Policy & Politics

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the legislation, guidance, policies and people involved in federal and state government
Law & Courts Supreme Court Asked to Review Law Requiring Ten Commandments in Public Schools
The case could set a new national standard for religious expression in classrooms.
The Associated Press
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2 min read
States States Take Meta to Trial in Fight Over Social Media Harms to Kids
The lawsuit accuses the social media giant of contributing to the youth mental health crisis.
The Associated Press
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5 min read
Education Funding Education Department Will Keep Sending Most K-12 Funds Through Its Own System
The agency will send formula funds through its own system again despite program shifts to other agencies.
Mark Lieberman
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5 min read
Federal Ed. Dept. Would Have More Power to Cut Off Grants Under New Rules
The agency last year ended in-progress grants worth more than $2 billion, with courts often objecting.
Matthew Stone
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5 min read
Jeanette Vyhanek, a counselor at Wellstone Elementary, teaches a class of kindergarten students at the St. Paul school on Oct. 31, 2025 in Minnesota.
Jeanette Vyhanek, a counselor at Wellstone Elementary in St. Paul, Minn., teaches a class of kindergarten students on Oct. 31, 2025. Federal grants to expand the ranks of school counselors and other school mental health services were among hundreds terminated by the Trump administration in 2025. New rules from the U.S. Department of Education would give the federal agency greater latitude to end in-progress grants.
Alex Kormann/The Minnesota Star Tribune via TNS
Federal Q&A Education Data Collection Has Cratered Under Trump. Can It Be Rebuilt?
Ed. Dept.'s data-gathering agency is too unstable to adapt to changing needs, a new report claims.
Sarah D. Sparks
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6 min read
A student raises her hand to ask a question in her third grade classroom at Highland Elementary School in Columbus, Kan., on Oct. 17, 2022. The arm of the government that oversees education data which tracks educational outcomes for students, faces major challenges ahead due to financial cuts.
A student raises her hand to ask a question in her 3rd grade classroom at Highland Elementary School in Columbus, Kan., on Oct. 17, 2022. Federal education data-gathering, like the Condition of Education report, includes baseline information on students and schools. But cuts to the Education Department's statistics wings and mounting criticism of how it operates raise questions about how it can best fulfill its mission.
Charlie Riedel/AP
Law & Courts Court Blocks Trump Admin.'s Abstinence Emphasis in Teen Pregnancy Program
HHS revamped the grant with new requirements that align with conservative priorities.
Lauraine Langreo
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3 min read
The office of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, one of Nebraska's few abortion clinics, is seen in Omaha, Neb., Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022.
The office of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, one of Nebraska's few abortion clinics, is seen in Omaha, Neb., on Oct. 19, 2022. The organization is part of a coalition of affected grantees affected by the Trump administration funding for teen pregnancy programs.
Josh Funk/AP
Federal Education Department Tells Schools Race Can’t Factor Into Student Discipline
A letter to educators follows up on last month's rescission of longstanding discrimination rules.
Mark Walsh
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5 min read
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights for the Department of Education nominee Kimberly Richey testifies before the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee about her nomination in Washington, D.C., on June 5, 2025.
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberley Richey testifies before the Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee at her nomination hearing in Washington on June 5, 2025. A new letter to educators from Richey instructs schools not to consider race at all in school discipline policies, following the Trump administration's rescission of longtime anti-discrimination rules.
Jason Andrew for Education Week

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Classroom Technology Spotlight Spotlight on the Screen Time Reckoning: Educators, Parents, and the Fight for Healthier Classrooms
Screens are reshaping classrooms, but educators are pushing back to restore balance, protect learning, and prioritize human connection.
  • Children play during aftercare for the Head Start program at Easterseals South Florida, Jan. 29, 2025, in Miami.
    Children play during aftercare for the Head Start program at Easterseals South Florida in Miami on Jan. 29, 2025. The Trump administration is preparing an overhaul of Head Start that would replace its 100 pages of regulations with about a dozen and leave many specifics on program operations up to state and local laws.
    Rebecca Blackwell/AP Photo
    Federal Trump Overhaul Could Gut Head Start Preschool Standards
    The plan would shrink Head Start's 100-plus pages of regulations to about a dozen.
    The Associated Press, August 3, 2026
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    5 min read
    An illustration of three school leaders at a desk and one is holding an umbrella. They are all looking up into the sky where a sun is peeking through several clouds that are depicting dollar bills.
    Illustration by Robert Neubecker for Education Week
    Education Funding From the Feds on Down, School Funding Is Uncertain. What to Know
    Federal turbulence during the Trump administration highlights the precarity of state and local funding, too.
    Mark Lieberman, August 3, 2026
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    7 min read
    Dr. Stephanie Cross, a professor at Georgia State University, photographed in her home in Brookhaven, Georgia.
    Stephanie Lee Behm Cross, a professor at Georgia State University, stands in her home in Brookhaven, Ga., on July 13, 2026. Cross ran a teacher-residency program funded by a U.S. Department of Education grant until the funding was abruptly terminated in February 2025.
    Dustin Chambers for Education Week
    Education Funding Trump Cut Their Education Grants. Here’s What Happened Next
    Grantees whose work ground to a halt last year lament broken promises and abandoned projects.
    Mark Lieberman, July 31, 2026
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    15 min read
    DFreeman EDW CH 041
    U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., listens as Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., speaks during a Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee session on July 30, 2026 in the U.S. Capitol in Washington. The committee voted to advance a measure that would block many of the Trump administration's transfers of Education Department programs to other agencies.
    Demetrius Freeman for Education Week
    Federal Senate Panel Advances Bill to Block Much of Trump Admin.’s Ed. Dept. Dismantling
    The bill pushes back, but only partially, against Trump's efforts to end the 46-year-old department.
    Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, July 30, 2026
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    5 min read
    CapitalCity004B
    Seniors line up during their graduation rehearsal at the Capital City Public Charter School in Washington on June 11, 2026. A new analysis breaks down the number of students in each state who could qualify for financial awards under the new federal tax-credit scholarship program launching next year. The awards could cover private school tuition as well as certain expenses for traditional public and charter school students.
    Marvin Joseph/Education Week
    School Choice & Charters Vast Majority of Students Could Qualify for Trump's School Choice Program
    Although most students are expected to be eligible, four factors will shape its ultimate size.
    Matthew Stone, July 30, 2026
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    7 min read
    Florida SexEd Curriculum 24267748051016
    Materials for teens and parents on pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections provided by Teen Health Mississippi are displayed on Sept. 26, 2023, in Jackson, Miss. Dozens of organizations nationwide that ran teen pregnancy prevention efforts had their federal funding abruptly terminated last month.
    Rogelio V. Solis/AP Photo
    Education Funding School Pregnancy Prevention Efforts Shut Down as Trump Emphasizes Abstinence
    The administration has canceled funding for more than 50 teen pregnancy prevention programs.
    Mark Lieberman & Lauraine Langreo, July 29, 2026
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    9 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 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
Product Development Exclusive Data What's Slowing Down Agentic AI Adoption? Lack of Awareness, Data Shows
EdWeek Market Brief survey data reveals educator sentiment toward agentic AI.
Alexandria Ng
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6 min read
Education Market K-12 Market News Varsity Tutors for Schools' Exit Hints at Shift in Tutoring Market
The company is ending its district services to refocus on parent and college student customers.
Alexandria Ng
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3 min read
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