Federal Policy

News, analysis, and opinion about federal education laws, regulations, and proposals—and their impact
A look at the state of teaching in Fresno, Calif.
Jose Valadez, a new teacher working towards state certification, teaches his 3rd grade students at Birney Elementary on November 6, 2025 in Fresno, Calif. Groups representing teacher colleges have put out a plan calling for a $2.5 billion federal investment in scholarships and supports for aspiring teachers.
Andri Tambunan for Education Week
Teacher Preparation Education Groups Push $2.5 Billion Plan to Rebuild Teacher Preparation
Teachers' colleges lead push to 'rebuild' after years of disruption and falling enrollment.
Sarah D. Sparks, February 26, 2026
•
6 min read
Pictures show what mouth shape different sounds make on the walls of Diana Oviedo-Holguin’s class at Heritage Elementary School in San Antonio, Texas, on Sept. 3, 2025.
Pictures show what mouth shape different sounds make on the walls of Diana Oviedo-Holguin’s class at Heritage Elementary School in San Antonio, Texas, on Sept. 3, 2025. While educators feel relieved that federal dollars for supplemental English-learner resources will continue in the next fiscal year, they remain uncertain for the years to come.
Noah Devereaux for Education Week
Education Funding Educators Warn Flat English Learner Funding Falls Short of Growing Demand
Educators remain uncertain about the future of federal funds for English learners.
Ileana Najarro, February 26, 2026
•
3 min read
State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley speaks during a news conference at the Knock Knock Children's Museum, in Baton Rouge, La., on Aug. 11, 2021.
Louisiana schools Superintendent Cade Brumley holds a news conference in Baton Rouge on Aug. 11, 2021. The U.S. Department of Education has approved the state's request for modest flexibility over how districts use federal education funds issued under the Every Student Succeeds Act.
Bill Feig/The Advocate via AP
Every Student Succeeds Act Another State Gets Modest Leeway From Ed. Dept. Are More Waivers Coming?
The Trump administration gave another state more authority to let school districts manage their federal funds.
Alyson Klein, February 25, 2026
•
4 min read
President Donald Trump enters to deliver the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026.
President Donald Trump enters to deliver the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. The president devoted little time in the speech to discussing his education policies.
Kenny Holston/The New York Times via AP, Pool
Federal Trump Talks Up AI in State of the Union, But Not Much Else About Education
The president didn't mention two of his cornerstone education policies from the past year.
Alyson Klein, February 25, 2026
•
4 min read
An art teacher uses the AI tool Google Gemini in her high school classroom, on Jan. 22, 2026, Riverside, Calif.
An art teacher uses the AI tool Google Gemini in her high school classroom, on Jan. 22, 2026, Riverside, Calif.
Damian Dovarganes/AP
Artificial Intelligence Teachers Want 'Guardrails and Guidance' on AI Use, Experts Tell Congress
Technology is evolving faster than policy can keep up, experts tell Congress.
Sarah D. Sparks, February 24, 2026
•
3 min read
Various school representatives and parent liaisons attend a family and community engagement think tank discussion at Lowery Conference Center on March 13, 2024 in Denver. One of the goals of the meeting was to discuss how schools can better integrate new students and families into the district. Denver Public Schools has six community hubs across the district that have serviced 3,000 new students since October 2023. Each community hub has different resources for families and students catering to what the community needs.
A program that helps state education departments and schools improve family engagement policies is among those the Trump administration will transfer from the U.S. Department of Education to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In this photo, school representatives and parent liaisons attend a family and community engagement discussion on March 13, 2024, in Denver to discuss how schools can better integrate new students and families into the district.
Rebecca Slezak For Education Week
Federal Education Department Will Send More of Its Programs to Other Agencies
Education grants for school safety, community schools, and family engagement will shift to Health and Human Services.
Mark Lieberman, February 23, 2026
•
4 min read
Members of the Supreme Court sit for a new group portrait following the addition of Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, at the Supreme Court building in Washington, Oct. 7, 2022. Bottom row, from left, Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts, Associate Justice Samuel Alito, and Associate Justice Elena Kagan. Top row, from left, Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Members of the U.S. Supreme Court sit for a new group portrait following the addition of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, at the court building in Washington, Oct. 7, 2022. On Feb. 20, 2026, the court ruled 6-3 to strike down President Donald Trump's broad tariff policies, ruling that they were not authorized by the federal statute that he cited for them.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Law & Courts Supreme Court Strikes Trump Tariffs in Case Brought by Educational Toy Companies
Two educational toy companies were among the leading challengers to the president's tariff policies
Mark Walsh, February 20, 2026
•
3 min read
Caps and gowns of many students were adorned with stickers that read, "WE STAND TOGETHER" or "ESTAMOS UNIDOS".A graduation ceremony proceeds at Francis T. Maloney High School in Meriden, CT. on June 10, 2025. A student who would have been walking in the ceremony and his father were detained by federal immigration officers just days before.
