Federal Policy

News, analysis, and opinion about federal education laws, regulations, and proposals—and their impact
Commencement Ceremony 25353687159009
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
West Bloomfield team members huddle as defensive line coach Justin Ibe leads a team prayer before the game against Eisenhower, Friday, Oct. 21, 2022, in West Bloomfield, Mich.
West Bloomfield team members huddle as defensive line coach Justin Ibe leads a team prayer before a game Oct. 21, 2022, in West Bloomfield, Mich. A federal religious liberty commission recently called for "know your rights" posters to inform public school students of their rights to prayer and religious expression.
Carlos Osorio/AP
Federal See What's in Trump Commission's Religious Freedom Agenda for Schools
Panel recommends federal guidance on parents' opt-out rights, Ten Commandments displays, and other features.
Evie Blad, July 2, 2026
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8 min read
Graduates of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley attend their commencement ceremony at the schools parking lot on Friday, May 7, 2021, in Edinburg, Texas. Graduate degrees, once touted as the new bachelor’s degrees, are becoming less crucial to get jobs. Today, more college graduates than ever hold advanced degrees, and graduate programs are the only area of higher education that saw enrollment increases during the worst of the pandemic.
Graduates of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley attend their commencement ceremony in Edinburg, Texas, on May 7, 2021. The Trump administration has expanded its list of graduate degrees it considers "professional" for purposes of determining how much students can borrow to fund their studies.
Delcia Lopez/The Monitor via AP
Federal Ed. Dept. Leaves Most K-12 Fields Off Expanded List of 'Professional' Degrees
Whether a degree is considered "professional" now determines how much graduate students can borrow.
Matthew Stone, July 1, 2026
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4 min read
An empty Chicago Public Schools classroom is seen on Dec. 15, 2025 .
An empty Chicago public school classroom is seen on Dec. 15, 2025. Schools in Illinois are preparing to lay off staff as fallout from federal grant cuts continues.
Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune via TNS
Education Funding Schools Lay Off Staff as Lawsuits Challenging Federal Grant Cuts Continue
Recent lawsuits have challenged federal grant cuts affecting special education and English-learner teachers.
Mark Lieberman, July 1, 2026
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6 min read
A classroom at Lafargue Elementary School in Effie, Louisiana, on Friday, August 22. The state has implemented new professional development requirements for math teachers in grades 4-8 to help improve student achievement and address learning gaps.
A classroom at an elementary school in Effie, La., on Aug. 22, 2025. Though debates over how to present the American story have been especially heated over the past five years, they've waxed and waned for decades.
Kathleen Flynn for Education Week
School Climate & Safety Patriotism Debates in American Classrooms: A Timeline
Those debates are heating up again as America's 250th birthday looms.
Sarah Schwartz, June 29, 2026
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7 min read
Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., conducts a news conference with members of the Democratic Women's Caucus (DWC), during the House Democrats 2025 Issues Conference at the Lansdowne Resort in Leesburg, Va., on March 14, 2025. Reps. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., left, and Teresa Leger Fernandez, D-N.M., are also pictured.
Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., conducts a news conference with members of the Democratic Women's Caucus (DWC), during the House Democrats 2025 Issues Conference at the Lansdowne Resort in Leesburg, Va., on March 14, 2025. Reps. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., left, and Teresa Leger Fernandez, D-N.M., are also pictured.
Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP
Federal Oregon Rep. Says Linda McMahon Has ‘Betrayed Students,’ Pushes Impeachment
The Democratic lawmaker cited the transfer of programs to other agencies as reason to oust the ed. secretary.
Alissa Gary, oregonlive.com, June 25, 2026
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1 min read
Graduates in the School of Education hold up books as their degrees are conferred during Harvard's 371st Commencement, on May 26, 2022, in Cambridge, Mass.
Graduates in the School of Education hold up books during Harvard's 371st Commencement on May 26, 2022, in Cambridge, Mass. The Trump administration excluded education fields when it set a definition of "professional" degree to implement a new law instituting graduate student borrowing limits.
Mary Schwalm/AP
Law & Courts Judge Voids Trump Admin. Rule Excluding Education From ‘Professional’ Degrees
A judge ruled the agency didn't have the authority to adopt such a narrow definition.
Matthew Stone, June 25, 2026
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4 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
Federal Opinion The Ed. Dept.'s Civil Rights and Special Ed. Offices Are Moving. Here's What That Means
Short-term changes are unlikely to be noticeable. Longer term, they may be consequential.
Rick Hess, June 25, 2026
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9 min read
Image of a box of files
Laura Baker/Education Week + Getty
Federal Opinion ‘None of This Is Abstract’: The Real Harm of Trump’s Ed. Dept. Civil Rights Move
Here’s why families will feel it when student civil rights enforcement moves to the Justice Dept.
Alumni Collective of the U.S. Dept. of Ed., Office for Civil Rights , June 24, 2026
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4 min read
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The Vermont State House in Montpelier, Vt., on Friday, July 12, 2024. Vermont last week became the first state to enact rules restricting scholarships awarded under a new federal school choice program to public school and low-income students.
Ted Shaffrey/AP Photo
School Choice & Charters A State's New Law Sets Up Clash With Trump's School Choice Program Rules
A state passed new requirements if it opts in to the new federal scholarship tax credit program.
Matthew Stone, June 23, 2026
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6 min read
Image of a student's silhouette with a sunrise in it. Overlay is a medical file.
Illustration with Laura Baker/Education Week + Getty
Special Education Opinion Why Moving Special Education Out of the Ed. Dept Will Not Help Students
We shouldn’t redefine special education as a medical service. What to know as it moves to HHS.
Jerell Hill, June 22, 2026
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5 min read
Letters on the Department of Education building are missing after removal of America 250 banners, which included those of Booker T. Washington, Catharine Beecher and Charlie Kirk, March 18, 2026, in Washington.
Letters on the U.S. Department of Education building are missing in this March 18, 2026, photo in Washington. The agency last week announced it's transferring day-to-day management of special education and civil rights enforcement to different Cabinet agencies, the latest push by the Trump administration to dismantle the Education Department.
Allison Robbert/AP Photo
Federal Special Ed. and Civil Rights: What We Know About the Ed. Dept.'s Latest Moves
Special education is moving to HHS, and civil rights enforcement is moving to DOJ.
Mark Lieberman, June 22, 2026
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6 min read