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Education news, analysis, and opinion about federal education policies and federal officials.

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    U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., listens as Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., speaks during a Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee session on July 30, 2026 in the U.S. Capitol in Washington. The committee voted to advance a measure that would block many of the Trump administration's transfers of Education Department programs to other agencies.
    Demetrius Freeman for Education Week
    Federal Senate Panel Advances Bill to Block Much of Trump Admin.’s Ed. Dept. Dismantling
    The bill pushes back, but only partially, against Trump's efforts to end the 46-year-old department.
    Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, July 30, 2026
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    5 min read
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    The Department of Education headquarters in Washington on July 17, 2026. The Trump administration has been transferring day-to-day management of the agency's programs to other Cabinet-level departments. The administration recently announced the transfer of its civil rights enforcement arm to the Department of Justice.
    Eric Lee for Education Week
    Federal Ed. Dept. Shifts Civil Rights to the Justice Dept.: What It Means for Schools
    The office for civil rights has already changed dramatically. What more will change in the Justice Dept.?
    Alyson Klein, July 27, 2026
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    13 min read
    Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought testifies during a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, June 30, 2026, in Washington.
    Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought testifies during a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill, on June 30, 2026, in Washington. Proposed changes to federal administration of grants have raised concerns among school groups.
    Mariam Zuhaib/AP
    Federal K-12 Community Urges Trump Administration to Rethink Grant Rule Changes
    About 500,000 public comments, including those from school districts, have poured in about proposed rule changes.
    Mark Walsh, July 21, 2026
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    8 min read
    Collage of a school building, files, maps, and pinpoints on the map.
    Collage by Laura Baker/Education Week + Canva
    Federal The Ed. Department Calls for a Crackdown on Teacher Sexual Misconduct
    The agency released new guidance for schools and launched 20 new probes into school districts.
    Caitlynn Peetz Stephens & Olina Banerji, July 17, 2026
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    5 min read
    A collage showing the dome top of the U.S. Capitol building and the facade of a high school building. An image of a hand holding a magnifying glass over a stack of documents is emerging between the two buildings.
    Illustration by Emily Wright for Education Week + Getty
    Federal Opinion Why Local Control Over Education Won't Work Without Federal Support
    The Trump administration's retreat leaves local education leaders vulnerable.
    Dan Goldhaber & Vivian Wong, July 16, 2026
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    6 min read
    APTOPIX America 250 26184689017796
    A flight of fighter jets fly past a picture of President Donald Trump hanging on the U.S. Department of Labor near the Great American State Fair on the National Mall on July 3, 2026, in Washington. The Labor Department has assumed day-to-day management of many K-12 programs as the Trump administration dismantles the Education Department.
    Nathan Howard/AP Photo
    Federal New GOP Bills Would Permanently Shift Ed. Dept. Programs to Other Agencies
    The bills represent the most significant step so far among Republicans to nix the Education Department.
    Alyson Klein, July 10, 2026
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    5 min read
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    Graduates of Maryland's Towson University celebrate their commencement during a ceremony on Dec. 17, 2025. A new analysis finds that educators studying to become administrators could be hit hardest by new federal caps on student borrowing for graduate students.
    Robyn Stevens Brody/Sipa via AP Images
    Federal The Principal Pipeline Could Contract Under New Federal Borrowing Caps
    A new analysis finds that new student loan limits would hit prospective administrators hardest.
    Mark Walsh, July 9, 2026
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    4 min read
    West Bloomfield team members huddle as defensive line coach Justin Ibe leads a team prayer before the game against Eisenhower, Friday, Oct. 21, 2022, in West Bloomfield, Mich.
    West Bloomfield team members huddle as defensive line coach Justin Ibe leads a team prayer before a game Oct. 21, 2022, in West Bloomfield, Mich. A federal religious liberty commission recently called for "know your rights" posters to inform public school students of their rights to prayer and religious expression.
    Carlos Osorio/AP
    Federal See What's in Trump Commission's Religious Freedom Agenda for Schools
    Panel recommends federal guidance on parents' opt-out rights, Ten Commandments displays, and other features.
    Evie Blad, July 2, 2026
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    8 min read
    Graduates of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley attend their commencement ceremony at the schools parking lot on Friday, May 7, 2021, in Edinburg, Texas. Graduate degrees, once touted as the new bachelor’s degrees, are becoming less crucial to get jobs. Today, more college graduates than ever hold advanced degrees, and graduate programs are the only area of higher education that saw enrollment increases during the worst of the pandemic.
