Federal Policy

News, analysis, and opinion about federal education laws, regulations, and proposals—and their impact
A third-grade teacher at the Mountain View Elementary School's Global Immersion Academy in Morganton, N.C. works with her students in the Spanish portion of the program. With the inaugural class of the Global Immersion Academy (GIA) at at the school entering fourth grade this year, Burke County Public Schools is seeing more signs of success for its dual language program.
A teacher in a North Carolina dual-language program works with her students. In his latest budget proposal, President Donald Trump once again proposes to eliminate the $890 million fund that pays for supplemental services for English learners. Schools can use Title III funds for costs tied to dual-language programs that educate English learners.
Jason Koon/The News-Herald via AP
Education Funding Trump's Budget Proposes Billions in K-12 Cuts. Will They Happen?
Trump is proposing level funding for Title I, a modest boost for special education, and major cuts elsewhere.
Mark Lieberman, April 7, 2026
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6 min read
The Senate and the Capitol Dome are illuminated in Washington, early Thursday, April 2, 2026, as Congress meets in a short, pro forma session.
The Senate and the Capitol dome are illuminated in Washington early in the day on Thursday, April 2, 2026. For the second year in a row, the White House budget proposes major cuts to federal education programs that the Republican-led Congress rejected last year.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Education Funding Trump Again Proposes Major Education Cuts in New Budget Proposal
The president again wants lawmakers to consider billions in K-12 spending cuts and program eliminations.
Mark Lieberman, April 3, 2026
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7 min read
Photo collaged image of the U.S. Department of Education shattering.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + AP + Getty
Federal Tracker See Which Ed. Dept. Programs Are Moving to New Agencies: A Tracker
K-12 and higher education programs are heading to new agencies as part of Trump administration downsizing.
Mark Lieberman, April 1, 2026
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1 min read
President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, on March 26, 2026, in Washington.
President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, on March 26, 2026, in Washington. Six Cabinet members are now on track to have a hand in managing U.S. Department of Education programs.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal Meet the Trump Cabinet Secretaries Taking Over Ed. Dept. Programs
The U.S. Department of Education is shifting more than 100 programs to other federal agencies.
Mark Lieberman, March 31, 2026
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1 min read
Scranton High School student Elizabeth Kramer participates in the Program 3-D Prototyping during Luzerne County Community College's STEM Technology Day on Monday, February 17, 2020, in Nanticoke Pa. More than 100 students from four school districts will attend. The students were part of "Talent Search," an Educational Opportunity Center program. The Talent Search program identifies and assists individuals from economically disadvantaged backgrounds who have the potential to succeed in higher education.
Scranton High School student Elizabeth Kramer participates in a 3-D prototyping program at Luzerne County Community College's STEM Technology Day on Feb. 17, 2020, in Nanticoke, Pa. The students were supported by Talent Search, funded by a federal program that identifies and helps economically disadvantaged students who have the potential to succeed in higher education. The Trump administration seeks to broaden the program to include more workforce-based training.
Mark Moran/The Citizens' Voice via AP
College & Workforce Readiness Trump Admin. Makes Workforce Training a Focus in College-Access Program
The feds seek changes to a program designed to help low-income secondary students access higher education.
Sarah Schwartz, March 27, 2026
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3 min read
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WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 24: National arts education leaders, advocates, and policymakers gather for a couple of hours at the University Club on March 24, 2026 in Washington.
Marvin Joseph for Education Week
Education Funding Arts Education Advocates Talk About How to Elevate Their Discipline
Art education community members come together to discuss funding challenges and opportunities.
Jennifer Vilcarino, March 26, 2026
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3 min read
Image of an office chair moving over a map of Washington D.C.
Laura Baker/Education Week + Getty
Federal Where Are Ed. Dept. Programs Moving? Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
More than 100 programs run by the U.S. Department of Education are shifting to other agencies.
Mark Lieberman, March 20, 2026
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14 min read
Students listen to social studies teacher Ella Pillitteri during a seventh grade civics class at A.D. Henderson School in Boca Raton, Fla., Tuesday, April 16, 2024. When teachers at the K-8 public school, one of the top-performing schools in Florida, are asked how they succeed, one answer is universal: They have autonomy.
Students listen to their social studies teacher during a 7th grade civics class at a school in Boca Raton, Fla., on April 16, 2024. New proposed legislation would create a model national civics curriculum—something that has never successfully been tried.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
Social Studies Q&A A New Bill Calls for a Model Civics Curriculum at a Polarized Moment
A Democratic senator has introduced bills to boost hands-on civic learning and create a national civics curriculum.
Sarah Schwartz, March 18, 2026
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9 min read
State stamps coming apart on a data textured background
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty
Every Student Succeeds Act See Which States Want Ed. Dept.'s OK to Change Testing, Federal School Funding
States are seeking potentially significant changes to implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act.
Alyson Klein, March 16, 2026
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1 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 Trump Administration Has Mostly Dismantled the Ed. Dept. Should You Care?
Here’s how much the administration has really changed federal education policy.
Rick Hess, March 16, 2026
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7 min read
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, center, arrives for a tree planting ceremony at the Department of Education to announce plans to create the Green Ribbon Schools competition which will "raise environmental literacy," inside and outside the classroom and reduce a school's environmental footprint, on April 26, 2011. A Texas oak tree was planted at the ceremony.
Then-Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, center, arrives for a tree-planting ceremony on April 26, 2011, at the U.S. Department of Education to announce plans to create the Green Ribbon Schools competition. The Trump administration ended the recognition—which honored schools for reducing their environmental impact and offering hands-on environmental education—last year.
Tom Williams/Roll Call via Getty Images
Federal Ed. Dept. Quietly Ends an Honor for Schools’ Environmental Work
Applicants found out when the online portal for award submissions never opened.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, March 13, 2026
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5 min read
Job seekers listen for information on employment during a hiring fair at Fair Park in Dallas, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026.
Job seekers during a hiring fair at Fair Park in Dallas, on Jan. 14, 2026. States must improve their academic standards and identify the skills students need to compete for evolving jobs, said a workforce commission assembled by the Bipartisan Policy Center. A new report from the commission includes recommendations for employers, government, and K-12 education.
LM Otero/AP
College & Workforce Readiness Bold Changes Needed to Prepare Students for AI-Fueled Disruption, Commission Says
A commission calls for a unified federal strategy to address rapidly changing workforce needs.
Evie Blad, March 12, 2026
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6 min read
Illustration of office chairs moving into different spaces.
Laura Baker/Education Week + Getty
Federal The Ed. Dept. Is Sending 118 Programs to Other Agencies. See Where They're Going
The Trump administration is partnering with at least four other agencies as it tries to shutter the Education Department.
Mark Lieberman, Matthew Stone & Maya Riser-Kositsky, March 12, 2026
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1 min read
North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction Kirsten Baesler announces the gathering of a task force to look into future options the state has for the assessment of students during a press conference May 8, 2015, at the state Capitol in Bismarck, N.D.
Kirsten Baesler, then North Dakota's schools superintendent, talks to the press on May 8, 2015, at the state capitol in Bismarck. Baesler, now the assistant secretary of elementary and secondary education in the Trump administration, spoke with Education Week about the administration's approach to flexibility from federal education requirements.
Mike McCleary/The Bismarck Tribune via AP
Every Student Succeeds Act Q&A Trump's Top K-12 Official: Returning Ed. to States Isn't Just Waiving Rules
Kirsten Baesler spoke with EdWeek about the Education Department's approach to testing and accountability.
Alyson Klein, March 12, 2026
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5 min read
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