ongoing challenges in US education, highlighted by significant declines in student achievement.
NAEP results show steep decline in academic performance
As reported by The Gazette, the most recent NAEP report released in January 2024 revealed a sharp decline in student performance. Reading and math scores for eighth graders hit their lowest point in over 20 years. The results showed that reading scores for fourth graders also fell to a 20-year low, while math scores for the same grade showed only slight improvements. Carr, commenting on the dismal results, acknowledged that "student achievement has not returned to pre-pandemic levels, so the struggle continues."
The NAEP is one of the most significant tools for assessing the nation's educational progress, and the latest results raised alarms about the ongoing educational setbacks from the pandemic. These findings underscored the challenges educators face in recovering from years of disrupted learning.
Carr's suspension raises concerns over education data integrity
The suspension of Carr has prompted concerns from both education leaders and researchers who worry about the potential disruption to NCES’s work. Carr’s expertise and leadership have been highly regarded in the field of education statistics. Thomas Dee, a professor at Stanford University, expressed his dismay, calling the suspension "outrageous." He emphasized that the NCES data provides an "anchor" for evidence-based discussions about educational policy, and any disruption could hinder the nation's ability to track its progress in education.
As reported by The Gazette, the Trump administration’s decision to place Carr on leave follows a broader trend of reducing funding and reevaluating the role of the Department of Education. In addition to the suspension, the administration recently canceled millions of dollars in funding for various education projects. Despite assurances that the NAEP itself would not be affected by the budget cuts, the cancellation of the spring 2024 NAEP test for 17-year-olds raised questions about the future of comprehensive educational assessments.
Carr’s suspension, along with the challenges facing the Education Department, has set the stage for continued debates over the direction of US education policy under the current administration.