    Graduates of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley attend their commencement ceremony in Edinburg, Texas, on May 7, 2021. The Trump administration has expanded its list of graduate degrees it considers "professional" for purposes of determining how much students can borrow to fund their studies.
    Delcia Lopez/The Monitor via AP
    Federal Ed. Dept. Leaves Most K-12 Fields Off Expanded List of 'Professional' Degrees
    Whether a degree is considered "professional" now determines how much graduate students can borrow.
    Matthew Stone, July 1, 2026
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    4 min read
    Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., conducts a news conference with members of the Democratic Women's Caucus (DWC), during the House Democrats 2025 Issues Conference at the Lansdowne Resort in Leesburg, Va., on March 14, 2025. Reps. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., left, and Teresa Leger Fernandez, D-N.M., are also pictured.
    Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., conducts a news conference with members of the Democratic Women's Caucus (DWC), during the House Democrats 2025 Issues Conference at the Lansdowne Resort in Leesburg, Va., on March 14, 2025. Reps. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., left, and Teresa Leger Fernandez, D-N.M., are also pictured.
    Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP
    Federal Oregon Rep. Says Linda McMahon Has ‘Betrayed Students,’ Pushes Impeachment
    The Democratic lawmaker cited the transfer of programs to other agencies as reason to oust the ed. secretary.
    Alissa Gary, oregonlive.com, June 25, 2026
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    1 min read
    The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
    Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
    Federal Opinion The Ed. Dept.'s Civil Rights and Special Ed. Offices Are Moving. Here's What That Means
    Short-term changes are unlikely to be noticeable. Longer term, they may be consequential.
    Rick Hess, June 25, 2026
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    9 min read
    Image of a box of files
    Laura Baker/Education Week + Getty
    Federal Opinion ‘None of This Is Abstract’: The Real Harm of Trump’s Ed. Dept. Civil Rights Move
    Here’s why families will feel it when student civil rights enforcement moves to the Justice Dept.
    Alumni Collective of the U.S. Dept. of Ed., Office for Civil Rights , June 24, 2026
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    4 min read
    Letters on the Department of Education building are missing after removal of America 250 banners, which included those of Booker T. Washington, Catharine Beecher and Charlie Kirk, March 18, 2026, in Washington.
    Letters on the U.S. Department of Education building are missing in this March 18, 2026, photo in Washington. The agency last week announced it's transferring day-to-day management of special education and civil rights enforcement to different Cabinet agencies, the latest push by the Trump administration to dismantle the Education Department.
    Allison Robbert/AP Photo
    Federal Special Ed. and Civil Rights: What We Know About the Ed. Dept.'s Latest Moves
    Special education is moving to HHS, and civil rights enforcement is moving to DOJ.
    Mark Lieberman, June 22, 2026
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    6 min read
    The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating how 43 school districts in three states teach about sexuality and gender identity and whether they give parents the opportunity to opt their children out of lessons that conflict with their religious beliefs on June 16, 2026.PICTURED, Protesters gather outside the Glendale Unified School District headquarters in Glendale, California, on June 20, 2023. Over 300 people gathered outside the Glendale Unified School District headquarters, as protests continued over the issue of teaching children about same-sex parents and queer issues.
    Protesters gather outside the Glendale school district in Glendale, California, on June 20, 2023 over the issue of teaching children about same-sex parents and queer issues. The U.S. Department of Justice is now investigating three other school districts over LGBTQ+ themes in sex ed. and beyond. (The Glendale district is not one of them.)
    DAVID SWANSON / AFP via Getty Images
    Federal Trump's Justice Dept. Investigates Dozens of Districts Over LGBTQ+ Curricula
    The investigations target how schools discuss sexuality and gender identity and whether parents can opt their children out of lessons.
    Evie Blad, June 16, 2026
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    8 min read
    A banner featuring a photo of President Donald Trump hangs outside the Department of Justice in Washington on Monday, June 15, 2026.
    A banner featuring a photo of President Donald Trump hangs outside the Department of Justice in Washington on Monday, June 15, 2026. The U.S. Department of Education is moving its office for civil rights to the Justice Department as part of a fresh wave of outsourcing.
    Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via AP
    Federal Education Department Moves Special Ed. and Civil Rights to Other Agencies
    Special education programs help schools serve more than seven million K-12 students with disabilities nationwide.
    Mark Lieberman, June 16, 2026
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    9 min read