The Relentless School Nurse: Why We Must Fight to Save Nursing Research—and the Future of School Health

As school nurses, we stand at the intersection of education and public health. We see firsthand how physical and emotional well-being affect a child’s ability to learn, grow, and thrive. Our work is rooted in evidence-based practice, and our actions are guided by science. Nursing Science is under threat. 

President Trump’s proposed 2026 budget calls for an unprecedented dismantling of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including the complete elimination of the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR). The implications for patient care, nursing science, and public health are vast and devastating. For school nurses, the stakes are uniquely personal: NINR has only recently made school health one of its top strategic imperatives. This commitment recognized what we already know to be true: schools are essential settings for health promotion, disease prevention, and early intervention.

A Dangerous Proposal: Cutting the NIH by 40%

The 2026 budget proposes slashing NIH funding by nearly $18 billion, reducing its size by about 40% from current levels. As part of this massive restructuring, the number of NIH institutes would be consolidated from 27 to just eight, eliminating NINR along with other vital institutions:

• National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities

• National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health

• Fogarty International Center

These proposed cuts come with politically charged mandates that would redirect research priorities away from equity, climate change, gender identity, and structural racism—areas that are not fringe concerns but core to the lived experiences of the students and families we serve.

Important Note: These changes are part of a proposed budget and are not final. Congress will ultimately decide what gets funded. This means there is still time—and opportunity—for advocacy to make a difference.

Why NINR Matters

NINR was established to fund research that reflects the unique perspective and contributions of nursing. Its mission is to support science that enhances patient-centered care, reduces health disparities, and addresses the social and behavioral dimensions of health. That includes:

• Evidence-based strategies for chronic disease management

• Innovations in palliative and end-of-life care

• Studies on mental health, family caregiving, and symptom science

• Interventions that consider social determinants of health

NINR also supports training and career development for nurse scientists, helping to ensure that research reflects real-world clinical practice and that nurses have a voice in shaping the future of health care.

NINR’s Commitment to School Health: A New Era of Recognition

In October 2024, NINR publicly announced that school health is now its Second Strategic Imperative. This historic recognition formalized NINR’s commitment to advancing nursing research focused on healthy school environments for all children. The institute emphasized the need to better understand and support student health, particularly in communities affected by poverty, trauma, and systemic inequities.

NINR organized a national convening in June 2025: Advancing Nursing Research to Support Healthy School Environments for All. The day-long event was designed to identify NINR’s commitment to school health research, highlight gaps and opportunities, and elevate the role of school nurses in advancing science and practice.

NINR’s new strategic direction signals a significant shift toward supporting research that directly benefits school health and the populations we serve.

The Cost of Elimination: What We Stand to Lose

Disruption of a Growing Research Agenda

• Just as school health is gaining national attention through federal research channels, this proposed budget would cut off funding, derail collaborations, and halt a promising era of evidence-building in school nursing.

Loss of Nursing-Specific Research

• • Without NINR, nurse researchers would be forced to compete for funding from institutes that historically prioritize biomedical or physician-led science.

A Broken Pipeline of Nurse Scientists

• • NINR supports pre-doctoral and post-doctoral training programs that create pathways for nurses to become researchers.

Harm to Marginalized Communities

• • NINR uniquely focuses on health disparities, access, and social determinants. The populations we serve as school nurses would be harmed by the loss of this research.

School Nurses: Evidence to Action

When we use data to drive asthma management plans, trauma-informed care strategies, or mental health screenings, we are enacting the very science that NINR supports, such as research on school-based chronic disease management, interventions to address childhood trauma, and models for integrating behavioral health into school settings. School nurses serve on the front lines of child health, and we need the strongest evidence base available.

Many school nurses actively engage in research, often collaborating with universities, public health departments, or as doctoral students to collect and analyze data, identify trends, evaluate interventions, and contribute to peer-reviewed literature that informs school health practice. The elimination of NINR would jeopardize crucial funding streams that support this critical work, as NINR is one of the few federal sources specifically dedicated to nursing science and school health research.

Nursing organizations such as the American Nurses Association (ANA) and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) have raised concerns that without a dedicated institute like NINR, research funding is often redirected toward biomedical priorities, potentially sidelining community-based, preventive, and school health research that is essential to nursing’s holistic approach.

As NINR expands its commitment to school health, our voices are finally being recognized in shaping national research priorities. To lose NINR now would silence that voice just as it is beginning to be heard.

A Call to Action

We cannot afford to let this happen in silence. Here’s what we can do:

Stay Informed

• • Read NINR’s announcement on school health: NINR School Health Strategic Imperative

  • Review the outcomes of the June 11, 2025, convening

Contact Your Elected Officials

• • Call, email, or write your members of Congress. Urge them to preserve NINR funding.

  • Share stories from your practice about how nursing research has shaped your care.

  • Encourage colleagues and community members to reach out because every voice counts.

Join with Nursing Organizations

• Support and amplify efforts from NASN, ANA, and other professional groups.

• Sign petitions, participate in letter-writing campaigns, and attend advocacy events.

Speak Out Publicly

• • Use your voice to raise awareness. Blog, post on social media, write opinion pieces, and communicate with your school board.

Build Coalitions

• • Partner with public health officials, educators, parent associations, and community leaders to advocate collectively.

  • Collaborate with academic institutions to promote and protect nurse-led research.

We Must Be Relentless

The proposed elimination of NINR is not just an attack on a federal agency; it is an attack on nursing, on science, and the health of our nation’s children. As school nurses, we must be relentless in defending the tools we use to care, advocate, and lead.

Our work is grounded in science.
Our practice is powered by research.
Our voice must now rise in its defense.

When we speak loudly, clearly, and together, we can protect the future of nursing science and our students!