Policy & Politics

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the legislation, guidance, policies and people involved in federal and state government
Federal Opinion Trump's K-12 Leader: Let’s Improve Assessment Without Sacrificing Accountability
The Ed. Dept. is shrinking the federal footprint but raising academic expectations, says Kirsten Baesler.
Kirsten Baesler
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4 min read
Federal 'Creative' or 'Illegal?' Congress Debates Trump's Dismantling of Education Dept.
Republicans praised Linda McMahon for shrinking the federal K-12 footprint. Democrats raised concerns.
Alyson Klein
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6 min read
States Opinion How Education Leaders Can Overcome Political Divisions
"Bipartisan education policy is not only possible; it is already happening," say several leaders.
Jose Muñoz, Charlene Russell-Tucker, Eric Mackey & Keven Ellis
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4 min read
Every Student Succeeds Act Trump Admin. OK's Another State's Ask for School Funding Leeway
The Ed. Dept. granted a second request to combine portions of four federal grants into one fund.
Alyson Klein
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5 min read
Students attend a 5th grade math class at Lafargue Elementary School in Effie, Louisiana, on Friday, August 22. The state has implemented new professional development requirements for math teachers in grades 4-8 to help improve student achievement and address learning gaps.
Students attend a 5th grade math class in Effie, La., on Aug. 22, 2025. Louisiana has secured new flexibility from the U.S. Department of Education to spend a portion of its federal funds on statewide school improvement activities. It's the second such waiver from Every Student Succeeds Act rules the department has granted under the Trump administration.
Kathleen Flynn for Education Week
School Choice & Charters Could More States Try to Keep Islamic Schools Out of Their Choice Programs?
A state asserted it could exclude certain schools from its new private school choice program.
Arianna Prothero
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9 min read
HOUSTON, TEXAS - MAY 9: Students walk down a hallway outside classrooms at Houston Quran Academy in Houston, Friday, May 9, 2025. (Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Students walk down a hallway outside classrooms at Houston Quran Academy in Houston on May 9, 2025. Texas initially excluded Islamic schools from its new private school choice program, leading some to wonder if other states might limit the kinds of private schools eligible for state school choice funding.
Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle via Getty
Federal Senate Days Are Numbered for Top Republican Charged With Ed. Dept. Oversight
Sen. Bill Cassidy was vying for a third term in the Senate but lost his primary over the weekend.
Alyson Klein
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4 min read
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., right, hugs a supporter during an election night watch party Saturday, May 16, 2026, in Baton Rouge, La.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., right, hugs a supporter during an election night watch party on Saturday, May 16, 2026, in Baton Rouge, La. Cassidy leads the Senate committee charged with education policy. He was vying for a third Senate term but lost his primary over the weekend.
Gerald Herbert/AP
Standards & Accountability The U.S. Is in a 'Learning Recession.' Is NCLB's End to Blame?
“Our challenge didn’t start or end with the pandemic,” said one of the authors of a new report.
Sarah Schwartz
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6 min read
Anjanette McNeely teaches a reading block with her kindergarten students at Windridge Elementary School in Kaysville, Utah, on Dec. 4, 2025.
What's to blame for huge decreases in student achievement over the past decade? Some say a less intensive federal role in school accountability after the No Child Left Behind law was replaced. Anjanette McNeely remembers the pressure of making sure her school met "adequate yearly progress" during the NCLB era. The teacher leads a reading block with her kindergarten students at Windridge Elementary School in Kaysville, Utah, on Dec. 4, 2025.
Niki Chan Wylie for Education Week

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  • Five middle school students, who helped stop a bus after their driver passed out during a medical emergency, stand outside a bus in Hancock County, Miss., on Thursday, April 23, 2026.
    Five middle school students, who helped stop a bus after their driver passed out during a medical emergency, stand outside a bus in Hancock County, Miss., on Thursday, April 23, 2026.
    WLOX via AP
    States A Bus Driver Blacked Out. Middle School Students Prevented a Crash
    A group of Mississippi students grabbed the wheel and hit the brakes after their driver passed out on a highway.
    The Associated Press, April 30, 2026
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    1 min read
    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
    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
    A courtroom sketch depicts Cole Tomas Allen, left, the California man arrested in the shooting incident at the correspondents dinner in Washington, appearing before Magistrate Judge Matthew J. Sharbaugh, in federal court, Monday, April 27, 2026 in Washington. Allen worked as a part-time tutor, according to an online resume.
    A courtroom sketch depicts Cole Tomas Allen appearing before Magistrate Judge Matthew J. Sharbaugh, in federal court on April 27, 2026 in Washington. Allen worked as a part-time tutor, according to an online resume.
    Dana Verkouteren via AP
    Federal Part-Time Tutor, Game Developer Charged With Attempted Assassination of Trump
    Cole Tomas Allen apologized to friends and former students, according to a criminal complaint.
    The Associated Press & Education Week Staff, April 27, 2026
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    4 min read
    U.S. Secret Service agents surround President Donald Trump before he was taken from the stage after a shooting incident outside the ballroom during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington.
    U.S. Secret Service agents surround President Donald Trump before he was taken from the stage after a shooting incident outside the ballroom during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. The alleged assailant's online resume said he worked for a private tutoring company.
    Alex Brandon/AP
    Federal Man Accused of Firing Weapon at Event With Trump Has Background as Tutor and Programmer
    Social media posts said the individual has worked for company that has provided test-prep and academic support.
    The Associated Press, April 26, 2026
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    2 min read

EdWeek Market Brief

Meeting District Needs Market Analysis Do Students Really Have Critical Thinking Skills? Inside the Market's Race to Assess the 'Unquantifiable'
A growing number of companies are racing to respond as a long-simmering demand for new, skills-based methods for measuring student success is starting to boil over in school districts across the country.
Emma Kate Fittes
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15 min read
Education Market Industry Insight From ESSER Boom to Market Reset: States Bolster High-Dosage Tutoring’s Next Phase
When the windfall of pandemic-era federal stimulus money that helped districts weather the crisis expired in 2024, it raised a key question: Would the tutoring programs school systems scrambled to implement during that period prove to be temporary?
David Saleh Rauf
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11 min read
Education Market Market Analysis Budget Strain, Enrollment Losses and Policy Shifts Complicate Texas’ K–12 Market for Vendors
Deep in West Texas — near the epicenter of the Lone Star State’s oil country — one school system is grappling with a consequential shift: fewer students, tighter budgets, and the process of downsizing.
David Saleh Rauf
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14 min read
Regulation & Policy K-12 Market News All Ed Tech Contracts Are Under Review As Part of LAUSD Initiative to Limit Screen Time
One of the largest school systems in the country is reviewing all of its current contracts related to classroom technology as part of a push to limit student screen time.
Emma Kate Fittes
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3 min read
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