Federal Policy

News, analysis, and opinion about federal education laws, regulations, and proposals—and their impact
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Education Funding Funding Ends for School Mental Health Projects After a 'Roller Coaster' Year
Schools, universities, and others thought they had five years to boost student mental health services.
Matthew Stone, December 2, 2025
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11 min read
Education Secretary Linda McMahon appears before the House Appropriation Panel about the 2026 budget in Washington, D.C., on May 21, 2025.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon appears before a U.S. House of Representatives panel in Washington on May 21, 2025. McMahon's agency has inked seven agreements shifting core functions, including Title I for K-12 schools, to other federal agencies. Those moves, announced in November, have now drawn a legal challenge.
Jason Andrew for Education Week
Law & Courts 20 States Push Back as Ed. Dept. Hands Programs to Other Agencies
The Trump admin. says it wants to prove that moving programs out of the Ed. Dept. can work long-term.
Matthew Stone, December 1, 2025
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4 min read
Demonstrators picket in solidarity against ICE outside of Hoover Elementary School in Oakland, Calif., on Nov. 19, 2025.
Demonstrators picket against ICE outside of Hoover Elementary School in Oakland, Calif., on Nov. 19, 2025. Educators who work with immigrant families across the country are reporting increased anxiety and absences among students amid heightened immigration enforcement.
Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via AP
School & District Management From Our Research Center The Widespread Effects of Immigration Enforcement on Schools, in Charts
Educators working with immigrant families report student anxiety and absences in a new national survey.
Ileana Najarro & Alex Harwin, November 24, 2025
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6 min read
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Federal From Our Research Center Trump Shifted CTE to the Labor Dept. What Has That Meant for Schools?
What educators think of shifting CTE to another federal agency could preview how they'll view a bigger shuffle.
Alyson Klein, November 21, 2025
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3 min read
Image of a hand raising a red flag.
DigitalVision Vectors
Special Education Parents Should Continue to File Disability Rights Complaints, Say Special Ed. Advocates
Continuing to file them puts pressure on the Ed. Dept. to enforce special ed. laws.
Evie Blad, November 21, 2025
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4 min read
The U.S. Department of Education building is pictured in a double exposure on Oct. 24, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
The U.S. Department of Education building is pictured in a double exposure on Oct. 24, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
Maansi Srivastava for Education Week
Federal Video Here’s What the Ed. Dept. Upheaval Will Mean for Schools
The Trump administration took significant steps this week toward eliminating the U.S. Department of Education.
Mark Lieberman & Yi-Jo Shen, November 21, 2025
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1 min read
The U.S. Department of Education building is seen behind the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial on Oct. 24, 2025 in Washington, D.C.
The U.S. Department of Education building is seen behind the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial on Oct. 24, 2025 in Washington, D.C. The department is shifting many of its functions to four other federal agencies as the Trump administration tries to downsize it. State education chiefs stand to be most directly affected.
Maansi Srivastava for Education Week
Federal What State Education Chiefs Think as Trump Moves Programs Out of the Ed. Dept.
The department's announcement this week represents a consequential structural change for states.
Brooke Schultz, November 20, 2025
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6 min read
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Special Education Fragmented Federal Education Plan Could Harm Students With Disabilities, Advocates Warn
Parceling out Ed. Dept. work to other agencies risks weakening enforcement of disability rights laws, groups warn.
Evie Blad, November 19, 2025
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5 min read
President Donald Trump signs an executive order regarding education in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington, as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, and Education Secretary Linda McMahon watch.
President Donald Trump signs an executive order regarding education in the Oval Office of the White House on April 23, 2025, as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, and Education Secretary Linda McMahon watch. The Trump administration on Tuesday announced that it's sending many of the Department of Education's K-12 and higher education programs to other federal agencies.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal See Where the Ed. Dept.'s Programs Will Move as the Trump Admin. Downsizes
Programs overseen by the Ed. Dept. will move to agencies including the Department of Labor.
Brooke Schultz, Mark Lieberman & Matthew Stone, November 18, 2025
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1 min read
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon is interviewed by Indiana’s Secretary of Education Katie Jenner during the 2025 Reagan Institute Summit on Education in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 18, 2025.
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon is interviewed by Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner during the 2025 Reagan Institute Summit on Education in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 18, 2025. The U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday unveiled six agreements moving administration of many of its key functions to other federal agencies.
Leah Millis for Education Week
Federal Most K-12 Programs Will Leave Education Department in Latest Downsizing
The Trump administration announced six agreements to transfer Ed. Dept. programs elsewhere.
Brooke Schultz, Mark Lieberman & Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, November 18, 2025
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6 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Teaching Opinion How Are Trump Administration Policies Affecting the Classroom?
Leaders cry in coaching sessions. Still, they show up brave and stand strong.
Larry Ferlazzo, November 18, 2025
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7 min read
Deeper learning prepares students to work collaboratively and direct their own learning.
Deeper learning prepares students to work collaboratively and direct their own learning.
Allison Shelley for All4Ed
School & District Management The Top 10 EdWeek Stories of 2025
Readers were highly engaged in stories about reading strategies, and the impact of deep federal cuts to education programs.
November 17, 2025
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5 min read
USA Congress with loading icon. Shutdown, political crisis concept.
DigitalVision Vectors
Federal The Federal Shutdown Is Over. What Comes Next for Schools?
Some delayed funds for schools could arrive soon, but questions about future grants remain.
Mark Lieberman, November 14, 2025
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7 min read
Instructional coach Kristi Tucker posts notes to the board during a team meeting at Ford Elementary School in Laurens, S.C., on March 10, 2025.
Instructional coach Kristi Tucker posts notes to the board during a team meeting at Ford Elementary School in Laurens, S.C., on March 10, 2025. The grant funding this training work was among three teacher-preparation grant programs largely terminated by the Trump administration in its first weeks. Eight states filed a lawsuit challenging terminations in two of those programs, and a judge on Thursday said she couldn't restore the discontinued grants but could rule on whether the Trump administration acted legally.
Bryant Kirk White for Education Week
Law & Courts A New Twist in the Legal Battle Over Trump's Cancellation of Teacher-Prep Grants
A district court judge says she'll decide if the Trump administration broke the law.
Brooke Schultz, November 13, 2025
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4 min read
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