Congress

Read more about members of Congress and the polices they enact that impact K-12 education
Image of cellphones.
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Ed-Tech Policy Should More Schools Ban Cellphones? It's a Question U.S. Lawmakers Want Answered
A bipartisan push to study the impacts on student mental health and academics comes as more schools restrict their use.
Lauraine Langreo, November 20, 2023
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3 min read
Photo illustration of Capitol building and closed sign.
iStock
Federal Will the Government Actually Shut Down This Time? What Educators Should Know
The federal government is once again on the verge of shutting down. Here's why educators should care, but shouldn't necessarily worry.
Mark Lieberman, November 13, 2023
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1 min read
House Speaker-elect Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., addresses members of Congress at the Capitol in Washington on Oct. 25, 2023. Republicans eagerly elected Johnson as House speaker on Wednesday, elevating a deeply conservative but lesser-known leader to the seat of U.S. power and ending for now the political chaos in their majority.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., addresses members of Congress at the Capitol in Washington on Oct. 25, 2023. Johnson has a supported a number of conservative Republican education priorities in his time in Congress.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Federal What Educators Should Know About Mike Johnson, New Speaker of the House
Johnson has supported restructuring federal education funding, as well as socially conservative policies that have become GOP priorities.
Libby Stanford, October 25, 2023
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4 min read
Learning Mandarin with Fruits Name Flash Cards
EikoTsuttiy/iStock/Getty
Federal Why GOP Politicians Are Talking About K-12 Chinese Language and Culture Classes
A program that brings Chinese language and culture classes into K-12 schools was the focus of a recent congressional hearing.
Libby Stanford, October 12, 2023
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6 min read
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., speaks to members of the media as crowds of people participate in the "March for Our Lives" rally in support of gun control on March 24, 2018, in San Francisco.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., speaks to members of the media as crowds of people participate in the "March for Our Lives" rally in support of gun control on March 24, 2018, in San Francisco.
Josh Edelson/AP
Federal Dianne Feinstein's Fight to Stop Gun Violence in Schools Central to Her Legacy
The California Senator will be remembered for her strong support of gun restrictions to stop school shootings.
Alyson Klein, September 29, 2023
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5 min read
Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., is surrounded by reporters looking for updates on plans to fund the government and avert a shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington on Sept. 22, 2023.
Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., is surrounded by reporters looking for updates on plans to fund the government and avert a shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington on Sept. 22, 2023.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Education Funding The Federal Government Might Shut Down (Yes, Again). Here's What Schools Need to Know
At first, most districts can expect business as usual if the federal government shuts down. But some districts risk losing funding soon.
Mark Lieberman, September 26, 2023
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5 min read
Students participate in a school archery program. A group of congressional lawmakers are working to amend federal law to ensure schools can purchase bow and arrows and other supplies for archery, sharp shooting, and hunting programs in schools.
Students participate in a school archery program. A group of congressional lawmakers are working to amend federal law to ensure schools can purchase bow and arrows and other supplies for school archery, sharp shooting, and hunting programs with federal education funds.
Courtesy of the National Archery in the Schools Program
Federal Is Funding for School Archery and Hunting Programs Really at Risk?
A U.S. Department of Education document led to confusion among school administrators about funding for archery and hunting programs.
Libby Stanford, September 18, 2023
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4 min read
Alexi Giannoulias, Illinois secretary of state, talks with Chairman Richard Durbin, D-Ill., right, and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled "Book Bans: Examining How Censorship Limits Liberty and Literature," in Hart Building on Tuesday, September 12, 2023.
Alexi Giannoulias, Illinois secretary of state, talks with Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., right, and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled "Book Bans: Examining How Censorship Limits Liberty and Literature," on Sept. 12, 2023.
Tom Williams/AP
Federal A Senate Committee Takes Up School Book Wars, Complete With Sharp Partisan Divisions
The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on "book bans" included one Republican senator reading sexually explicit passages.
Mark Walsh, September 12, 2023
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4 min read
School kids looking at a girl's mobile phone across the aisle of a school bus.
iStock/Getty
Ed-Tech Policy Proposal to Use E-Rate for Wi-Fi on School Buses and Hotspots Runs Into GOP Opposition
Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers asked the FCC to “rescind this unlawful plan to vastly expand the E-Rate program.”
Lauraine Langreo, August 23, 2023
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5 min read
Conceptual: child and tutor with focus on tutor
Liz Yap/Education Week/iStock/Getty
Student Achievement A New Bill Would Pay Student-Teachers to Work as Tutors
The bill is part of a major push for tutoring as an academic recovery strategy as the extent of students' academic slide becomes clear.
Libby Stanford, July 20, 2023
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5 min read
Tacoma Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Joshua Garcia testifies before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on Why Are So Many American Youth in a Mental Health Crisis? Exploring Causes and Solutions, on Capitol Hill in Washington on June 8, 2023.
Joshua Garcia, the superintendent of the Tacoma district in Washington state, testifies before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on June 8, 2023, about students' worsening mental health. Garcia highlighted the Tacoma Whole Child Initiative, through which schools shifted their focus from episodic responses in moments of crisis to a sustainable effort to support student well<ins data-user-label="Matt Stone" data-time="06/8/2023 3:23:55 PM" data-user-id="00000185-c5a3-d6ff-a38d-d7a32f6d0001" data-target-id="">-</ins>being.
Jose Luis Magana/AP
Student Well-Being What a Superintendent Told U.S. Senators About Student Mental Health
The U.S. Senate HELP committee held a hearing on the youth mental health crisis.
Libby Stanford, June 8, 2023
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6 min read
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of Calif., speaks with reporters on the debt limit as he walks, Tuesday, May 30, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy speaks with reporters on the debt limit in Washington on May 30, 2023.
Mariam Zuhaib/AP
Education Funding Congress Prepares to Raise the Debt Ceiling. But K-12 Funding Is Still in Jeopardy
Federal spending limits in exchange for raising the debt ceiling could lead to cuts for key K-12 funding like Title I and IDEA.
Mark Lieberman, May 31, 2023
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3 min read
Photo of piggy bank submerged in water.
E+ / Getty
Education Funding 'So Catastrophic': How a Debt Ceiling Breach Would Hurt Schools
If federal funding stops flowing to schools before July 1, schools' ability to pay billions of dollars in expenses would be at risk.
Mark Lieberman, May 17, 2023
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8 min read
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks during a ceremony honoring the Council of Chief State School Officers' 2023 Teachers of the Year in the Rose Garden of the White House on April 24, 2023, in Washington.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks during a ceremony honoring the 2023 Teachers of the Year at the White House on April 24, 2023. He appeared before a U.S. House committee May 16, 2023, to defend the Biden administration's proposed education budget and other policies.
Andrew Harnik/AP
Federal Cardona Defends Biden's Education Budget and Proposals on Student Debt and Trans Athletes
House Republicans accused Education Secretary Miguel Cardona of indoctrinating students and causing drops in test scores.
Libby Stanford, May 16, 2023
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4 min read
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