Federal Policy

News, analysis, and opinion about federal education laws, regulations, and proposals—and their impact
AI Education concept in blue: A robot hand holding a pencil.
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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
2 min read
Salina Sanchez gives free lunches to Damien Chavez, right, and Umar Kotroo at Wheel Park in Aurora, Colo., on June 6, 2019. The Aurora Public Schools takes free summer lunches to children on colorful, hand-painted school buses. The USDA's new Summer EBT program will help families cover the costs of meals during the summer months.
Salina Sanchez gives free lunches to Damien Chavez, right, and Umar Kotroo at Wheel Park in Aurora, Colo., on June 6, 2019. The Aurora Public Schools takes free summer lunches to children on colorful, hand-painted school buses. The new Summer EBT program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will provide $120 per child in grocery benefits to families with children who qualify for free and reduced-price lunch during the school year. But 15 states aren't participating in the program's first year.
Philip B. Poston/The Aurora Sentinel via AP
Student Well-Being A New Federal Summer Food Program Targets Child Hunger. Why Are 15 States Opting Out?
Summer EBT could be a game changer for families facing food insecurity, childhood hunger experts say, but millions of kids won't benefit.
Libby Stanford, January 12, 2024
7 min read
Illustration of robot hand holding stack of books.
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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
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
7 min read
Andy, left, a first-grade student at Mount Pleasant Elementary School, works on his math homework with Sharon Francisco, an English learner teacher with Roanoke County Public Schools on April, 26, 2022, in Roanoke, Va.
Andy, left, a 1st grade student at Mount Pleasant Elementary School, works on his math homework with Sharon Francisco, an English-learner teacher with Roanoke County Public Schools on April, 26, 2022, in Roanoke, Va.
Heather Rousseau/The Roanoke Times via AP
English-Language Learners Ed. Dept. Releases New Toolkit to Engage English Learners' Families
The updated English-learner family toolkit is available in four languages and as a mobile app.
Ileana Najarro, December 8, 2023
3 min read
Image of a dollar bill folded into an upward arrow.
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Education Funding Here's How the Feds Are Spending $277M for Academic Recovery
A new round of grants from the Education Department aims to spur innovation in academic recovery, with initiatives in math, reading, and AI.
Libby Stanford, December 5, 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
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
3 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
Image of a clock on supplies.
Laura Baker/Education Week via Canva<br/>
Teaching Profession Teachers Don't Qualify for Overtime Pay. Should They?
Teachers are exempt from overtime-pay laws. Some say that rule deserves a second look.
Madeline Will, November 8, 2023
4 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
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. In an interview with Education Week, Cardona said "there hasn’t been another president in our lifetime that has spoken so much on providing dollars for education but also having education be central to the growth of this country."
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Federal Q&A Miguel Cardona: There's No 'Magic Strategy' to Help Students Get Back on Track
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said he's focused on supporting schools on work they're already doing to help students achieve.
Libby Stanford, October 19, 2023
8 min read
President Joe Biden greets students at Eliot-Hine Middle School in Washington on Aug. 28, 2023. Biden visited the school, located east of the U.S. Capitol, to mark the District of Columbia's first day of school for the 2023-24 year.
President Joe Biden greets students at Eliot-Hine Middle School in Washington on Aug. 28, 2023. Biden visited the school, located east of the U.S. Capitol, to mark the District of Columbia's first day of school for the 2023-24 year.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
Federal The Biden Administration Still Hasn't Defined Its K-12 Agenda. Why?
With achievement in math and reading hitting its lowest point in decades, some want to see more urgency from the Biden administration.
Libby Stanford, October 18, 2023
11 min read