Federal Policy

News, analysis, and opinion about federal education laws, regulations, and proposals—and their impact
Penelope Koutoulas holds signs supporting school choice in a House committee meeting on education during a special session of the state legislature Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn.
Penelope Koutoulas holds signs supporting school choice in a House committee meeting on education during a special session of the state legislature on Jan. 28, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. The federal government has made its biggest push yet for school choice under the Trump administration.
George Walker IV/AP
School Choice & Charters Private School Choice Gets Supercharged in Trump's 2nd Term
At the same time, his administration is pledging to dial back the federal role in education.
Brooke Schultz, October 9, 2025
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6 min read
Itinerant teacher April Wilson works with student Ryker Elam at Greenville Elementary on Sept. 29, 2025 in Greenville, Ill.
Ryker Elam works with itinerant teacher April Wilson at Greenville Elementary on Sept. 29, 2025, in Greenville, Ill. Wilson is a teacher of the visually impaired who works at schools across rural Illinois. A Braille training program Wilson enrolled in this fall was among dozens of special education-related programs for which the U.S. Department of Education has ended grant funding.
Michael B. Thomas for Education Week
Special Education Trump Funding Cuts Hit Particularly Hard for Deaf and Blind Children
Programs supporting students with rare, complex disabilities have lost millions of federal dollars.
Mark Lieberman, October 7, 2025
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13 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 What Could the New Federal Tuition Tax Credit Mean for School Choice?
Just what this new program will mean for your state is still uncertain.
Rick Hess, October 7, 2025
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7 min read
School entrance with a flag in background.
iStock/Getty
Federal How the Federal Government Shutdown Is Affecting Schools: A Tracker
Education Week monitored how the federal government's shutdown affected schools and other education functions.
Mark Lieberman, October 3, 2025
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1 min read
A tangle of wires and missed connections among institutions.
Islenia Mil for Education Week
Leadership 5 Big Ideas That Will Define the Future of Education
With massive federal changes and looming questions about AI, K-12 education is at a crossroads.
Elizabeth Rich, October 3, 2025
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1 min read
AB Hernandez, a transgender student at Jurupa Valley High School, competes in the high jump at the California high school track-and-field championships in Clovis, Calif., May 31, 2025.
AB Hernandez, a transgender female student at Jurupa Valley High School, competes in the high jump at the California high school track and field championships in Clovis, Calif., on May 31. The U.S. Supreme Court in its new term will consider state laws that prohibit transgender girls and women from competing in female athletics.
Jae C. Hong/AP
Law & Courts New Supreme Court Term Puts Transgender Student Rights in the Spotlight
The justices will weigh state laws that bar transgender girls from female athletics, amid other issues of interest to educators in new term
Mark Walsh, October 2, 2025
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8 min read
A leader standing at the bow of a ship looks into a telescope and through the fog.
iStock/Getty Images
School & District Management Opinion 3 Tips to Help Principals Handle the Government Shutdown
When the federal government shuts down, the ripple effects eventually reach schools.
Meagan Booth, October 2, 2025
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3 min read
People stop to take photos of the U.S. Capitol building on Oct. 2, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
People stop to take photos of the U.S. Capitol building on Oct. 2, 2025, in Washington. Out-of-office email messages from U.S. Department of Education employees during the government shutdown blame Democrats for the lapse in funding. Employees said the messages were set without their permission.
Samuel Corum/Sipa via AP
Federal Ed. Dept. Out-of-Office Emails Changed to Blame Democrats for Shutdown, Staff Say
Staffers say they were instructed to use nonpartisan messages, then they were changed.
Brooke Schultz, October 2, 2025
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4 min read
Eleazar Sepulveda, an educator from Chile, teaches kindergarten at Veteran’s Hill Elementary School in Round Rock, Texas.
Eleazar Sepulveda, an educator from Chile, teaches kindergarten at Veteran’s Hill Elementary School in Round Rock, Texas. U.S. school districts hire international teachers to fill staffing gaps using J-1 and H-1B visas. A new $100,000 fee for H-1B visas has some concerned about future hiring plans.
Lauren Santucci/Education Week
Recruitment & Retention Behind the Push to Exempt International Teachers from a New $100,000 Visa Fee
Lawmakers are pressing to exempt international teachers from a new $100,000 visa fee.
Evie Blad, September 30, 2025
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5 min read
A teacher teaches a 5th grade math class at Lafargue Elementary School in Effie, La., on Aug. 22, 2025. The state has implemented new professional development requirements for math teachers in grades 4-8 to help improve student achievement and address learning gaps.
A 5th grade math class at Lafargue Elementary School in Effie, La., is shown on Aug. 22, 2025. Nearly two-fifths of educators said in a recent EdWeek Research Center survey that the uniquely volatile policy environment since President Donald Trump took office has made them less likely to want to remain in their jobs.
Kathleen Flynn for Education Week
Recruitment & Retention From Our Research Center Federal Changes Have Some Educators Rethinking Whether to Stay in Their Jobs
A new survey shows potential spillover effects in school districts from a uniquely volatile federal policy environment.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, September 30, 2025
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4 min read
The Capitol is seen during rainy weather just days before federal money runs out which could trigger a government shutdown, in Washington, Sept. 25, 2025.
The Capitol is seen during rainy weather on Sept. 25, 2025, just days before federal money runs out, which could trigger a government shutdown. A shutdown that lasts even a few days could have ripple effects for schools across the nation.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Federal How Will a Federal Shutdown Affect Schools? 5 Big Questions, Answered
School funding could experience yet another setback this year if the federal government closes up shop.
Mark Lieberman, September 29, 2025
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9 min read
Protesters gather at the State Capitol in Salem, Ore., on Feb. 18, 2019, calling for education funding during the "March for Our Students" rally.
Protesters call for education funding in Salem, Ore., on Feb. 18, 2019. The Trump administration has relaunched two school mental health grant programs after abruptly discontinuing the awards in April. Now, the grants will only support efforts to boost the ranks of school psychologists, and not school counselors, social workers, or any other types of school mental health professionals.
Alex Milan Tracy/Sipa via AP
Education Funding Trump Admin. Relaunches School Mental Health Grants It Yanked—With a Twist
The administration abruptly discontinued the grant programs in April, saying they reflected Biden-era priorities.
Matthew Stone, September 26, 2025
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6 min read
Vector illustration of a giant pair of scissors coming in the side of the frame about to cut dollar signs that are falling off of a microscope. There is a businessman at the top of a ladder looking down into the microscope at the dollar signs falling off the lense.
Collage by Gina Tomko/Education Week and Getty
Education Funding Trump Administration Slashes STEM Education Research Grants
Some experts say the funding cuts are at odds with the administration's AI learning priorities.
Alyson Klein, September 26, 2025
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3 min read
New teacher participants at the summer institute participate in a professional development activity in June 2025 in Washington.
New teacher participants at the summer institute engage in a professional development activity in June 2025 in Washington. The training is funded by a National Professional Development grant, the fate of which is now in limbo as the Trump administration cuts some of these programs.
Courtesy of Laureen Avery
English Learners Trump Admin. Cuts Some Teacher-Training Grants for English Learners
The Trump administration has cut funding for some English learner PD grants, sparking confusion and prompting appeals.
Ileana Najarro, September 25, 2025
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6 min read
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