Federal Policy

News, analysis, and opinion about federal education laws, regulations, and proposals—and their impact
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Materials for teens and parents on pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections provided by Teen Health Mississippi are displayed on Sept. 26, 2023, in Jackson, Miss. Dozens of organizations nationwide that ran teen pregnancy prevention efforts had their federal funding abruptly terminated last month.
Rogelio V. Solis/AP Photo
Education Funding School Pregnancy Prevention Efforts Shut Down as Trump Emphasizes Abstinence
The administration has canceled funding for more than 50 teen pregnancy prevention programs.
Mark Lieberman & Lauraine Langreo, July 29, 2026
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9 min read
A look at the state of teaching with English learner students in Antioch, Tenn.
English learners work through disecting a speech at John F. Kennedy Middle School in Antioch, Tenn. on Dec. 3, 2025. National professional development grants focus on developing more teachers to work with these students.
William DeShazer for Education Week
Education Funding Federal English-Learner Grant Returns This Fall Under New Oversight
The national professional development grant program has experienced upheaval in the last year.
Ileana Najarro, July 27, 2026
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4 min read
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The Department of Education headquarters in Washington on July 17, 2026. The Trump administration has been transferring day-to-day management of the agency's programs to other Cabinet-level departments. The administration recently announced the transfer of its civil rights enforcement arm to the Department of Justice.
Eric Lee for Education Week
Federal Ed. Dept. Shifts Civil Rights to the Justice Dept.: What It Means for Schools
The office for civil rights has already changed dramatically. What more will change in the Justice Dept.?
Alyson Klein, July 27, 2026
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13 min read
Chief Leschi Schools senior Gerald Dillon, 18, who spends time as a teaching assistant for a second grade class through the school's career and technical education program, look son Wednesday, March 18, 2026, at Chief Leschi Schools in Puyallup, Wash.
The Education Department just withdrew 60-year-old regulations holding school districts responsible for "disparate impact" of their policies across racial and ethnic student groups. It also rescinded similar regulations for career-technical education programs. A March 18, 2026 photo shows a senior who works part time through the career's CTE program at Chief Leschi Schools in Puyallup, Wash.
Lindsey Wasson/AP
Equity & Diversity Education Department Scraps Longstanding Discrimination Rules
Districts will no longer be liable for "disparate impact"—in discipline, course access, or CTE programs.
Mark Walsh & Stephen Sawchuk, July 23, 2026
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7 min read
Attorney Eshé Collins at her office in Downtown Atlanta, Georgia on June 25, 2026.
Attorney Eshé Collins at her office in Downtown Atlanta, Georgia on June 25, 2026.
Dustin Chambers for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Federal Equity Centers Protecting Students' Civil Rights Fight to Stay Open
Four centers that support schools' efforts to expand student opportunity are fighting for their existence.
Mark Lieberman, July 23, 2026
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12 min read
Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought testifies during a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, June 30, 2026, in Washington.
Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought testifies during a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill, on June 30, 2026, in Washington. Proposed changes to federal administration of grants have raised concerns among school groups.
Mariam Zuhaib/AP
Federal K-12 Community Urges Trump Administration to Rethink Grant Rule Changes
About 500,000 public comments, including those from school districts, have poured in about proposed rule changes.
Mark Walsh, July 21, 2026
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8 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Opinion There's a Lot of Talk About 'Career Readiness.' Have We Thought It Through?
Just because you promote opportunities for career pathways doesn’t mean students are learning.
Rick Hess, July 21, 2026
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5 min read
Collage of a school building, files, maps, and pinpoints on the map.
Collage by Laura Baker/Education Week + Canva
Federal The Ed. Department Calls for a Crackdown on Teacher Sexual Misconduct
The agency released new guidance for schools and launched 20 new probes into school districts.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens & Olina Banerji, July 17, 2026
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5 min read
A collage showing the dome top of the U.S. Capitol building and the facade of a high school building. An image of a hand holding a magnifying glass over a stack of documents is emerging between the two buildings.
Illustration by Emily Wright for Education Week + Getty
Federal Opinion Why Local Control Over Education Won't Work Without Federal Support
The Trump administration's retreat leaves local education leaders vulnerable.
Dan Goldhaber & Vivian Wong, July 16, 2026
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6 min read
Children look at the Star Spangled Banner, the flag that inspired the lyrics of the American national anthem, at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Washington.
Children look at the Star Spangled Banner, the flag that inspired the lyrics of the American national anthem, at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History on June 10, 2025, in Washington.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo
Social Studies Trump Admin. Calls Popular Smithsonian History Teaching Materials 'Radical'
The White House criticized the Smithsonian's classroom lessons. But some teachers say the materials are invaluable.
Sarah Schwartz, July 14, 2026
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5 min read
APTOPIX America 250 26184689017796
A flight of fighter jets fly past a picture of President Donald Trump hanging on the U.S. Department of Labor near the Great American State Fair on the National Mall on July 3, 2026, in Washington. The Labor Department has assumed day-to-day management of many K-12 programs as the Trump administration dismantles the Education Department.
Nathan Howard/AP Photo
Federal New GOP Bills Would Permanently Shift Ed. Dept. Programs to Other Agencies
The bills represent the most significant step so far among Republicans to nix the Education Department.
Alyson Klein, July 10, 2026
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5 min read
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Graduates of Maryland's Towson University celebrate their commencement during a ceremony on Dec. 17, 2025. A new analysis finds that educators studying to become administrators could be hit hardest by new federal caps on student borrowing for graduate students.
Robyn Stevens Brody/Sipa via AP Images
Federal The Principal Pipeline Could Contract Under New Federal Borrowing Caps
A new analysis finds that new student loan limits would hit prospective administrators hardest.
Mark Walsh, July 9, 2026
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4 min read
The Eisenhower Executive Office Building is seen from the Washington Monument, on May 26, 2026, in Washington.
The Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which houses the White House Office of Management and Budget, is seen from the Washington Monument, on May 26, 2026, in Washington. OMB has proposed a sweeping set of regulatory changes would add new restrictions on grant-funded efforts that clash with Trump administration policy positions and give political appointees new powers in federal grantmaking.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Education Funding Explainer Big Changes to Federal Grants Are Coming: What They Could Mean for Schools
The White House is proposing sweeping regulatory changes for federal grantmaking.
Mark Lieberman, July 8, 2026
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11 min read
A group prays outside of the Supreme Court ahead of the court's ruling on whether transgender girls and women can play on school athletic teams, on June 30, 2026, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
A group prays outside of the U.S. Supreme Court ahead of the court's ruling on whether transgender girls and women can play on school athletic teams, on June 30, 2026, in Washington. The court upheld two state laws barring transgender girls from joining girls' school sports teams.
Jose Luis Magana/AP
Law & Courts What Schools Need to Know About the Supreme Court’s Transgender Sports Ruling
The justices upheld two state laws that bar transgender girls from participating in female sports.
Mark Walsh, July 2, 2026
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10 min read