Removing Peggy Carr, who earned bipartisan praise, could lead to suppression or manipulation of data proving racial disparities in K-12 schools.
The White House sent shockwaves through the education community last week when it suspended an esteemed federal official responsible for “the nation’s report card.” The move, experts say, could hamper the collection of data that exposes racial disparities in the nation’s K-12 schools.
Peggy Carr, a career Department of Education administrator who runs the National Center for Education Statistics, has played an “unmatched” role in helping the country understand how students perform in school. While some reports suggest that budget cuts may have played a role, the Trump administration placed her on administrative leave on Feb. 24 without explanation.
“I’m still processing and have no words to share right now. It’s a lot to take in,” Carr said in an email to The74, an education news website, declining to answer further questions.
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Carr’s suspension comes less than a month after the release of the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores and less than a week after Department of Education officials canceled an upcoming math and reading test for 17-year-olds. The NEAP showed continued declines in student performance, especially among historically marginalized students.
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