Policy & Politics

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the legislation, guidance, policies and people involved in federal and state government
States Ed. Dept. Scraps Blue Ribbon Schools Honor. Some States Launch Their Own Versions
The Trump admin. said it was axing the recognition "in the spirit of returning education to the states."
Brooke Schultz & Caitlynn Peetz Stephens
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6 min read
Law & Courts Court Rejects Discipline of Student Whose Post Mocked George Floyd's Death
An appeals court ruled that a student's off-campus social media post is constitutionally protected.
Mark Walsh
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4 min read
Education Funding Students Make Appeals to Congress to Protect K-12 Funding
National Student Council representatives shared perspectives on challenges schools are facing.
Lauraine Langreo
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6 min read
Law & Courts A Former Teacher Shot by Student, 6, Wins $10M Jury Verdict Against Ex-Assistant Principal
The former teacher accused an ex-administrator of ignoring repeated warnings that the child had a gun.
The Associated Press
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2 min read
Abby Zwerner shares a moment with her mother Julie Zwerner after a verdict was reached in her lawsuit against the assistant principal, Ebony Parker, of Richneck Elementary School during proceedings at Newport News Circuit Court in Newport News, Va. on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025.
Abby Zwerner shares a moment with her mother Julie Zwerner after a verdict was reached in her lawsuit against the assistant principal, Ebony Parker, of Richneck Elementary School during proceedings at Newport News Circuit Court in Newport News, Va. on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025.
Kendall Warner/The Virginian-Pilot via AP
Law & Courts Educational Toymakers Sued Over Trump Tariffs. How Is the Supreme Court Leaning?
Most justices appeared skeptical of President Trump's tariff policies, challenged by two educational toymakers.
Mark Walsh
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3 min read
People arrive to attend oral arguments at the Supreme Court on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, in Washington.
People arrive to attend oral arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, in Washington. The court heard arguments in a major case on President Donald Trump's tariff policies, which are being challenged by two educational toy companies.
AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein
States 4 Education-Related Takeaways From This Week's Elections
How results from Tuesday could affect K-12 schools, and the trajectory of Trump's education policies.
Brooke Schultz
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5 min read
Democrat Jay Jones speaks on stage at an election night watch party for Democrat Abigail Spanberger after Jones was declared the winner of the Virginia attorney general's race Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Richmond, Va.
Democrat Jay Jones speaks on stage after he was declared the winner of the Virginia attorney general's race Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Richmond, Va. As attorney general, Jones could join multistate coalitions of Democratic state attorneys general suing the Trump administration over its education policies.
AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough
Federal Obituary Dick Cheney, One of the Most Powerful and Polarizing Vice Presidents, Dies at 84
Cheney focused mainly on national security but cast key education-related votes as a congressman.
The Associated Press
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8 min read
Vice President Dick Cheney speaks to troops at Fairchild Air Force base on April 17, 2006 in Spokane, Wash.
Vice President Dick Cheney speaks to troops at Fairchild Air Force base on April 17, 2006 in Spokane, Wash.
Dustin Snipes/AP

