An employee of the Ministry of Education gives concern about the impact that will have huge dismissals from students.
For example, how can it be measured if students learn or which schools need money if there is no one to collect the data?
“What is happening now?” Sarah Newman said, an analyst at the Ministry of Education.
That is just one of the questions thousands of federal employees such as Newman who are asking nowadays.
“What I like about data is that it is never one story …” said Newman.
For the past 13 years she has worked at the Ministry of Education at the office of Elementary and Secondary Education that manages data and to ensure that federal money goes to the right places and is well spent.
“So as participation data we will get about the children who are ultimately served via Title I, through our homeless training program, our national programs …” she said. “The statewide reviews in mathematics, reading, language arts and science, we have those data, graduation figures, chronic absenteeism.”
But on Tuesday evening her entire team and most of her colleagues in data collection and investigation were victims of reducing the department in strength, or as she called it, “rugged”
“Everyone, I think, except that the real chief data officer was fired …” said Newman. “It’s really shocking to make your career be there for a day and not another day.”
Now, a day after News4 cameras were caught locking the front doors while employees left with their assets and almost 50% of the staff were fired, Newman said she has countless concerns about the impact on students.
“How can we actually manage the title that I apply without this data?” she said.
According to the announcement of the departments, employees like Newman will be officially placed next Friday, but she says she is already locked up from her network. A website that she manages, for example, that keeps track of the most data and subsidies is in fact frozen.
“Logistics I don’t know what to do with the work I did yesterday …” she said.
Newman said without the people to analyze the data and understand the figures, she does not know how many vital federal educational fairs can be managed.
“Some claims that there will be no impact, it’s impossible,” she said.
It can make a huge difference for students throughout the country, especially in areas with the most need.
“That money can be the difference between, you know, being able to offer an AP class in that district … these dollars, they matter, you know. Education is locally … “she said. “I believe in the use of data to improve, and I am not ready not to fight for that.”
The Department said that affected employees will receive full wage and benefits until 9 June.
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