Trump administration cut ‘woke spending.’ Why a Tacoma schools math study got shelved
A federally funded research project intended to improve the math experiences of Tacoma high school students was stopped after the U.S. Department of Education recently cut spending it deemed “wasteful and ideologically driven,” The News Tribune has learned.
On Feb. 13, the Education Department announced it had canceled more than $350 million in contracts and grants, which it characterized as “woke spending,” to Regional Educational Laboratories and Equity Assistance Centers.
In a news release, the Education Department said it ended 10 contracts totaling $336 million to Congressionally mandated Regional Educational Laboratories that are meant to support applied research, development and technical assistance activities.
“(H)owever, review of the contracts uncovered wasteful and ideologically driven spending not in the interest of students and taxpayers,” the department said, citing efforts in Ohio schools to audit and have conversations about equity as one example.
Regional Educational Laboratories (REL), which are funded by the Education Department’s Institute of Education Sciences, have partnered with school districts and other educators for nearly 60 years to conduct research that informs decisions about policy, programs and practice, according to WestEd, a nonpartisan agency.
WestEd operates Regional Educational Laboratory Northwest, which until recently was collaborating with Tacoma Public Schools on a project approved last year to analyze math course-taking patterns among high school students in the district.
The project came against the backdrop of a district policy that sees students enrolled in Algebra I in eighth grade, according to a draft study proposal by TPS and REL Northwest obtained by The News Tribune.
Approximately 90% of students pass Algebra I, but many retake the class as high school freshman and some later enroll in the course for a third time, potentially limiting their options for taking more advanced high-school math classes, the document said.
The research was intended to learn how student experiences in math courses might influence which math classes they choose throughout high school, while also assisting educators to better support and empower students to enroll in more advanced courses, the document shows.
The study’s future remains unclear, according to Katie Drummond, a senior research director at WestEd and former director of REL Northwest.
WestEd collected and analyzed the data and drafted a report, which was slated for third-party peer review until the federal contract was canceled, Drummond told The News Tribune. Asked if the project’s results would ever see the light of day, Drummond did not know.
“At this time, WestEd does not have the answer to this question, given that the work was not completed at the time the contract was canceled,” she said in a statement. “All options will be explored.”
The U.S. Department of Education said last week that it planned to enter into new contracts that it claimed would improve student learning and better serve school districts and stakeholders.
Projects come to standstill
Many Tacoma school district students are unprepared for college-level math and require remedial coursework, despite TPS offering advanced math classes, according to the district’s draft application for the project obtained by The News Tribune. There are also inequities by race and ethnicity on measures of math achievement, the document noted.
It’s unclear whether the U.S. Department of Education examined all projects under the umbrella of RELs, including the Tacoma Public Schools’ study, before determining to cancel contracts in the Trump administration’s effort to eliminate so-called “woke spending.”
An inquiry made to the U.S. Department of Education was not returned Wednesday.
WestEd said, by agency rule, it doesn’t share the budgets for individual projects or studies conducted by RELs. It had similar projects underway in the five-state region served by REL Northwest including Washington.
A partnership with rural districts in the state on how to best leverage technology to improve student outcomes can no longer be fulfilled, with district leaders and the 79-member district Washington Rural Alliance losing access to training and evidence-based strategies, according to Drummond.
REL Northwest also partnered with the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction on literacy issues, ensuring that the latest findings were included in statewide literacy framework and professional learning opportunities for state educators. The group was helping OSPI as the state analyzed data about educator needs and incorporated research findings on reading instruction into policy and practice, Drummond said.
The contract cancellation disrupted the dissemination of literacy strategies planned for this spring and summer, she added.
The support from RELs is tailored to local and state requests, priorities and needs, according to WestEd.
Mike Faulk, a spokesperson for the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, said the agency is learning more about the Education Department’s “politically motivated action.”
“Equity and inclusion create opportunities and improve outcomes for young people,” Faulk said in a statement. “The Trump administration is taking money from legitimate programming.”
‘Caught in the wash’
For the Tacoma school district study, seniors were expected to be surveyed and partake in focus groups along with teachers and guidance counselors, and researchers were expected to review data such as class records, test scores and student demographics, according to a publicly available memo and data-sharing agreement between TPS and WestEd signed in 2024.
“The focus group work occurred last year, we are determining how cancellation of the contract will impact our work going forward,” TPS spokesperson Kathryn McCarthy said in an email.
One district employee told The News Tribune that the study was anticipated to shed light on why more students weren’t enrolling in advanced math classes and also contribute to a larger discussion about the implications, including future high-paying job opportunities. The employee spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were unsure if they were authorized to publicly address the matter.
The employee said they believed the decision to target all REL contracts was “a lousy way to govern” and not mindful of the local consequences.
“It’s caught in the wash, I guess for lack of a better word,” they said about TPS’ project stoppage.
In a statement Wednesday, WestEd CEO Jannelle Kubinec said the contract cancellations halted many REL education projects aimed at directly benefiting students.
“These cancellations are a great loss for our nation’s students, families, and communities,” Kubinec said. “It is our hope that the important work of the RELs will eventually be allowed to continue and that our states, school districts, schools, teachers, and students will again be able to benefit from the rigorous research; thoughtful, research-based counsel and projects; and expert technical support that have served them so well.”
This story was originally published February 20, 2025 at 5:20 AM.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misstated Katie Drummond’s current affiliation.
