Policy & Politics

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the legislation, guidance, policies and people involved in federal and state government
Every Student Succeeds Act Ed. Dept. Isn't Ensuring States Get Reliable Chronic Absence Data, Watchdog Says
The Ed. Dept. suspended some of its state oversight earlier this year, according to the GAO.
Alyson Klein
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4 min read
Education Funding Federal Tax Credits for K-12 Scholarships: What We Know (and Don't)
The Trump administration is preparing to issue rules for its new, ambitious school choice program.
Mark Lieberman & Arianna Prothero
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11 min read
School Choice & Charters Opinion What Do Parents Look for in a School?
Test scores aren’t the whole story. The CEO of GreatSchools talks about what parents want.
Rick Hess
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5 min read
Federal OpenAI's Models Probed Websites of Department of Education, Other Agencies
The department's office for civil rights was probed in an attempted hack, according to a report.
The Associated Press
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3 min read
FILE - The OpenAI logo is displayed on a cell phone in front of an image generated by ChatGPT's Dall-E text-to-image model, Dec. 8, 2023, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)
Federal Trump Administration Moves to Limit Fixes for Systemic Racism in Schools
The Trump administration has limited remedies schools can use to address systemic racial injustice.
The Associated Press
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7 min read
Jovonia Lewis poses for a portrait outside of the Durham Board of Education building on Sept. 21, 2026, in Durham, N.C.
Jovonia Lewis poses for a portrait outside the Durham Board of Education building on Sept. 21, 2026, in Durham, N.C. In 2018, the U.S. Department of Education reached an agreement with the Durham district after finding it disproportionately suspended Black students. The second Trump administration has limited the remedies schools can use to address systemic racial injustice.
Matt Ramey/AP
Education Funding Letter to the Editor Expired Funds, Unreliability Harm Rural Schools
Responsible planning requires predictable funding, says a school district superintendent.
1 min read
Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week
States Education on the Ballot: EdWeek’s Guide to the 2026 Elections
Education Week reviewed what's on the ballot in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Matthew Stone, Emily Wright & Jennifer Vilcarino
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2 min read
Row of three school desks. Each has a different color seat. One is red, one is white, and the third desk has a blue seat. Each desk has a voting booth on top with the familiar voting "American flag" and the word "VOTE".
Illustration by Taylor Callery for Education Week

