Policy & Politics

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the legislation, guidance, policies and people involved in federal and state government
Federal Trump Admin. Terminates Several Agreements to Protect Transgender Students
The Education Department terminated civil rights agreements under Title IX with five school districts and a college.
The Associated Press
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1 min read
Federal Moms for Liberty Wanted School Board Seats. They Got a Voice in the White House
Moms for Liberty is being embraced by the Trump administration and gaining new influence in national decisions.
The Associated Press
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6 min read
States 'Success Sequence' Urges Marriage, Then Parenthood. These States Want Schools to Teach It
The decades-old concept is getting new attention, largely from Republican lawmakers.
Evie Blad
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6 min read
Law & Courts Minn. Districts Ask Judge to Restore Immigration Enforcement Limits by Schools
Two districts say the policy change hurt attendance and cost them students.
The Associated Press
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3 min read
Fridley Superintendent Brenda Lewis speaks during a news conference in February at the Minnesota State Capitol.
Superintendent Brenda Lewis of the Fridley, Minn., school district speaks during a news conference in February 2026 at the Minnesota State Capitol. The Fridley district is one of two Minnesota school districts suing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in an effort to restore restrictions on immigration enforcement in and near schools.
Carlos Gonzalez/Minnesota Star Tribune via TNS
States Texas' Bible-Infused Reading List Gets an Earful at Public Hearing
The proposal to add Bible stories reflects increasing debate over religion in public school classrooms.
The Associated Press
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4 min read
Three bibles sit on a couch on Nov. 24, 2025, in Brooklyn, New York.
Three bibles sit on a couch on Nov. 24, 2025, in Brooklyn, New York. A selection of Bible stories could be part of a K-12 reading list being debated in Texas.
David Crary/AP
Education Funding Trump's Budget Proposes Billions in K-12 Cuts. Will They Happen?
Trump is proposing level funding for Title I, a modest boost for special education, and major cuts elsewhere.
Mark Lieberman
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6 min read
A third-grade teacher at the Mountain View Elementary School's Global Immersion Academy in Morganton, N.C. works with her students in the Spanish portion of the program. With the inaugural class of the Global Immersion Academy (GIA) at at the school entering fourth grade this year, Burke County Public Schools is seeing more signs of success for its dual language program.
A teacher in a North Carolina dual-language program works with her students. In his latest budget proposal, President Donald Trump once again proposes to eliminate the $890 million fund that pays for supplemental services for English learners. Schools can use Title III funds for costs tied to dual-language programs that educate English learners.
Jason Koon/The News-Herald via AP
School Choice & Charters Opinion Can School Choice Programs Stamp Out Fraud While Staying Flexible?
With the rollout of the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit program, transparency is vital.
Rick Hess
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7 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

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More Policy & Politics

  • A student works on a math problem during a 5th grade 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.
    A student works on a math problem during a 5th grade 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. The Trump administration says it will prioritize grants that promote similar state-based math education efforts.
    Kathleen Flynn for Education Week
    Education Funding Math and Career Education Are Now Top Grant Priorities for Ed. Dept.
    The announcement outlines what the administration plans to champion after canceling hundreds of grants in the past few weeks.
    Sarah Schwartz, September 25, 2025
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    5 min read
    Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk speaks during a campaign rally, Oct. 24, 2024, in Las Vegas.
    Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk speaks during a campaign rally, Oct. 24, 2024, in Las Vegas. Following Kirk's assassination, Republican leaders are propelling Turning Point USA into K-12 schools.
    John Locher/AP
    States How Charlie Kirk's Turning Point USA Is Expanding Its Reach to K-12 Schools
    The organization has more than 1,000 chapters in high schools across the country.
    Brooke Schultz, September 25, 2025
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    6 min read
    State Superintendent Ryan Walters leaves the Oklahoma State Board of Education meeting on April 25, 2024 in Oklahoma City.
    Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters leaves a state board of education meeting on April 25, 2024 in Oklahoma City. Walters, a conservative firebrand who was constantly in the news during his three years in office, will run an organization that encourages teachers to leave their unions.
    Nick Oxford/Human Rights Campaign via AP
    States Ryan Walters, Okla.’s Fiery Education Chief, to Step Down
    Oklahoma state superintendent announces his resignation after nearly three years of near-constant controversy.
    Andrea Eger, Tulsa World, September 25, 2025
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    3 min read
    Rolled American One Hundred Dollar bills and handsaw cutting the bottom out from under on orange background.
    iStock/Getty
    Education Funding Trump Bypasses Congress and Slashes Hundreds of Education Grants
    More than 200 ongoing projects have seen their remaining grant funding canceled in recent weeks.
    Mark Lieberman, September 24, 2025
    •
    10 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 How Can Education Savings Accounts Serve Students With Special Needs?
    The state that pioneered the ESA is overseeing more than 10,000 requests daily from families for education expenses.
    Rick Hess, September 23, 2025
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    8 min read
    Demonstrators are seen outside the Supreme Court as oral arguments were heard in Mahmoud v. Taylor on April 22, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The case contends that forcing students to participate in LGBTQ+ learning material violates First Amendment rights to exercise religious beliefs.
    Demonstrators are seen outside the Supreme Court as oral arguments were heard in Mahmoud v. Taylor on April 22, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The high court later ruled that parents have a constitutional right to excuse their children from LGBTQ-themed lessons based on religious objections.
    Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images
    Law & Courts LGBTQ+ Rights, Ed. Dept. Cuts, Ten Commandments: A Summer Legal Roundup
    Courts weighed in this summer on LGBTQ+ rights, school speech, and religion in classrooms.
    Mark Walsh, September 22, 2025
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    11 min read
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Resources

