Trump Administration Guts NAEP While Brittany Kinser Pushes to Tie Wisconsin Schools to a Collapsing System

The Trump/Musk Administration’s dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education has now put the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) on the chopping block, just as Wisconsin Republicans and Lobbyist Brittany Kinser are trying to tie our state’s education system to this collapsing national system.

New reporting from Politico confirms that the administration has gutted the staff responsible for overseeing NAEP, effectively rendering The Nation’s Report Card meaningless and leaving states in limbo.

According to Politico:

“The agency’s independent statistics and research arm — which collects a range of crucial data across K-12 and universities and administers the “nation’s report card” — was hit particularly hard. The Institute of Educational Sciences “has wholesale been eliminated with only one employee left.” (Politico, 3/12/25)

Jill Underly, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, responded:

“The Trump administration is gutting NAEP and yet, Brittany Kinser wants to lock our state into using this broken system. Why would we tie our schools to a national test that is actively being destroyed? It’s reckless and completely detached from reality. Brittany’s lack of experience in Wisconsin’s public schools and focus on bumper-sticker solutions is coming more clearly into focus every day.

“Wisconsin students, teachers, and families deserve a real plan for education in these chaotic times—we don’t need Lobbyist-Politicians who are blindly following Trump’s lead as he dismantles public education piece by piece. When given the chance yesterday, Brittany continued to support the Trump/Musk plan to tear down public schools, increase class sizes, and decrease educational quality.”

In stark contrast to her Lobbyist opponent, Jill Underly has been making Wisconsin schools stronger. Under Dr. Underly’s leadership, Wisconsin has strengthened math and science standards to ensure students are better prepared for the jobs of the future. Underly has instituted new career and vocational training standards that didn’t exist before, helping students who want to pursue skilled trades or technical careers get the education they need to succeed. And Underly is focused on real student achievement—not a political agenda.

The layoffs at the Department of Education and the destruction of the national NAEP test come as part of a broader assault on public education. The Trump administration is putting $1 billion in Wisconsin school funding at risk, with real cuts that have already been made.

“Let’s be clear: we shouldn’t tie Wisconsin schools to a system that’s being actively dismantled. You don’t support gutting education and then claim to care about student success. This is just the latest step in a coordinated attack on public schools, and Brittany Kinser literally says Trump’s agenda ‘is fine’,” Underly said.

Jill Underly has spent her career fighting for higher standards, stronger student support, and real accountability in education. Dr. Underly is committed to ensuring Wisconsin students have the resources they need to succeed—not locking them into a crumbling system that Trump is actively destroying.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.