Policy & Politics

States

Education news, analysis, and opinion about state education policy, officials, and advocacy.

  • The Latest

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    Books in a Minneapolis high school classroom are seen on Jan. 22, 2026.
    Caroline Yang for Education Week
    States Courts Lets a State Law Limiting Race, Gender Classroom Discussions Take Effect
    The 2021 Oklahoma law was part of a wave of state laws limiting classroom race and gender discussions.
    Curtis Killman, Tulsa World, Okla., September 11, 2026
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    2 min read
    Maria Raine, center, holds a photo of her son, Adam Raine, while listening to speakers between Assemblymembers Josh Lowenthal, left, and Rebecca Bauer-Kahan at the Bay Area Discovery Museum, on Sept. 10, 2026, in Sausalito, Calif.
    Maria Raine, center, holds a photo of her son, Adam Raine, while listening to speakers between Assemblymembers Josh Lowenthal, left, and Rebecca Bauer-Kahan at the Bay Area Discovery Museum, on Sept. 10, 2026, in Sausalito, Calif. Adam died by suicide last year, after being “coached” by a chatbot. A new set of laws in California aim to protect children from social media and AI chatbot risks.
    Jeff Chiu/AP
    States New California Laws Aim to Protect Kids From Social Media, AI Chatbot Risks
    The laws penalize tech companies for harm to kids and let families opt out of school laptops.
    The Associated Press, September 11, 2026
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    3 min read
    People talk near a Meta sign outside of the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., March 7, 2023.
    People talk near a Meta sign outside of the company's headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., March 7, 2023. States seeking extensive financial damages from the company as a lawsuit goes to trial this week.
    Jeff Chiu/AP Photo
    States States Take Meta to Trial in Fight Over Social Media Harms to Kids
    The lawsuit accuses the social media giant of contributing to the youth mental health crisis.
    The Associated Press, August 17, 2026
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    5 min read
    Hudson, 7, left, Callahan, 13, middle, and Keegan Pruente, 10, right, stand outside their school on their first Monday home during the new four-day school week on Monday, Sept. 11, 2023, in Independence, Mo. Hundreds of school systems around the country have adopted four-day weeks in recent years, mostly in rural and western parts of the U.S. Districts cite cost savings and advantages for teacher recruitment. Still, some experts question the effects on students who already missed out on significant learning during the pandemic.
    Three siblings stand outside their school on their first Monday home during a new four-day school week in Independence, Mo., on Sept. 11, 2023. Four-day school weeks have risen in popularity in recent years, though states have started to limit when school systems can switch to the abbreviated schedule.
    Nick Ingram/AP
    States States Start to Crack Down on 4-Day School Weeks
    Measures limiting when schools can adopt shortened schedules center on maintaining academic achievement.
    Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, July 28, 2026
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    4 min read
    20260703 AMX US NEWS AFTER NEWSOM COULDNT STOP IT 1 SA
    Gov. Gavin Newsom makes a point at the opening of the San Quentin Learning Center in San Quentin, Calif., on Feb. 20, 2026. Newsom has championed a move that will place the California education department under the authority of a governor-appointed education commissioner starting next year.
    JOSÉ LUIS VILLEGAS via TNS
    States The Elected Superintendent in This State Will Have Little Power Over Schools
    The nation's largest state is the latest to give its governor more power over its schools.
    Jennifer Vilcarino, July 9, 2026
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    5 min read
    California Gov. Gavin Newsom, gives his last May revise in the Swing Space on Thursday, May 14, 2026 , in Sacramento, Calif.
    California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks in Sacramento, Calif., on May 14, 2026. Newsom and legislative leaders pushed for a policy passed as part of the state budget that will scale back the authority of the elected state superintendent.
    Hector Amezcua/The Sacramento Bee via TNS
    States The Nation's Largest State Strips Most Power From Elected Schools Superintendent
    The state superintendent's authority will transfer to an appointee of the governor starting next year.
    Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, July 2, 2026
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    5 min read
    Katherine Alfaro works with students at Russellville Elementary School, in Russellville, Ala., Aug. 9, 2022. Alfaro is an aide for English Language Learner students, many of whom speak Spanish at home. Russellville schools have the highest percentage of English Language Learners of any district in the state, and officials there have invested in aides and teachers who know how to work with those students.
    Katherine Alfaro works with students at Russellville Elementary School, in Russellville, Ala., Aug. 9, 2022. Alfaro is an aide for English learners, many of whom speak Spanish at home. English-learner education is not immune to anti-DEI policies and politics, according to a new research study.
    Rebecca Griesbach/AL.com via AP
    States Anti-DEI Efforts Reshape How States Serve English Learners
    A new research study shed light on how anti-DEI policies affect English-learner education.
    Ileana Najarro, June 30, 2026
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    5 min read
