Federal Policy

News, analysis, and opinion about federal education laws, regulations, and proposals—and their impact
The Plumbing department, located in the school's well-equipped shop facility, alongside other trades including masonry and carpentry.
The plumbing department in a New Jersey technology high school. As the Trump administration invites states to request waivers from federal school accountability requirements, two have proposed changes that would emphasize career-oriented tests as opposed to more traditional academic knowledge tests.
Oliver Farshi for Education Week
Every Student Succeeds Act These States Want to Move Away From a 'College for All' Approach to Testing
Two states have pitched changes to their high school assessments to emphasize workforce preparation.
Alyson Klein, April 28, 2026
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7 min read
A gif with web accessible icons around a computer screen with a magnifying glass.
Shivendu Jauhari/Getty
Ed-Tech Policy Schools Have Another Year to Make Websites Accessible. Why That Matters
People with disabilities say inaccessible online content is a barrier to participating in public life.
Evie Blad, April 28, 2026
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4 min read
LindaMcMahon03B
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon prepares to testify before a Senate appropriations subcommittee on the U.S. Department of Education's fiscal 2027 budget proposal in Washington on April 28, 2026.
Marvin Joseph for Education Week
Federal McMahon Still Wants to Relocate Special Ed.—And Other Budget Hearing Takeaways
The education secretary also told skeptical lawmakers that Ed. Dept. program transfers are working.
Mark Lieberman, April 28, 2026
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6 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
School Choice & Charters Opinion A New Federal Education Tax Credit Is Creating a Dilemma for Blue States
A new tax credit is forcing Democrats to navigate the tensions of politics and principles.
Rick Hess, April 28, 2026
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9 min read
The likeness of George Washington is seen on a U.S. one dollar bill, March 13, 2023, in Marple Township, Pa. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says it expects the federal government will be awash in debt over the next 30 years.
Newly published budget documents show the U.S. Department of Education, in the first year of President Donald Trump's second term, took roughly $1 billion Congress appropriated for specific education programs and spent it differently than how lawmakers intended—or didn't spend it all.
Matt Slocum/AP
Education Funding Trump Sidestepped Congress on More Than $1 Billion in Ed. Spending Last Year
Newly published documents show how the Ed. Dept. departed from Congress' plans.
Mark Lieberman, April 24, 2026
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13 min read
Students use their cellphones as they leave for the day the Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts High School in downtown Los Angeles on Aug. 13, 2024.
Students use their cellphones as they leave for the day the Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts High School in downtown Los Angeles on Aug. 13, 2024.
Damian Dovarganes/AP
Federal A Federal School Cellphone Policy? Big Barriers Stand in the Way
Other countries have nationwide restrictions, but in the U.S., states and districts have set the agenda.
Lauraine Langreo, April 21, 2026
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6 min read
Remaining letters on the Department of Education on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, in Washington.
Remaining letters on the U.S. Department of Education building in Washington on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. Despite the agency's efforts to shift management of many of its programs to the U.S. Department of Labor, key K-12 funds will continue to flow through the Education Department's grants system this summer.
Allison Robbert/AP
Education Funding Federal Funds for Schools Will Still Flow Through Ed. Dept. System—For Now
The Trump administration has been touting its transfer of K-12 programs to the Labor Department.
Mark Lieberman, April 21, 2026
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5 min read
In this Oct. 5, 1980, file photo, Nancy Armstrong, a teacher at the Marshall elementary school in Harrisburg, Pa., assists her students in the use of computers to aid them in their studies. Today’s grandparents may have fond memories of the “good old days,” but history tells us that adults have worried about their kids’ fascination with new-fangled entertainment and technology since the days of dime novels, radio, the first comic books and rock n’ roll.
In this Oct. 5, 1980, file photo, Nancy Armstrong, a teacher at Marshall Elementary School in Harrisburg, Pa., assists her students in the use of computers to aid them in their learning. The debate about how much time students should spend using technology to learn has been around for decades, but is now heating up in Congress and state legislatures and creating some unlikely allies.
Paul Vathis/AP
Ed-Tech Policy Welcome to the 'Funky' Politics of the Tech in Schools Debate
The Trump administration is cheerleading AI in schools as GOP lawmakers crack down on ed tech.
Alyson Klein, April 20, 2026
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9 min read
Democratic Senator Raumesh Akbari hugs a young demonstrator as people gather to protest an immigration bill outside the Senate chamber at the state Capitol Thursday, in Nashville, Tenn. The bill would allow public school systems in Tennessee to require K-12 students without legal status in the country to pay tuition or face denial of enrollment, which is a challenge to the federal law requiring all children be provided a free public education regardless of legal immigration status.
Democratic state Sen. Raumesh Akbari hugs a young demonstrator as people protest an immigration bill outside the Senate chamber at the state Capitol on April 10, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. The legislation is part of a broader push in Tennessee to require schools to collect students’ immigration status, raising concerns among educators about trust, access, and compliance with federal law.
John Amis/AP
States 'Not Our Job': Principals Decry a Proposal to Track Student Immigration Status
A principals group has publicly opposed efforts to require schools to track immigration status.
Ileana Najarro, April 17, 2026
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5 min read
Federal policy moves carry implications for ELs, immigrant students
Gina Tomko/Education Week + Canva
English Learners How Federal Changes Affect English Learners, Immigrant Students
Since January 2025, several federal policy changes carry implications for ELs and immigrant students.
Ileana Najarro, April 16, 2026
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2 min read
A photograph of a letter from the United States Department of Education dated February 13, 2026 stating that "This letter officially provides such notice of her proposal, including rationale, to redelegate OELA's programs and duties to other offices, thereby dissolving the need for a standalone OELA."
Gina Tomko/Education Week via Canva
Federal Ed. Dept. Moves to Shutter Its Office for English Learners
Officials plan to move all federal English-learner programs and duties out of a standalone office.
Ileana Najarro, April 14, 2026
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6 min read
A third-grade teacher at the Mountain View Elementary School's Global Immersion Academy in Morganton, N.C. works with her students in the Spanish portion of the program. With the inaugural class of the Global Immersion Academy (GIA) at at the school entering fourth grade this year, Burke County Public Schools is seeing more signs of success for its dual language program.
A teacher in a North Carolina dual-language program works with her students. In his latest budget proposal, President Donald Trump once again proposes to eliminate the $890 million fund that pays for supplemental services for English learners. Schools can use Title III funds for costs tied to dual-language programs that educate English learners.
Jason Koon/The News-Herald via AP
Education Funding Trump's Budget Proposes Billions in K-12 Cuts. Will They Happen?
Trump is proposing level funding for Title I, a modest boost for special education, and major cuts elsewhere.
Mark Lieberman, April 7, 2026
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6 min read
The Senate and the Capitol Dome are illuminated in Washington, early Thursday, April 2, 2026, as Congress meets in a short, pro forma session.
The Senate and the Capitol dome are illuminated in Washington early in the day on Thursday, April 2, 2026. For the second year in a row, the White House budget proposes major cuts to federal education programs that the Republican-led Congress rejected last year.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Education Funding Trump Again Proposes Major Education Cuts in New Budget Proposal
The president again wants lawmakers to consider billions in K-12 spending cuts and program eliminations.
Mark Lieberman, April 3, 2026
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7 min read
Photo collaged image of the U.S. Department of Education shattering.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + AP + Getty
Federal Tracker See Which Ed. Dept. Programs Are Moving to New Agencies: A Tracker
K-12 and higher education programs are heading to new agencies as part of Trump administration downsizing.
Mark Lieberman, April 1, 2026
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1 min read