Education Law
Education news, analysis, and opinion about important court cases dealing with education
Standards & Accountability
State Accountability Systems Aren't Actually Helping Schools Improve
The systems under federal education law should do more to shine a light on racial disparities in students' performance, a new report says.
Equity & Diversity
Explainer
Religion in Public Schools, Explained
Public schools cannot promote any particular religion, and they must respect the individual religious beliefs of students and staff.
Equity & Diversity
Opinion
When Did We Become Disillusioned With Desegregation?
Forty years ago, the civil rights attorney and professor Derrick Bell diagnosed where the legacy of Brown v. Board of Education went wrong.
Equity & Diversity
Opinion
70 Years After 'Brown,' Schools Are Still Separate and Unequal
The legal strategy to prioritize school integration has had some unforeseen consequences in the decades since.
Law & Courts
Brown v. Board of Education: 70 Years of Progress and Challenges
The milestone for the historic 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down racial segregation in schools is marked by a range of tributes
English Learners
Timeline: The U.S Supreme Court Case That Established English Learners' Rights
Fifty years ago the landmark Lau v. Nichols case set the stage for federal English-learner policy.
English Learners
How a 1974 U.S. Supreme Court Case Still Influences English-Learner Education
Fifty years ago Lau v. Nichols required schools to provide language support to English learners to ensure access to public education.
Law & Courts
In 1974, the Supreme Court Recognized English Learners' Rights. The Story Behind That Case
The Lau v. Nichols ruling said students have a right to a "meaningful opportunity" to participate in school, but its legacy is complex.
Law & Courts
U.S. Supreme Court Declines Bid to Rename 'Brown v. Board of Education'
Descendants argued that their case, not the one from Topeka, Kan., should have topped the 1954 decision on racial segregation in schools.
Equity & Diversity
Will the Ban on Affirmative Action Hurt Diversity? Look to California
Proposition 209 prohibited the use of race in education. Its effects were debated before the U.S. Supreme Court this year.
Law & Courts
What Sandra Day O'Connor Did to Shape School Law and Civics Education
O'Connor wrote influential opinions on affirmative action, Title IX, and other education issues. Then she tirelessly worked on civics.
Law & Courts
Biden Administration Outlines How Colleges Can Pursue Racial Diversity After Court Ruling
The U.S. Departments of Education and Justice say universities may partner with schools on outreach and recruitment of minority students.
Law & Courts
Should 'Brown v. Board of Education' Be Renamed? The Debate, Explained
Descendants contend the companion case Briggs v. Elliott was unfairly bumped from the top of the historic decision.
Law & Courts
Justice's Files Offer Insights Into Student Prayer and Other Supreme Court Education Cases
The new trove of John Paul Stevens' papers reveals internal debates over football game prayer, desegregation, Title IX, and drug testing.