Apparently the Education Department’s research agency has literally shut off the lights—and the computer servers— in the wake of the federal shutdown.
Those who try to access the Institute of Education Sciences web site or any of its ancillary sites (like the National Assessment of Educational Progress) are confronted with a grim grey screen and this message:
The outages seem to be affecting all of IES’ direct sites, such as the national research centers, the Nation’s Report Card site, and What Works Clearinghouse, though they have not affected the sites operated by outside contractors, such as the regional educational labs (though you can’t reach them through IES.)
As my colleague Catherine Gewertz notes over at Curriculum Matters, the shutdown has also delayed the long-awaited release of a federal study linking the National Assessment of Educational Progress and the international Trends in Math and Science Study. IES has already had to delay or cut several ongoing research projects and data collections as a result of the sequester, and the shutdown could cause additional delays if it continues.
For the skinny on how education programs and initiatives are faring during the shutdown, check out my colleague Alyson Klein’s cheat sheet over at Politics K-12.