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More Policy & Politics

  • Collage of Trump signing an executive order, money, desks, torn paper, legal pad.
    Collage by Laura Baker/Education Week with Getty + Evan Vucci/AP
    Education Funding Trump's Education Funding Maneuvers Were Illegal, Judges Rule
    Judges ruled in suits about teacher-training grant cancellations and withheld education research money.
    Mark Lieberman, September 18, 2026
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    4 min read
    WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 17: The U.S. Department of Justice Building on August 17, 2026 in Washington, DC.
    The U.S. Department of Justice Building on Aug. 17, 2026 in Washington. The Justice Department has teamed up with the U.S. Department of Education to fight school and state policies concerning transgender students it deems objectionable.
    Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
    Law & Courts Trump Admin. Turns to Student Privacy Laws in Gender Identity Fights With Schools
    The feds are increasingly citing student privacy laws in gender-identity battles with school districts.
    Mark Walsh, September 17, 2026
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    8 min read
    MLP 5851 2
    Daisy Wisbey, 11, and Eleanor Mukiri, 10, work on an engineering challenge at Creative Minds in Wichita, Kan., on Sept. 15, 2026. The Wichita public schools runs Creative Minds as a microschool, in which students from multiple grades learn together in a project-based learning format. Wichita is among a handful of public school districts that have begun their own microschools.
    Melissa Lukenbaugh for Education Week
    School Choice & Charters Microschools Are Spreading. Some School Districts Have Opened Their Own
    Districts see the small learning communities as an alternative for families that may otherwise leave.
    Arianna Prothero, September 16, 2026
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    8 min read
    TahSoGhay Collah, right, teaches a third-grade English learners class at the 700-student intermediate school that serves grades 3 through 5, in Worthington, Minn., on Oct. 22, 2024.
    TahSoGhay Collah, right, teaches a 3rd grade English learners class in Worthington, Minn., on Oct. 22, 2024. Researchers seeking federal grant funding to train more teachers to work with English learners requested letters of support from state leaders to submit competitive applications this year.
    Jessie Wardarski/AP
    Education Funding What 'Returning Ed. to the States' Looks Like as the Ed. Dept. Awards Grants
    State leaders face requests for letters of endorsement from grant applicants under new priorities.
    Ileana Najarro & Maya Riser-Kositsky, September 11, 2026
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    7 min read
    EDUCWeek TracyByrd 23
    Books in a Minneapolis high school classroom are seen on Jan. 22, 2026.
    Caroline Yang for Education Week
    States Courts Lets a State Law Limiting Race, Gender Classroom Discussions Take Effect
    The 2021 Oklahoma law was part of a wave of state laws limiting classroom race and gender discussions.
    Curtis Killman, Tulsa World, Okla., September 11, 2026
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    2 min read
    Maria Raine, center, holds a photo of her son, Adam Raine, while listening to speakers between Assemblymembers Josh Lowenthal, left, and Rebecca Bauer-Kahan at the Bay Area Discovery Museum, on Sept. 10, 2026, in Sausalito, Calif.
    Maria Raine, center, holds a photo of her son, Adam Raine, while listening to speakers between Assemblymembers Josh Lowenthal, left, and Rebecca Bauer-Kahan at the Bay Area Discovery Museum, on Sept. 10, 2026, in Sausalito, Calif. Adam died by suicide last year, after being “coached” by a chatbot. A new set of laws in California aim to protect children from social media and AI chatbot risks.
    Jeff Chiu/AP
    States New California Laws Aim to Protect Kids From Social Media, AI Chatbot Risks
    The laws penalize tech companies for harm to kids and let families opt out of school laptops.
    The Associated Press, September 11, 2026
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    3 min read