School & District Management Quiz Quiz Yourself: Can You Decode the Latest K-12 Buzzwords and Acronyms?
Education-speak evolves daily—can you translate the latest K-12 terms and trends?
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.
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.
Load More ▼
  • From left, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., and Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., confer as the panel marks up the FY2026 spending bill at the Capitol in Washington on July 24, 2025.
    From left, Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee; Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla.; and Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., confer as the panel marks up the fiscal 2026 spending bill at the Capitol in Washington on July 24, 2025. The appropriations panel approved an education budget Thursday that rejects most of the Trump administration's proposed cuts.
    J. Scott Applewhite/AP
    Education Funding Senators—Including Republicans—Reject All of Trump's Proposed Education Cuts
    The budget bill could go before the full Senate as early as September.
    Mark Lieberman, July 31, 2025
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    6 min read
    Penny Schwinn, nominee for deputy secretary of education for the Department of Education, and Kimberly Richey, nominee for assistant secretary for civil rights in the Department of Education, appear before the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee in Washington, D.C., on June 5, 2025.
    Penny Schwinn appears before the U.S. Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee in Washington on June 5, 2025, for her confirmation hearing to serve as deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. Schwinn plans to withdraw her nomination for that role.
    Jason Andrew for Education Week
    Federal Penny Schwinn Drops Bid to Serve as No. 2 in Education Department
    The former Tennessee state education chief had cleared a committee vote but faced skepticism from some conservatives.
    Brooke Schultz, July 31, 2025
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    5 min read
    Students help put away supplies at the end of a reading and writing lesson at the Head Start program run by Easterseals, an organization that gets about a third of its funding from the federal government on Jan. 29, 2025, in Miami.
    Students put away supplies at the end of a lesson at the Head Start program run by Easterseals on Jan. 29, 2025, in Miami. The Trump administration reclassified Head Start as a "federal public benefit" similar to welfare so it can bar undocumented students from the early childhood program, but the policy is now on hold in 20 states and the District of Columbia.
    Rebecca Blackwell/AP
    Law & Courts Trump Admin. Pauses Ban on Undocumented Kids in Head Start in These States
    The administration said July 10 that undocumented immigrants were newly ineligible for a range of federally funded services.
    Brooke Schultz, July 28, 2025
    •
    2 min read
    Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., left, speaks with Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., right, after a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee business meeting on Sept. 19, 2024, in Washington.
    Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., left, speaks with Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., right, after a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee business meeting on Sept. 19, 2024, in Washington. Sanders and Markey have reintroduced two bills that would increase salaries and wages for teachers and support staff, as policy changes have affected the K-12 landscape.
    Mariam Zuhaib/AP
    Federal The Push for a $60K Minimum Salary for Teachers Has Reached Congress—Again
    Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Edward Markey, D-Mass., have reintroduced education bills that would increase minimum salaries for teachers and the minimum wage for support staff.
    Jennifer Vilcarino, July 28, 2025
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    4 min read
    President Donald Trump speaks during a summit at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium on July 23, 2025, in Washington.
    President Donald Trump speaks during a summit at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium on July 23, 2025, in Washington.
    Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
    Education Funding Trump Abruptly Unfreezes All of the Education Funds He Had Withheld
    More than $5 billion in previously-frozen federal funds will start flowing next week.
    Mark Lieberman, July 25, 2025
    •
    4 min read
    Teachers Deimy Labrador, top, and Emily Ledesma read with children in an Early Head Start class supporting kids with developmental delays at Easterseals South Florida, an organization that gets about a third of its funding from the federal government Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Miami.
    Teachers Deimy Labrador, top, and Emily Ledesma read with children in an Early Head Start class supporting kids with developmental delays at Easterseals South Florida, an organization that gets about a third of its funding from the federal government Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025, in Miami. Head Start grantees in Florida and across the country now have questions over how these programs will work moving forward under new restrictions barring undocumented students from enrollment.
    Rebecca Blackwell/AP
    Federal Head Start Grantees Scramble for Clarity on Undocumented Students Rule Change
    While Head Start programs across the country operate as business usual for now, a lack of guidance over a policy change raises questions.
    Ileana Najarro, July 23, 2025
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    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
Read More