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More Policy & Politics

  • Pictures show what mouth shape different sounds make on the walls of Diana Oviedo-Holguin’s class at Heritage Elementary School in San Antonio, Texas, on Sept. 3, 2025.
    Pictures show what mouth shape different sounds make on the walls of Diana Oviedo-Holguin’s class at Heritage Elementary School in San Antonio, Texas, on Sept. 3, 2025. Texas officials are getting closer to launching a new bilingual special education certification that will help teachers better understand the intersecting needs of English learners who are also students with disabilities.
    Noah Devereaux for Education Week
    States How One State is Leading the Way for English Learners With Disabilities
    Advocates hope Texas can set an example with a forthcoming bilingual special education certificate.
    Ileana Najarro, October 30, 2025
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    3 min read
    A copy of the Ten Commandments hangs alongside other historical documents at the Georgia Capitol on June 20, 2024, in Atlanta. Similar displays in schools are now at the center of court battles in Texas and Louisiana.
    A copy of the Ten Commandments hangs alongside other historical documents at the Georgia Capitol on June 20, 2024, in Atlanta. Similar displays in schools are now at the center of court battles in Texas and Louisiana.
    John Bazemore/AP
    Law & Courts Appeals Court Heightens Stakes Over Ten Commandments School Laws
    A full federal appeals court will review Texas and Louisiana laws requiring Ten Commandments displays in schools.
    Mark Walsh, October 29, 2025
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    2 min read
    Social worker Mary Schmauss, right, greets students as they arrive for school on Oct. 1, 2024, at Algodones Elementary School in Algodones, N.M.
    A social worker greets students as they arrive for school on Oct. 1, 2024, at Algodones Elementary School in Algodones, N.M. A judge on Oct. 27 said the Trump administration couldn't cancel about four dozen mental health grants that funded school district hiring of school social workers, counselors, and psychologists to boost school mental health services.
    Roberto E. Rosales/AP
    Law & Courts Ed. Dept. Can't Cancel Dozens of School Mental Health Grants, Judge Rules
    The grants, valued at $1 billion, help schools employ more mental health professionals.
    Matthew Stone, October 28, 2025
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    5 min read
    Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog and Botley the Coding Robot (bottom right), two educational toys created by Learning Resources Inc.
    Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog and Botley the Coding Robot (bottom right), two educational toys created by Learning Resources Inc. The Illinois company is one of two related educational toy makers challenging President Donald Trump’s tariffs before the U.S. Supreme Court.
    Courtesy of Learning Resources
    Law & Courts Educational Toy Companies Lead Supreme Court Battle Over Trump Tariffs
    Two Illinois family-owned educational toy companies are challenging the president’s tariff policies.
    Mark Walsh, October 28, 2025
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    8 min read
    Peggy Carr, Commissioner of the National Center for Education, speaks during an interview about the National Assessment of Education Process (NAEP), on Oct. 21, 2022, in Washington.
    Peggy Carr, the former commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, speaks during an interview about the National Assessment of Education Process, on Oct. 21, 2022, in Washington. Carr shared her thoughts about the Trump administration's massive staff cuts to the Education Department in a recent webinar.
    Alex Brandon/AP
    Federal Fired NCES Chief: Ed. Dept. Cuts Mean 'Fewer Eyes on the Condition of Schools'
    Experts discuss how federal actions have impacted equity and research in the field of education.
    Jennifer Vilcarino, October 22, 2025
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    3 min read
    Vector illustration of two diverse professionals wearing orange workman vests and hard hats as they carry and connect a very heavy, oversized text bubble bringing the two pieces shaped like puzzles pieces together as one. One figure is a dark skinned male and the other is a lighter skinned female with long hair.
    DigitalVision Vectors
    Federal What Should Research at the Ed. Dept. Look Like? The Field Weighs In
    The agency requested input on the Institute of Education Sciences' future. More than 400 comments came in.
    Brooke Schultz, October 21, 2025
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    7 min read
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Resources