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Classroom Technology Sponsor Closing the Vision-to-Execution Gap: What the Archdiocese of New York Learned About Classroom Technology
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College & Workforce Readiness Whitepaper Why Career Exploration Should Start in Middle School
Discover practical ways to spark career exploration early, connect students’ interests to future pathways, and build skills that prepare ...
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Special Education Spotlight Beyond the Diagnosis: Helping Students With Dyslexia Thrive
Explore what educators need to know about dyslexia—and how the right support can help students build confidence and thrive.
Assessment Spotlight Screen Early, Monitor Progress: Building a Stronger Assessment System for Reading and Math
Screen early, track progress, and pinpoint learning gaps with smarter assessment strategies for reading and math.
  • President Donald Trump, center right, walks with Education Secretary Linda McMahon, center left, and guests after a back to school event in the Rose Garden of the White House, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, in Washington.
    President Donald Trump, center right, walks with Education Secretary Linda McMahon, center left, and guests after a back-to-school event in the Rose Garden of the White House on Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, in Washington. A new report envisions a number of scenarios in which the new federal school choice program launching next year could become one of the nation's largest K-12 funding streams.
    Alex Brandon/AP
    School Choice & Charters Could Trump's School Choice Program Rival Title I or IDEA in Size?
    A new report looks at how much money could be raised under different scenarios.
    Arianna Prothero, September 10, 2026
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    6 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, on March 18, 2026, in Washington.
    Letters on the Department of Education building in Washington are missing in this March 18, 2026 photo. The Trump administration continues to push for the agency's closure while also touting its help for states.
    Allison Robbert/AP
    Federal Trump Admin. Touts Ed. Dept.'s Help for States as It Tries to Shut It Down
    The Trump administration pushes the Education Department's closure, while touting its help for states.
    Mark Lieberman, September 9, 2026
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    6 min read
    Yair Lev stands by as a screen displaying an itinerary for a Lower Merion Board of School Directors meeting at the Lower Merion School District Administration Building on May 11, 2026, in Ardmore, Pa.
    Yair Lev stands by as a screen displaying a document for a school district board of directors meeting at the Lower Merion school district administration building on May 11, 2026, in Ardmore, Pa. Lev is among a group of parents who have sued the Philadelphia-area school district seeking the ability to opt their children out of the required use of school technology.
    Joe Lamberti/AP
    Law & Courts These Parents Want to Opt Their Kids Out of Ed Tech. Can They Win in Court?
    Parents in a Pennsylvania district say ed tech distracts from more meaningful learning.
    Mark Walsh, September 8, 2026
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    10 min read
    Russell Vought, Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) testifies on the OMB budget during a House Appropriations Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on June 4, 2025.
    Russell Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, testifies during a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on June 4, 2025. OMB has been slow to release congressionally appropriated funding to the Institute of Education Sciences, the U.S. Department of Education's research arm. IES now has just weeks to spend $180 million before it expires.
    SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images
    Education Funding Ed. Dept. Risks Letting $180 Million for Research Expire as Deadline Looms
    Spending by the agency's research arm has lagged most significantly compared with previous years.
    Mark Lieberman, September 2, 2026
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    6 min read
    CLOVIS, CA MAY 30, 2026: Transgender athlete AB Hernandez, center, competed in three qualifying events at the CIF State Track Championship in Clovis, CA on May 30, 2026. Hernandez placed first in qualifying for the long jump on Friday. Hernandez competes in the finals on Saturday in the high jump, long jump and triple jump.
    Transgender athlete AB Hernandez, center, competed in three qualifying events at the CIF State Track Championship in Clovis, Calif., on May 30, 2026. The Trump administration sued California over its policy allowing transgender girls to compete on girls' athletic teams. A judge has dismissed that lawsuit.
    Tomas Ovalle / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
    Law & Courts Title IX Doesn't Require Transgender Athletes' Exclusion, Judge Rules
    A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit from the Trump administration alleging California violated Title IX.
    Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, September 2, 2026
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    4 min read
    Acting Deputy Executive Associate Director at Homeland Security Investigations Matthew Millhollin holds a Department of Justice folder during a news conference to announce charges being brought against Chinese nationals involved in a marriage fraud scheme at the Department of Justice on Aug. 12, 2026 in Washington, D.C. The group have been accused of running a scheme where foreign nationals paid money to American citizens for fraudulent marriages in order to receive green cards then immediately filed for divorce once permanent residency in the U.S. had been established. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Sipa USA)
    An official holds a Department of Justice folder during a news conference on Aug. 12, 2026 in Washington. The DOJ sued the Kansas City, Kan., public schools over guidelines addressing how school staff address students who request to go by pronouns that differ from their sex at birth.
    Samuel Corum/Sipa USA via AP
    Law & Courts Trump Admin. Says School District Facilitates 'Gender Transitions,' Files Suit
    The lawsuit comes after several months of back and forth with the Kansas City, Kan., public schools.
    Sofi Zeman, The Kansas City Star, September 1, 2026
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    2 min read

EdWeek Market Brief

Regulation & Policy Tracker What Do State, District Screen Time Policies Actually Look Like? Here's What We Know
EdWeek Market Brief is tracking which states have taken legislative action, highlighting notable school district policies, and sharing what we're watching as the discourse continues.
Emma Kate Fittes
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2 min read
Education Market Industry Insight A Third of Schools say They've Had A Cyberattack. Here's What They're Looking For To Protect Their Data
More than half of schools have experienced a cyberattack, according to data from cybersecurity company Clever.
Alexandria Ng
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5 min read
Education Market Exclusive Data The ESA Market Is Booming. For K-12 Vendors, Breaking Into It Is Another Matter
States are creating a potentially enormous new pool of K-12 purchasing power through education savings accounts. But can traditional education companies built around selling to school systems actually figure out how to capture it?
David Saleh Rauf
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11 min read
Strategy & Operations K-12 Dealmaking CSA Education Acquires BetterLesson; EdReports Receives $23M
Ed-tech platform Nucleos, serving incarcerated and reentry learners, has also been acquired.
Alexandria Ng
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2 min read
Read More