Policy & Politics

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the legislation, guidance, policies and people involved in federal and state government
Law & Courts Birthright Citizenship Case Raises Stakes for Schools and Undocumented Students
Educators are paying close attention to the case on Trump's birthright citizenship order.
Mark Walsh
•
10 min read
States A State Gets Closer to Challenging Undocumented Students' Free Access to School
Lawmakers are debating legislation that would require schools to collect immigration information.
Ileana Najarro
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4 min read
Federal Trump Administration to Move Dept. of Ed. Out of Its Longtime Offices
The move follows a year of efforts to dismantle the federal agency.
Sean Cavanagh
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2 min read
Law & Courts Supreme Court Seems Poised to Reject Trump's Birthright Order
Trump’s attendance in the birthright citizenship case marked the first time a sitting president has done this.
The Associated Press
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6 min read
President Donald Trump leaves the Supreme Court, on April 1, 2026, in Washington.
President Donald Trump leaves the Supreme Court on April 1, 2026, in Washington. The justices signaled skepticism of Trump’s bid to restrict birthright citizenship.
Anthony Peltier/AP
Federal Tracker See Which Ed. Dept. Programs Are Moving to New Agencies: A Tracker
K-12 and higher education programs are heading to new agencies as part of Trump administration downsizing.
Mark Lieberman
•
1 min read
Photo collaged image of the U.S. Department of Education shattering.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + AP + Getty
Federal Meet the Trump Cabinet Secretaries Taking Over Ed. Dept. Programs
The U.S. Department of Education is shifting more than 100 programs to other federal agencies.
Mark Lieberman
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1 min read
President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, on March 26, 2026, in Washington.
President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, on March 26, 2026, in Washington. Six Cabinet members are now on track to have a hand in managing U.S. Department of Education programs.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal Trump Admin. Sues Minnesota Over Transgender Athletes in Girls' Sports
It's the third state the Trump administration has sued over transgender participation in athletics.
The Associated Press
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2 min read
Attorney General Pam Bondi in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, on Feb. 20, 2026, in Washington.
Attorney General Pam Bondi in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, on Feb. 20, 2026, in Washington. The Justice Department under Bondi has now sued three states over policies allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls' sports
Alex Brandon/AP

