Department of Education

A man in a black baseball cap stands in front of a green building holding a lit candle and a sign that says: "You are seen. You are loved. #nexbenedict
Kody Macaulay holds a sign on Feb. 24, 2024, during a candlelight service in Oklahoma City for Nex Benedict, a nonbinary teenager who died one day after a fight in a high school bathroom.
Nate Billings/The Oklahoman via AP
Equity & Diversity District Under Federal Investigation Following Death of Nonbinary Student Nex Benedict
A federal investigation into the Owasso, Okla., district follows the death of a nonbinary student last month.
Evie Blad, March 4, 2024
4 min read
Close cropped photo of a young child putting silver coins in a pink piggy bank.
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Early Childhood Without New Money, Biden Admin. Urges States to Use Existing Funds to Expand Preschool
There's no new infusion of federal funds for preschool, so the Biden administration is pointing out funding sources that are already there.
Matthew Stone, February 28, 2024
4 min read
Voters wait in line up under an overhang of a building on a college campus. In the foreground, a sign says "vote."
Voters wait in line at a polling place at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs in Austin, Texas, on election night Nov. 8, 2022. The U.S. Department of Education says colleges and K-12 schools can do more to support young voters to build voting habits.
Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP
Social Studies Help Students Register to Vote, Education Department Urges Schools
Schools and universities can help get students registered to vote and help adolescents develop regular voting habits.
Evie Blad, February 27, 2024
2 min read
Applications for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form are on the rise.
Applications for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form are on the rise.
Jon Elswick/AP
College & Workforce Readiness Amid a Rocky FAFSA Rollout, Ed. Dept. Offers Colleges More Flexibility
The changes are meant to free up colleges and universities to process aid forms more quickly and easily.
Sarah Schwartz, February 13, 2024
4 min read
In this May 5, 2018 file photo, graduates at the University of Toledo commencement ceremony in Toledo, Ohio. On the bumpy road to repayment this fall, student loan borrowers have some qualms. Borrowers filed more than 101,000 student loan complaints with the Federal Student Aid office in 2022 – more than double from 2021 – and that number is poised to increase further as October payments approach.
High school seniors who are hoping to one day graduate from college are facing significant roadblocks in getting answers to how much federal student aid they can get from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, which has been plagued by delays and technical glitches. Above, students at the University of Toledo in Ohio participate in graduation ceremonies on May 5, 2018.
Carlos Osorio/AP
College & Workforce Readiness In Wake of Hiccups and Tight Deadlines, Feds Beef Up Supports for Fledgling FAFSA
The newly designed Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, branded the "Better FAFSA," is prompting lots of frustration.
Elizabeth Heubeck, February 5, 2024
3 min read
Billy Lopez and Indica Beckham read together during kindergarten class at Fairview Elementary in Carthage, Mo., on Nov. 26, 2018. The Carthage School District, along with three other Missouri districts, is participating in a $2.6 million five-year grant project that seeks to bolster its English Language Learners program. The grant will provide ELL training to teachers in the Carthage, Kansas City Public, Bayless and Columbia school districts.
Billy Lopez and Indica Beckham read together during kindergarten class at Fairview Elementary in Carthage, Mo., on Nov. 26, 2018. The Carthage School District, along with three other Missouri districts, is participating in a $2.6 million five-year grant project that seeks to bolster its English Language Learners program.
Roger Nomer/The Joplin Globe via AP
English-Language Learners Federal Funding for English Learners Has a New Home. What Do Educators Hope This Means?
$890 million in Title III grants moved to the federal office of English language acquisition in December.
Ileana Najarro, January 30, 2024
4 min read
High angle shot of a man assisting his students at computers
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Ed-Tech Policy National Ed-Tech Plan Outlines How Schools Can Tackle 3 Big Digital Inequities
There's great potential for districts to use technology to meet all students' individual learning needs, federal plan suggests.
Alyson Klein, January 22, 2024
3 min read
U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona participates in a roundtable discussion with students from Dartmouth College on Jan. 10, 2024, on the school's campus, in Hanover, N.H.
U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona participates in a roundtable discussion with students from Dartmouth College on Jan. 10, 2024, on the school's campus, in Hanover, N.H.
Steven Senne/AP
Federal Biden Admin. Says New K-12 Agenda Tackles Absenteeism, Tutoring, Extended Learning
The White House unveiled a set of K-12 priorities at the start of an election year.
Libby Stanford, January 17, 2024
4 min read
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in his office at the Department of Education, Sept. 20, 2023 in Washington. A new federal rule threatens to cut federal money to college programs that consistently leave graduates with low pay or unaffordable debt. The gainful employment rule finalized by the Biden administration on Wednesday applies mostly to for-profit colleges, along with certificate programs at traditional universities.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in his office at the Department of Education, Sept. 20, 2023, in Washington. Cardona requested that the management of English-learner federal aid return to the office of English language acquisition earlier this year.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
English-Language Learners $890 Million in English-Learner Aid Is Under New Management. Why Researchers Are Hopeful
The office of English language acquisition will once again manage Title III formula grant funds.
Ileana Najarro, December 19, 2023
4 min read
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in his office at the Department of Education on Sept. 20, 2023 in Washington.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in his office at the Department of Education on Sept. 20, 2023 in Washington.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Assessment Cardona Says Standardized Tests Haven't Always Met the Mark, Offers New Flexibility
The U.S. Department of Education is seeking to reinvigorate a little-used pilot program to create new types of assessments.
Alyson Klein, November 28, 2023
7 min read
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks with students during a visit to Towson University to discuss antisemitism on college campuses on Nov. 2, 2023, in Towson, Md.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks with students during a visit to Towson University on Nov. 2, 2023, in Towson, Md.
Julia Nikhinson/AP
English-Language Learners Here's Why Miguel Cardona Is Pushing Multilingual Education
The education secretary outlines how the Education Department is investing in language learning. Will it work?
Ileana Najarro, November 17, 2023
4 min read
Woman using a computer chatting with an intelligent artificial intelligence.
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Classroom Technology Schools 'Can't Sit Out' AI, Top U.S. Education Department Official Argues
School districts that choose not to engage with AI put their students at a disadvantage, the Ed. Dept. official said.
Alyson Klein, November 14, 2023
3 min read
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in his office at the Department of Education on Sept. 20, 2023 in Washington.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks during an interview in his office at the U.S. Department of Education on Sept. 20, 2023 in Washington.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Federal Biden Admin. Warns Schools to Protect Students From Antisemitism, Islamophobia
The U.S. Department of Education released a "Dear Colleague" letter reminding schools of their obligation to address discrimination.
Libby Stanford, November 7, 2023
3 min read
Illustration of a piggy bank with falling clocks entering the bank.
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Budget & Finance Need More Time to Spend ESSER Funds? Contact Your State Now, Ed. Dept. Says
Many school officials have been seeking more time to spend the billions in one-time funds they received from federal COVID-relief packages.
Mark Lieberman, October 23, 2023
3 min read