Federal Policy

Education news, analysis, and opinion about laws and regulations proposed or enacted by the federal government about education
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks during the 2022 National and State Teachers of the Year event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, April 27, 2022.
U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks at a White House event in April.
Susan Walsh/AP
Equity & Diversity Proposed Title IX Overhaul: Key Questions on What's Next
The U.S. Department of Education's proposed rules covering sex discrimination in education enter the public comment process.
Libby Stanford, June 24, 2022
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6 min read
People wave pride flags and hold signs during a rally in support of LGBTQ students at Ridgeline High School, Wednesday, April 14, 2021, in Millville, Utah. Students and school district officials in Utah are outraged after a high school student ripped down a pride flag to the cheers of other students during diversity week. A rally was held the following day in response to show support for the LGBTQ community.
People wave pride flags and hold signs during a 2021 rally in support of LGBTQ students at Ridgeline High School in Millville, Utah.
Eli Lucero/The Herald Journal via AP
Equity & Diversity LGBTQ Students Would Get Explicit Protection Under Title IX Proposals
But the U.S. Department of Education did not include transgender participation in sports in the latest version of revised Title IX regulations.
Libby Stanford, June 23, 2022
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6 min read
Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland visits the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, Friday, June 17, 2022. Haaland spoke of the U.S. Department of Interior's efforts to help Native American communities heal from Indian Boarding School policies during a Senate committee hearing on Wednesday, June 22, 2022.
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland is keeping an intense focus on the Interior Departments investigation into abuse of Native American children in government boarding schools.
Darin Oswald/Idaho Statesman via AP
Equity & Diversity Native American Advocates Testify on Need for Recovery Efforts From Boarding School Trauma
The testimony follows an investigation that found tens of thousands of Native American children suffered abuse at government boarding schools.
Libby Stanford, June 22, 2022
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3 min read
Protesters take to the streets of downtown Detroit June 11 to call for new gun laws. One holds up a sign that says "policy and change."
Protesters call for new gun laws in Detroit's March for Our Lives event earlier this month.
KT Kanazawich for Education Week
Federal The Senate Gun Bill: What It Would Mean for School Safety, Mental Health Efforts
Details of a bipartisan Senate agreement on guns outline additional funding to support student mental health programs.
Evie Blad, June 22, 2022
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6 min read
Carl Hall, 8, drinks apple juice he received as part of a free bagged breakfast at the Jefferson County Upper Elementary School on March 3, 2021 in Fayette, Miss.
Carl Hall, 8, drinks apple juice he received as part of a free bagged breakfast at the Jefferson County Upper Elementary School on March 3, 2021 in Fayette, Miss.
Rogelio V. Solis/AP
Student Well-Being Bipartisan Bill Would Extend School Nutrition Flexibility, But Not Universal Free Meals
The proposal would help nutrition workers navigate supply-chain issues, inflation, and staffing shortages affecting school meal programs.
Libby Stanford, June 22, 2022
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3 min read
High school students carry a giant rainbow flag during the Come Out With Pride Festival and Parade in downtown Orlando, Fl., on October 9, 2021.
High school students carry a rainbow flag during the Come Out With Pride Festival and Parade in downtown Orlando, Fla.
Ronen Tivony/Sipa via AP Images
Equity & Diversity Biden's Order on LGBTQ Equality: What Educators Need to Know
President Joe Biden's latest executive order takes a stance against "discriminatory" state laws and bolsters support for LGBTQ students and families.
Libby Stanford, June 16, 2022
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5 min read
Illustration of students and teachers holding puzzle pieces.
<b>F. Sheehan/Education Week and iStock/Getty</b>
School Choice & Charters Opinion The Biden Administration Is Right: Charters Need to Be More Accountable
The proposed changes to the federal Charter School Program are just common sense, write Jitu Brown and Randi Weingarten.
Jitu Brown & Randi Weingarten, June 15, 2022
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3 min read
Miah Cerrillo, a fourth grade student at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and survivor of the mass shooting appears on a screen during a House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing on gun violence on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 8, 2022.
Miah Cerrillo, a 4th grade student at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and survivor of the mass shooting there, appears in a pre-recorded video during a House committee hearing on gun violence.
Andrew Harnik/AP
School Climate & Safety 'I Don't Want It to Happen Again,' Student Who Played Dead During Shooting Tells Congress
An 11-year-old who survived the shooting at a Uvalde, Texas, school told her story in matter-of-fact detail as Congress debates gun laws.
Evie Blad, June 8, 2022
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5 min read
Publish Charter school parents stage a counter protest as thousands of public school teachers, administrators and supports march through the streets of Sacramento during a protest held at the California State Capitol urging state legislators to provide more funding for public schools in Sacramento, Calif., on May 22, 2019.
Publish Charter school parents stage a counter protest during a march in Sacramento, Calif., that advocated for more funding for public schools in 2019.
Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via AP
School Choice & Charters What's Behind the Fight Over the Biden Administration's Stance on Charter School Funding
Proposed new rules for federal charter school funding have drawn the ire of many in the charter school community.
Libby Stanford, June 6, 2022
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8 min read
Girl holding food tray in school cafeteria
iStock/Getty Images Plus
Student Well-Being Free School Meal Waivers Are Ending Soon. What Educators Need to Know
The USDA waivers allowed all students to get free school meals and helped sustain cafeterias in the pandemic.
Libby Stanford, June 2, 2022
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4 min read
Image of blueprints for construction projects.
GeorgiMironi/iStock/Getty
Education Funding Schools Can Seek More Time to Spend ESSER Funds on Outside Contracts
Waivers are available for contract spending in key areas like construction, tutoring, and mental health.
Mark Lieberman, May 17, 2022
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4 min read
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland speaks at the Cherokee Immersion School on Dec. 3, 2021, in Tahlequah, Okla. The Interior Department is on the verge of releasing a report on its investigation into the federal government's past oversight of Native American boarding schools. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said Wednesday, March 16, 2022, the report will come out next month.
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland speaks at the Cherokee Immersion School in December, in Tahlequah, Okla. Her agency's report documents harmful conditions, deaths, and physical punishment for Native American students forced to attend federal boarding schools.
Michael Woods/AP
Equity & Diversity Native American Children Endured Brutal Treatment in U.S. Boarding Schools, Federal Report Shows
Deaths, physical and psychological punishments, and manual labor occurred at the more than 400 federal boarding schools.
Eesha Pendharkar, May 11, 2022
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5 min read
President George W. Bush, left, participates in the swearing-in ceremony for the Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, center, at the U.S. Dept. of Education on Jan. 31, 2005 in Washington. On the far right holding a bible is her husband Robert Spellings.
President George W. Bush, left, participates in the swearing-in ceremony for the Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, center, at the U.S. Dept. of Education on Jan. 31, 2005 in Washington. On the far right holding a bible is her husband Robert Spellings.
AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais
Accountability Timeline: How Federal School Accountability Has Waxed and Waned
From its origins in the 1990s to the most-recent tack, see how the federal approach to accountability has shifted.
Stephen Sawchuk, May 11, 2022
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4 min read
Illustration of a gauge.
4zevar/iStock/Getty
Accountability School Accountability Is Restarting After a Two-Year Pause. Here's What That Means
For a moment, the COVID-19 pandemic succeeded in doing what periodic protests about school accountability couldn't: Halting it.
Stephen Sawchuk, May 11, 2022
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10 min read
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