    A waterfront home, photographed on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Governor DeSantis has pushed property-tax reform for over a year. “The property tax has become a big, big burden for millions of people in this state,” he said on June 1 in highlighting his proposal, which would expand the homestead exemption for property taxes from the current $25,000 to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028.
    A waterfront home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., photographed on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. Gov. Ron DeSantis called a special legislative session this month to consider a major property-tax reduction measure. Lawmakers scaled it back to shield property taxes that make up almost half of school budgets statewide.
    Phelan M. Ebenhack via AP
    States A State Puts Property-Tax Cuts on the Ballot This Fall—But Shields Schools
    Florida lawmakers turned down a more sweeping property-tax reduction plan, leaving school taxes alone.
    Mark Walsh, June 8, 2026
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    3 min read
    The State Board of Education meeting room is pictured on Sept. 26, 2022 inside the William B Travis Building (which houses the Texas Education Agency) in downtown Austin, Texas .
    The Texas State Board of Education meeting room is pictured on Sept. 26, 2022, inside the William B. Travis Building in downtown Austin, Texas. The board will vote later this month on revised standards and a required reading list that include biblical passages.
    Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News via TNS
    States Texas Considers a Bigger Role for Christianity in Schools This Month. Here's How
    The state board will vote on a required reading list that includes biblical passages.
    Silas Allen, The Dallas Morning News, June 5, 2026
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    7 min read
    Internal View of the State Capitol. on May 29, 2025, in Albany, New York.
    An internal view of the state capitol in Albany, N.Y., on May 29, 2025. Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed a budget into law that lowers the retirement age for teachers to collect a full pension.
    Kena Betancur/AP
    States New York Teachers Win Lower Retirement Age as Lawmakers Pass Pension Reforms
    New York teachers can retire five years earlier under pension changes included in a state budget package.
    Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, May 27, 2026
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    3 min read
    The Tennessee Capitol is seen on April 23, 2024, in Nashville.
    The Tennessee Capitol is seen on April 23, 2024, in Nashville. Twice since 2025, lawmakers in the state have failed to pass legislation limiting undocumented students' access to free, public education.
    George Walker IV/AP
    States How One State's Efforts to Limit Undocumented Students’ Rights Failed Again
    Tennessee lawmakers failed to create legislation directly challenging federal law.
    Ileana Najarro, May 22, 2026
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    3 min read
    Illustration of blue and red arrows merging for create purple arrow.
    Education Week + Getty
    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, May 14, 2026
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    4 min read
    Image of a student sitting on a stoop with a school bus in the distance. Ghosted in the background is the Capitol building.
    Illustration by Laura Baker/Education Week + Getty + Canva
    States With Federal Commitment Shaky, States Move to Codify Protections for Homeless Students
    Washington and Oregon have taken action, and others states are considering moves of their own.
    Evie Blad, April 23, 2026
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    4 min read
    Democratic Senator Raumesh Akbari hugs a young demonstrator as people gather to protest an immigration bill outside the Senate chamber at the state Capitol Thursday, in Nashville, Tenn. The bill would allow public school systems in Tennessee to require K-12 students without legal status in the country to pay tuition or face denial of enrollment, which is a challenge to the federal law requiring all children be provided a free public education regardless of legal immigration status.
    Democratic state Sen. Raumesh Akbari hugs a young demonstrator as people protest an immigration bill outside the Senate chamber at the state Capitol on April 10, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. The legislation is part of a broader push in Tennessee to require schools to collect students’ immigration status, raising concerns among educators about trust, access, and compliance with federal law.
    John Amis/AP
    States 'Not Our Job': Principals Decry a Proposal to Track Student Immigration Status
    A principals group has publicly opposed efforts to require schools to track immigration status.
    Ileana Najarro, April 17, 2026
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    5 min read
    A teacher and rising kindergarten students at Vose Elementary in Beaverton during story time on April 16, 2026. Gov. Tina Kotek asked the State Board of Education on Thursday to prohibit school districts from using student-contact days as furlough days to balance budgets, in order to preserve instructional time.
    Story time in a kindergarten class at Vose Elementary School in Beaverton, Ore., on April 16, 2026. Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has issued an executive order in hopes of blocking any further erosion of instructional time in a state that has one of the shortest school years in the country.
    Mark Graves/The Oregonian via TNS
    States A State With a Short School Year Wants to Stop the 'Bleeding' of Classroom Time
    A new order aims to discourage districts from reducing instructional hours to fill budget gaps.
    Mark Walsh, April 17, 2026
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    4 min read