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More Policy & Politics

  • First-grade student Brennen Marquardt, 6, looks out the bus window at Friess Lake Middle School on Sept. 4, 2018, the first year of operations for the newly consolidated Holy Hill district in Richfield, Wis. The district was the most recent to consolidate in Wisconsin, which is among the states where lawmakers are exploring ways to force or incentivize district mergers.
    First-grade student Brennen Marquardt, 6, looks out the bus window at Friess Lake Middle School on Sept. 4, 2018, the first year of operations for the newly consolidated Holy Hill district in Richfield, Wis. The district was the most recent to consolidate in Wisconsin, which is among the states where lawmakers are exploring ways to force or incentivize district mergers.
    John Ehlke/West Bend Daily News via AP
    States States Consider District Consolidations as Student Enrollment Drops
    Rural educators say the decision to combine school districts is a matter of local control.
    Evie Blad, December 5, 2025
    •
    8 min read
    President Donald Trump signs an executive order on birthright citizenship in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington.
    President Donald Trump signs an executive order to on birthright citizenship in the Oval Office on Jan. 20, 2025. The U.S. Supreme Court will consider the legality of Trump's effort to limit birthright citizenship, another immigration policy that could affect schools.
    Evan Vucci/AP
    Law & Courts Supreme Court to Weigh Birthright Citizenship. Why It Matters to Schools
    The justices will review President Trump's bid to end birthright citizenship, a move that could affect schools.
    Mark Walsh, December 5, 2025
    •
    4 min read
    Illustration of dollar symbol in rollercoaster.
    iStock
    Education Funding Funding Ends for School Mental Health Projects After a 'Roller Coaster' Year
    Schools, universities, and others thought they had five years to boost student mental health services.
    Matthew Stone, December 2, 2025
    •
    11 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 a U.S. House of Representatives panel in Washington on May 21, 2025. McMahon's agency has inked seven agreements shifting core functions, including Title I for K-12 schools, to other federal agencies. Those moves, announced in November, have now drawn a legal challenge.
    Jason Andrew for Education Week
    Law & Courts 20 States Push Back as Ed. Dept. Hands Programs to Other Agencies
    The Trump admin. says it wants to prove that moving programs out of the Ed. Dept. can work long-term.
    Matthew Stone, December 1, 2025
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    4 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 Should States Mandate Student Testing for Choice Programs?
    There are pros and cons to forcing state tests on private schools receiving tax dollars.
    Rick Hess, November 25, 2025
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    7 min read
    Students attend Bow Memorial School in Bow, N.H. on Oct. 29, 2025. Bow Memorial School is a middle school that has developed a systematic approach to addressing foundational reading gaps in middle school students.
    Though states have put an emphasis on reading intervention, most don't specify how to help students beyond grade 3. Older students may need more support on vocabulary development, or understanding how word parts convey meaning. Middle school students learn about suffixes at Bow Memorial School in Bow, N.H. on Oct. 29, 2025. The school has developed a systematic approach to addressing foundational reading gaps in grades 5-8.
    Sophie Park for Education Week
    States State Reading Laws Focus on K-3. What About Older Students Who Struggle?
    Should lawmakers push reading legislation to address the needs of students beyond elementary grades?
    Evie Blad, November 24, 2025
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    8 min read
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Content provided by Magnetic Literacy by Curriculum Associates
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Science Quiz Quiz Yourself: Evaluating Effective Science Instruction in Your District
Answer 7 questions about evaluating effective science instruction in your district.
Content provided by National Science Teaching Association
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IT Infrastructure & Management Sponsor The Secret to Maximizing E-Rate and Upgrading Outdated EdTech
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Content provided by BlueAlly
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  • MADISON, AL - MARCH 29: Bob Jones High School football players touch the people near them during a prayer after morning workouts and before the rest of the school day on March 29, 2024, in Madison, AL. Head football coach Kelvis White and his brother follow in the footsteps of their father, who was also a football coach. As sports in the United States deals with polarization, Coach White and Bob Jones High School form a classic tale of team, unity, and brotherhood. (Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
    Football players at Bob Jones High School in Madison, Ala., pray after morning workouts before the rest of the school day on March 29, 2024. New guidance from the U.S. Department of Education says students and educators can pray at school, as long as the prayer isn't school-sponsored and disruptive to school and classroom activities, and students aren't coerced to participate.
    Jahi Chikwendiu/Washington Post via Getty Images
    Federal New Trump Admin. Guidance Says Teachers Can Pray With Students
    The president said the guidance for public schools would ensure "total protection" for school prayer.
    Matthew Stone, February 10, 2026
    •
    3 min read
    Ben Gamla Charter Schools founder and former U.S. Rep. Peter Deutsch, right, speaks with Brett Farley, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Oklahoma, left, before a Jan. 12 meeting of the Statewide Charter School Board in Oklahoma City. Both are founding board members of an Oklahoma Jewish Charter School.
    Ben Gamla Charter Schools founder and former U.S. Rep. Peter Deutsch, right, speaks with Brett Farley, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Oklahoma, before a Jan. 12, 2026, meeting of the Statewide Charter School Board in Oklahoma City. The board rejected the proposed Jewish charter school on Feb. 9, 2026.
    Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice
    Law & Courts Oklahoma Board Rejects Jewish Charter as Supreme Court Fight Looms
    Oklahoma's charter school board rejected the Jewish school as members said their hands were tied.
    Mark Walsh, February 10, 2026
    •
    4 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 Civil Society Is Withering. How to Help Schools Restore Engagement
    Can a new wave of initiatives stem the trend of isolation?
    Rick Hess, February 10, 2026
    •
    7 min read
    The U.S. Supreme Court is seen, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Washington.
    The U.S. Supreme Court is seen on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Washington. Religious charter advocates are betting a full Supreme Court will side with their efforts to establish religious charter schools.
    Rahmat Gul/AP
    Law & Courts Religious Charter Schools Push New Cases Toward Supreme Court
    Advocates seeking to establish publicly funded religious schools in three states.
    Mark Walsh, February 6, 2026
    •
    9 min read
    Children play during recess at an elementary school in New Cuyama, CA on Sept. 20, 2023. Can a program that represents the federal government’s first big foray into bankrolling private school choice end up helping public school students?
    As Democratic governors decide whether to sign their states up for the first major federal foray into private school choice, some say they want public school students to benefit. Here, children play during recess at an elementary school in New Cuyama, Calif., on Sept. 20, 2023.
    Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP
    School Choice & Charters The Federal Choice Program Is Here. Will It Help Public School Students, Too?
    As Democrats decide whether to opt in, some want to see the funds help students in public schools.
    Matthew Stone, February 5, 2026
    •
    9 min read
    A sign reading "Protect Neighbors" is posted near a bus stop as a school bus passes on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Minneapolis.
    A sign reading "Protect Neighbors" is posted near a bus stop in Minneapolis on Jan. 30, 2026. A lawsuit from two Minnesota school districts and the state's teachers' union says immigration agents have detained people and staged enforcement actions at or near schools, school bus stops, and daycare centers.
    Kerem Yücel /Minnesota Public Radio via AP
    Law & Courts Educators Sue Over ICE Activity on School Grounds and Nearby
    The challenge targets the Trump administration's revocation of a policy that limited immigration enforcement at schools.
    Alyson Klein, February 4, 2026
    •
    5 min read
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EdWeek Market Brief

Strategy & Operations Market Analysis When to Bring in a Consultant — and How to Make it Pay Off
Industry advisors and business officials discuss the factors that contribute to a successful engagement.
Alexandria Ng
•
8 min read
Meeting District Needs K-12 Insider What Made a Middle School's First-Ever ELA Curriculum Launch a Success
The process that Principal Anne Heck led in Lake Geneva Middle School offers one vision for how professional development and procurement can pair to improve student learning.
Emma Kate Fittes
•
10 min read
Education Market Exclusive Data Vendors Are Pairing Assessment And Curriculum. Is That What K-12 Officials Want?
New EdWeek Market Brief data explores the ideal number of companies that district and school leaders say they want to work with, and whether they're open to a single provider for both curriculum and assessment products.
Emma Kate Fittes
•
8 min read
Regulation & Policy K-12 Market News EdMarket Recap: Feds Move to Rewrite Grant Rules; States Pitch Funding Changes
EdWeek Market Brief staff writers dissect significant news of the week and identify the most important takeaways for companies serving K-12 districts.
Scott Elliott
•
3 min read
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