Special Education Spotlight Spotlight on MTSS in Practice: From Life Skills to Learning Strategies
This Spotlight focuses on MTSS, providing a framework to support both students and educators across a range of needs and settings.
Student Achievement Spotlight Spotlight on Unlocking Potential: How Interventions Transform Learning
This Spotlight explores how interventions can shape student outcomes, with a focus on supporting older students who struggle with reading.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
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Student Achievement Whitepaper How Arizona’s Largest District Improved Literacy for Thousands of Special Education Students
Mesa Public Schools, Arizona’s largest district, dramatically improved literacy outcomes for thousands of special education students thro...
Content provided by EPS Learning
School & District Management Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Well Do You Speak K-12?
Find out if you can keep up with the evolving language of education leaders—and what it means for your marketing strategy.
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  • 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
    Education Funding Opinion The Federal Shutdown Is a Rorschach Test for Education
    Polarization, confusion, and perverse incentives turn a serious discussion into a stylized debate.
    Rick Hess, October 20, 2025
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    7 min read
    Education Secretary Linda McMahon appears before the House Appropriation Panel about the 2026 budget in Washington, D.C., on May 21, 2025.
    Education Secretary Linda McMahon appears before U.S. House of Representatives members to discuss the 2026 budget in Washington on May 21, 2025. The U.S. Department of Education laid off 465 employees during the federal government shutdown. The layoff, if it goes through, will virtually wipe out offices in the agency that oversee key grant programs.
    Jason Andrew for Education Week
    Federal Education Department Layoffs Would Affect Dozens of Programs. See Which Ones
    Entire teams that work on key funding streams may not return to work even when the shutdown ends.
    Mark Lieberman, October 16, 2025
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    3 min read
    A Let's Go Brandon flag and an American flag fly during the NASCAR Cup Series M&M'S Fan Appreciation 400 on July 24, 2022, at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa.
    A Let's Go Brandon flag and an American flag fly during the NASCAR Cup Series on July 24, 2022, at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa. The slogan originated at a 2021 NASCAR race in Talladega, Ala., and quickly became a coded way of criticizing then-President Joe Biden. An appeals court in a free speech case said school administrators were within bounds insisting a student not wear a shirt with the slogan because of its implied vulgarity.
    Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via AP Images
    Law & Courts Appeals Court Backs School Administrators Who Banned 'Let's Go Brandon!' Shirts
    A coded message of political criticism was vulgar and can be barred in schools.
    Mark Walsh, October 16, 2025
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    5 min read
    Bible laying on a school desk in an empty classroom full of desks.
    E+
    States New Okla. Schools Superintendent Rescinds Mandate for Bible Instruction in Schools
    The directive reverses an effort by former schools chief Ryan Walters that drew a legal challenge.
    The Associated Press, October 15, 2025
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    2 min read
    Illustration of 2 hands cutting paper dolls with scissors, representing staffing layoffs.
    iStock/Getty
    Law & Courts Judge Halts Trump Admin.'s Layoffs at Ed. Dept. and Other Agencies
    More than 400 workers at the diminished agency had been told their last day would be Dec. 9.
    Brooke Schultz, October 15, 2025
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    5 min read
    Students from Rosebud Elementary School perform in a drum circle during a meeting about abusive conditions at Native American boarding schools at Sinte Gleska University on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in Mission, S.D., on Oct. 15, 2022.
    Students from Rosebud Elementary School perform in a drum circle on Oct. 15, 2022. The Todd County district, which includes the Rosebud school, relies on the federal Impact Aid program for nearly 40 percent of its annual budget. Impact Aid payments are on hold during the federal shutdown, and the Trump administration has laid off the federal employees who administer the program.
    Matthew Brown/AP
    Education Funding Many Districts Will Lose Federal Funds Until the Shutdown Ends
    And if federal layoffs go through, the Ed. Dept. would lack staff to send out the funds afterward, too.
    Mark Lieberman, October 15, 2025
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    7 min read
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EdWeek Market Brief

Meeting District Needs Exclusive Data How Much Buying Power Do Districts Give to Individual Schools?
An EdWeek Market Brief survey asks K-12 administrators about the autonomy granted to school leaders.
Michelle Caffrey
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7 min read
Regulation & Policy Industry Insight 'Science of Reading' Laws Widely Passed. Where Does That Leave Districts and Vendors?
An expert in early learning discusses what's next for states' science of reading legislation and the realities and challenges of implementing the new policies.
Robin L. Flanigan
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7 min read
Meeting District Needs Exclusive Data What Percentage of Teacher Uptake is Make-Or-Break For Renewals?
A recent EdWeek Research Center survey explores the bar that school and district leaders say products need to reach in order to be renewed.
Emma Kate Fittes
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3 min read
Meeting District Needs K-12 Market News Helpful Aspects of Outcomes-Based Contracts that K-12 Officials Want All Vendors to Know
K-12 administrators' interest in outcomes-based contracts is growing — and there are new lessons for the K-12 space to glean from rising demand, new EdWeek Market Brief survey results reveal.
Emma Kate Fittes
•
5 min read
Read More