Dr. Jamaal Matthews Invited to Capitol Hill

The American Educational Research Association (AERA) selected eight faculty members from various universities across the nation to represent the organization and their respective universities in lobbying against proposed cuts to federal funding for educational research. Dr. Jamaal Matthews, Associate Professor in the Educational Foundations Department at Montclair State University, was one of those invited to participate in this important initiative.

These academics were invited to visit Capitol Hill on March 6-7, 2017 to meet with select Congressional offices and seek continued support for funding educational research. The purpose of the visits was to introduce AERA as a 25,000-member organization and to explain why the organization cares about federal funding for education research, specifically funding from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and National Science Foundation (NSF). With the new administration’s vow to cut the deficit and “wasteful spending,” non-military discretionary funds are likely to be first on the chopping block.  The FY 2018 budget will be released by the executive office this April, and funding for programs that educational researchers rely on (e.g., NSF, IES) have been rumored to be hit first and hardest.

The eight members of the delegation met with over thirty offices in the House of Representatives and the Senate. Dr. Matthews met with a dozen key congressmen and committees on both sides of the aisle.

Within the House of Representatives, Dr. Matthews specifically met with: Rep. Bill Pascrell, (R-NJ); Rep. Rodney Frelinghusyen (R-NJ), Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations and New Jersey’s only member; Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), Chairman of the House Science Committee; Rep. Jose Serrano (D-NY); and Rep. John Culberson (R-TX), Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee—Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee.

Within the Senate, Dr. Matthews met with: Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ); Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ); Senator Van Hollen (D-MD); Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and the Space, Science, and Competitiveness Subcommittee; Senators Richard Shelby (R-AL) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) of the Senate Appropriations, Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee; and Senator John Thune (R-SD). 

Senators Robert Menendez and Cory Booker reaffirmed their commitment to protect federal funding to support educational research.

Dr. Matthews provided updates on federally funded research activities at Montclair State University and the impact that work is having within the state of New Jersey and the implications of the work for national impact. In this vein, Dr. Matthews provided a sample of results from his research project funded by the National Science Foundation based in Newark Public Schools on motivation in mathematics during middle and high school. He also discussed the THREADS mentorship program and its impact on boys of color in Newark, New Jersey in developing an understanding and appreciation of the importance of mathematics in the real world.