Policy & Politics

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the legislation, guidance, policies and people involved in federal and state government
Federal The Ed. Dept.'s Research Clout Is Waning. Could a Bipartisan Bill Reinvigorate It?
Advanced education research has bipartisan support even as the federal role in it is on the wane.
Sarah D. Sparks
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5 min read
Education Funding Education Week's 2025 Word of the Year Is ...
Trump's efforts to reshape the federal role in education caused uncertainty for schools.
Evie Blad & Mark Lieberman
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6 min read
Education Funding Congress Revived a Fund for Rural Schools. Their Struggles Aren't Over
Federal funds will again flow to districts with national forest land—but broader funding uncertainties remain.
Mark Lieberman
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6 min read
States A Study Shows Just How Much School Absences Soar in a Measles Outbreak
The research offers a glimpse at the toll on student learning from the spread of measles.
The Associated Press
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4 min read
A vial of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is on display at the Lubbock Health Department, Feb. 26, 2025, in Lubbock, Texas.
A vial of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is on display at the Lubbock Health Department on Feb. 26, 2025, in Lubbock, Texas. A new study examined the degree to which school absences surged during a measles outbreak earlier this year in West Texas.
Mary Conlon/AP
Education Funding Federal Funds for Community Schools Fall Victim to a New Round of Trump Cuts
The latest round of grant cuts hits a program that helps schools provide more social services on site.
Mark Lieberman
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6 min read
Parents attend a basic facts bee at Stevenson Elementary School in Southfield, Mich., on Feb. 28, 2024.
Parents attend a "basic facts" bee at Stevenson Elementary School in Southfield, Mich., on Feb. 28, 2024. The school has been a recipient of a federal Full-Services Community Schools grant that has allowed it to add an on-site health clinic, a parent-resource room, a therapy dog, and other services parents would otherwise have to seek elsewhere.
Samuel Trotter for Education Week
Law & Courts How One Lawyer Helped Reshape Special Education at the Supreme Court
A documentary follows a lawyer behind major Supreme Court wins for students with disabilities.
Mark Walsh
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9 min read
Roman Martinez, an attorney with Latham & Watkins, is featured in the Bloomberg Law documentary 'Supreme Advocacy.'
Roman Martinez, a Washington lawyer who has played a role in four U.S. Supreme Court cases about the rights of special education students, is featured in the Bloomberg Law documentary "Supreme Advocacy."
via YouTube
States Utah Repeals Ban on Collective Bargaining for Teachers and Other Workers
Gov. Spencer Cox approved the repeal of a policy experts called one of the country's most restrictive labor laws.
The Associated Press
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2 min read
Salt Lake Education Association Vice President Chelsie Acosta cheers with other educators and union members in opposition to HB 267: Public Sector Labor Union Amendments, at the Capitol in Salt Lake City, Utah, Jan. 31, 2025.
Salt Lake Education Association Vice President Chelsie Acosta cheers with other educators and union members in opposition to HB 267: Public Sector Labor Union Amendments, at the Capitol in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Jan. 31, 2025. HB 267 banned collective bargaining by teachers and many other public-sector workers. The Utah legislature has repealed the law.
Laura Seitz/Deseret News via AP

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  • A student visits a sensory room at a Topeka, KS elementary school, on Nov. 3, 2021.
    A student visits a sensory room at an elementary school in Topeka, Kan., on Nov. 3, 2021. Schools have expanded their student mental health services in recent years, many with support from hundreds of millions of dollars in federal grants that the Trump administration pulled earlier this year and have since been caught up in legal proceedings.
    Charlie Riedel/AP
    Education Funding A Guide to Where School Mental Health Grants Stand After a New Legal Twist
    Temporary relief for one set of projects raises questions for other initiatives vying for federal money.
    Matthew Stone, December 8, 2025
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    5 min read
    The U.S. Department of Education building is pictured on Oct. 24, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
    The U.S. Department of Education building is pictured on Oct. 24, 2025, in Washington.
    Maansi Srivastava for Education Week
    Federal Ed. Dept. Workers Targeted in Layoffs Are Returning to Tackle Civil Rights Backlog
    The Trump administration is bringing back dozens of Education Department staffers who were slated to be laid off.
    The Associated Press, December 8, 2025
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    2 min read
    First-grade student Brennen Marquardt, 6, looks out the bus window at Friess Lake Middle School on Sept. 4, 2018, the first year of operations for the newly consolidated Holy Hill district in Richfield, Wis. The district was the most recent to consolidate in Wisconsin, which is among the states where lawmakers are exploring ways to force or incentivize district mergers.
    First-grade student Brennen Marquardt, 6, looks out the bus window at Friess Lake Middle School on Sept. 4, 2018, the first year of operations for the newly consolidated Holy Hill district in Richfield, Wis. The district was the most recent to consolidate in Wisconsin, which is among the states where lawmakers are exploring ways to force or incentivize district mergers.
    John Ehlke/West Bend Daily News via AP
    States States Consider District Consolidations as Student Enrollment Drops
    Rural educators say the decision to combine school districts is a matter of local control.
    Evie Blad, December 5, 2025
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    8 min read
    President Donald Trump signs an executive order on birthright citizenship in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington.
    President Donald Trump signs an executive order to on birthright citizenship in the Oval Office on Jan. 20, 2025. The U.S. Supreme Court will consider the legality of Trump's effort to limit birthright citizenship, another immigration policy that could affect schools.
    Evan Vucci/AP
    Law & Courts Supreme Court to Weigh Birthright Citizenship. Why It Matters to Schools
    The justices will review President Trump's bid to end birthright citizenship, a move that could affect schools.
    Mark Walsh, December 5, 2025
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    4 min read
    Illustration of dollar symbol in rollercoaster.
    iStock
    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
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EdWeek Market Brief

Education Market Market Analysis EdWeek Market Brief's Most Popular Stories From 2025
Education companies navigated a cautious and complex market in 2025.
Emma Kate Fittes
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8 min read
Meeting District Needs K-12 Insider Here's How One California Superintendent is Navigating the State's Biggest K-12 Challenges
From building a housing project to adopting new math materials, Michael McLaughlin's hands are full.
Michelle Caffrey
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11 min read
Education Market Market Analysis What California K-12 Districts Will Need From Vendors in 2026
The state's funding outlook is buoyed by higher tax revenues, but it's unclear how long the boost will last.
Michelle Caffrey
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18 min read
Strategy & Operations K-12 Dealmaking Parallel Raises $20M in Series B Funding; Tyler Technologies Scoops Up Edulink
Special education company Parallel raised $20 million in Series B funding, the company announced.
Michelle Caffrey
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2 min read
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