Caps and gowns at the June 10, 2025, graduation at Francis T. Maloney High School in Meriden, Conn., bore stickers reading “WE STAND TOGETHER” and “ESTAMOS UNIDOS” after a graduating student and his father were detained by federal immigration officers days before the ceremony. A new analysis reveals both progress and a persistent gap, presenting an opportunity for schools to close the gap of undocumented students not graduating.
Tyler Russell/Connecticut Public via Getty Images
States 75,000 Undocumented Students Graduate High School Each Year. What Happens Next?
A new analysis estimates 90,000 undocumented students reach the end of high school each year.
Ileana Najarro, February 18, 2026
•
3 min read
California Attorney General Rob Bonta speaks to reporters as Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, left, and Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, right, listen outside the Supreme Court on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
California Attorney General Rob Bonta speaks to reporters outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Nov. 5, 2025, with Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes and Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield behind him. Bonta this week sued the U.S. Department of Education, asking a court to block the agency's finding that the state is violating FERPA by <ins data-user-label="Matt Stone" data-time="02/13/2026 4:22:45 PM" data-user-id="00000185-c5a3-d6ff-a38d-d7a32f6d0001" data-target-id="">not requiring schools to disclose</ins> students’ gender transitions <ins data-user-label="Matt Stone" data-time="02/13/2026 4:22:45 PM" data-user-id="00000185-c5a3-d6ff-a38d-d7a32f6d0001" data-target-id="">to</ins> parents.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Law & Courts California Sues Ed. Dept. in Clash Over Gender Disclosures to Parents
California challenges U.S. Department of Education findings on state policies over gender disclosure.
Mark Walsh, February 13, 2026
•
4 min read
In this image provided by NAESP, elementary school principals gathered on Capitol Hill recently to meet with their state's congressional delegations in Washington
Elementary school principals gathered on Capitol Hill on Feb. 11, 2026,<ins data-user-label="Madeline Will" data-time="02/12/2026 11:53:27 AM" data-user-id="00000175-2522-d295-a175-a7366b840000" data-target-id=""> </ins>to meet with their state's congressional delegations in Washington. They advocated for lawmakers to protect federal K-12 investments.
John Simms/NAESP
School & District Management On Capitol Hill, Relieved Principals Press for Even More Federal Support
With the fiscal 2026 budget maintaining level K-12 funding, principals look to the future.
Olina Banerji, February 12, 2026
•
7 min read
Students look at books during a book fair at Schaumburg Elementary, part of the ReNEW charter network, in New Orleans, Wednesday, April 19, 2023. Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana have seen a promising turnaround in their student reading scores after passing a series of similar literacy reforms.
Students look at books during a book fair at Schaumburg Elementary, part of the ReNEW charter network, in New Orleans, Wednesday, April 19, 2023. Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana have seen a promising turnaround in their student reading scores after passing a series of similar literacy reforms.
Gerald Herbert/AP
Reading & Literacy Congress Wants to Know What Makes the 'Science of Reading' Work
Experts noted states' careful implementation—and the key role of federal investment in reading research.
Sarah Schwartz, February 10, 2026
•
6 min read
MADISON, AL - MARCH 29: Bob Jones High School football players touch the people near them during a prayer after morning workouts and before the rest of the school day on March 29, 2024, in Madison, AL. Head football coach Kelvis White and his brother follow in the footsteps of their father, who was also a football coach. As sports in the United States deals with polarization, Coach White and Bob Jones High School form a classic tale of team, unity, and brotherhood. (Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Football players at Bob Jones High School in Madison, Ala., pray after morning workouts before the rest of the school day on March 29, 2024. New guidance from the U.S. Department of Education says students and educators can pray at school, as long as the prayer isn't school-sponsored and disruptive to school and classroom activities, and students aren't coerced to participate.
Jahi Chikwendiu/Washington Post via Getty Images
Federal New Trump Admin. Guidance Says Teachers Can Pray With Students
The president said the guidance for public schools would ensure "total protection" for school prayer.
Matthew Stone, February 10, 2026
•
3 min read
Children play during recess at an elementary school in New Cuyama, CA on Sept. 20, 2023. Can a program that represents the federal government’s first big foray into bankrolling private school choice end up helping public school students?
As Democratic governors decide whether to sign their states up for the first major federal foray into private school choice, some say they want public school students to benefit. Here, children play during recess at an elementary school in New Cuyama, Calif., on Sept. 20, 2023.
Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP
School Choice & Charters The Federal Choice Program Is Here. Will It Help Public School Students, Too?
As Democrats decide whether to opt in, some want to see the funds help students in public schools.
Matthew Stone, February 5, 2026
•
9 min read
A sign reading "Protect Neighbors" is posted near a bus stop as a school bus passes on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Minneapolis.
A sign reading "Protect Neighbors" is posted near a bus stop in Minneapolis on Jan. 30, 2026. A lawsuit from two Minnesota school districts and the state's teachers' union says immigration agents have detained people and staged enforcement actions at or near schools, school bus stops, and daycare centers.
Kerem Yücel /Minnesota Public Radio via AP
Law & Courts Educators Sue Over ICE Activity on School Grounds and Nearby
The challenge targets the Trump administration's revocation of a policy that limited immigration enforcement at schools.
Alyson Klein, February 4, 2026
•
5 min read
Load More ▼