Congress

Read more about members of Congress and the polices they enact that impact K-12 education
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Privacy & Security What Schools Need to Know About These Federal Data-Privacy Bills
Congress is considering at least three data-privacy bills that could have big implications for schools.
Lauraine Langreo, April 18, 2024
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5 min read
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DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Federal Opinion Student Literacy Rates Are Concerning. How Can We Turn This Around?
The ranking Republican senator on the education committee wants to hear from educators and families about making improvements.
Rick Hess, March 25, 2024
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6 min read
Devotees of TikTok gather at the Capitol in Washington, as the House passed a bill that would lead to a nationwide ban of the popular video app if its China-based owner doesn't sell on March 13, 2024. Lawmakers contend the app's owner, ByteDance, is beholden to the Chinese government, which could demand access to the data of TikTok's consumers in the U.S.
Devotees of TikTok gathered at the Capitol in Washington on March 13, 2024, as the U.S. House passed a bill that would lead to a nationwide ban of the popular video app if its China-based owner doesn't sell it.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Classroom Technology If TikTok Gets Banned, Will It Solve Schools' Social Media Drama?
Educators predict students would simply turn their attention to a different platform.
Alyson Klein, March 20, 2024
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6 min read
New canvas school bags hanging on the backs of empty classroom student chairs in a large modern classroom
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Education Funding Schools Want More Time to Spend COVID-19 Aid for Homeless Students
Senators want to give districts more time to spend COVID relief funds for students experiencing homelessness.
Evie Blad, February 22, 2024
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4 min read
Heidi Griebel and Josie Wahl participate in carpentry class at Career and Technical Education Academy in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Jan. 7, 2019.
Heidi Griebel and Josie Wahl participate in carpentry class at the Career and Technical Education Academy in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Jan. 7, 2019. A new bill in the U.S. Senate would authorize state grants to bolster dual enrollment, apprenticeships, and other forms of on-the-job training.
Loren Townsley/The Argus Leader via AP
College & Workforce Readiness A Career Prep Bill Gets Bipartisan Support in the Senate. What’s in It?
New federal legislation would authorize state grants to bolster dual enrollment, apprenticeships, and other forms of on-the-job training.
Caitlynn Peetz, February 7, 2024
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4 min read
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Law & Courts What a Proposed Ban on AI-Assisted ‘Deep Fakes’ Would Mean for Cyberbullying
Students who create AI-generated, intimate images of their classmates would be breaking federal law, if a new bill is enacted.
Alyson Klein, January 12, 2024
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2 min read
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DigitalVision Vectors / Getty
Classroom Technology Bipartisan Bill in Congress Seeks to Help Schools Teach AI Literacy
The technology is increasingly critical to many fields, but too few Americans comprehend its power and potential pitfalls, lawmakers say.
Alyson Klein, December 21, 2023
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2 min read
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., left, joins Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., left, as Starbucks founder Howard Schultz answers questions about the company's actions during an ongoing employee unionizing campaign, at the Capitol in Washington, on March 29, 2023.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., left, joins Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., left, at the Capitol in Washington, on March 29, 2023. The two lawmakers sponsored a bill to reauthorize the Education Sciences Reform Act.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Federal Lawmakers Want to Reauthorize a Major Education Research Law. What Stands in the Way?
Lawmakers have tried and failed to reauthorize the Education Sciences Reform Act over the past nearly two decades.
Libby Stanford & Sarah D. Sparks, December 12, 2023
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7 min read
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.
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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
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