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
•
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
•
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
•
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
•
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
•
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

  • President Donald Trump, right, speaks during a news conference with Elon Musk in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Washington.
    President Donald Trump, right, speaks during a news conference with Elon Musk in the Oval Office of the White House on Friday, May 30, 2025, in Washington. Under Musk's leadership, the Department of Government Efficiency spearheaded the abrupt cancellation of dozens of Education Department contracts, including those for the Comprehensive Centers and Regional Educational Laboratories, which a judge found to be illegal.
    Evan Vucci/AP
    Law & Courts Judge Tells Trump Admin. to Restore Some Education Research Programs
    The federal judge found the termination of contracts for the Comprehensive Centers and Regional Educational Laboratories was illegal.
    Matthew Stone, August 18, 2025
    •
    5 min read
    Students for Life of America hold a rally at Supreme Court with multiple members of Congress the night before the court is hearing Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, Nov. 30, 2021.
    Members of Students for Life of America hold a rally at the U.S. Supreme Court on Nov. 30, 2021, the night before the court heard arguments in <i>Dobbs</i> v. <i>Jackson Women's Health Organization</i>, the case in which it removed federal constitutional protection for abortion. This week, a federal appeals court upheld an Indiana school's refusal to allow a student who had started a school chapter of the group to post flyers with anti-abortion messages on school walls.
    Zach D Roberts/NurPhoto via AP
    Law & Courts Appeals Court Backs School in Anti-Abortion Club's Flyer Dispute
    A federal appeals court upheld an Indiana school district's limitation on a Students for Life club's political messages on school walls.
    Mark Walsh, August 15, 2025
    •
    3 min read
    Vector illustration of a large hand holding a contract and a smaller man with a large pen signing the contract while a woman in the background is clutching a gold coin and watching as he signs.
    DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
    Law & Courts Trump Can't Require Schools to Certify They Won't Use DEI, Judge Says
    A federal judge appointed by Trump struck down several efforts made by the U.S. Department of Education to curb educators’ use of DEI.
    Brooke Schultz, August 15, 2025
    •
    4 min read
    School children from New Haven Public Schools visit The Human Footprint gallery on opening day of the expanded and enhanced Yale Peabody Museum on March 26, 2024, in New Haven, Conn.
    School children from New Haven Public Schools visit the Yale Peabody Museum on March 26, 2024, in New Haven, Conn. Federal grant cuts could put similar museum trips and educational programs at risk.
    Diane Bondareff/Yale Peabody Museum via AP
    Education Funding How Schools Will Feel the Federal Funding Cuts to Libraries and Museums
    Cuts to library and museum grants threaten school databases, field trips, and teacher training programs nationwide.
    Ciara Meyer, August 14, 2025
    •
    4 min read
    This is the Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building in Washington, D.C., on Monday, May 5, 2025.
    The Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building in Washington is shown on May 5, 2025. A federal judge who ordered the department to restore laid-off staffers to its office for civil rights says the agency hasn't "substantially complied" with his order.
    Gene J. Puskar/AP
    Law & Courts Ed. Dept. Hasn't Complied With Order to Restore Civil Rights Staff, Judge Says
    The judge also said a high court ruling allowing layoffs at the Education Department shouldn't affect a separate case on agency cutbacks.
    Brooke Schultz, August 13, 2025
    •
    4 min read
    Seen is an image of the hat that was included in the complaint.
    Seen is the “Come and take it” hat, featuring an image of an AR-15 style rifle, that was at the center of the First Amendment lawsuit <i>C.S.</i> v. <i>McCrumb</i>.
    U.S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan Southern Division
    Law & Courts Appeals Court Sides With School in ‘Come and Take It’ Gun Hat Dispute
    A full federal appeals court declined to reconsider a panel's decision backing administrators who required a student to remove her gun hat.
    Mark Walsh, August 13, 2025
    •
    4 min read
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Resources

School & District Management Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Well Do You Speak K-12?
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Answer 7 questions about the key strategies and foundations for building strong writers.
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
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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IT Infrastructure & Management Sponsor The Secret to Maximizing E-Rate and Upgrading Outdated EdTech
BlueAlly and Cisco joined forces to help K–12 leaders maximize significant E-Rate discounts, making high-quality solutions more attainable.
Content provided by BlueAlly
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  • 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
    •
    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
    •
    5 min read
    Benchmark performance, key performance indicator measurement, KPI analysis. Tiny people measure length of market chart bars with big ruler to check profit progress cartoon vector illustration
    iStock/Getty Images
    Standards & Accountability Opinion Do We Know How to Measure School Quality?
    Current rating systems could be vastly improved by adding dimensions beyond test scores.
    Van Schoales, July 23, 2025
    •
    6 min read
    Students ride tricycles during aftercare at a Head Start program run by Easterseals, an organization that gets about a third of its funding from the federal government, Jan. 29, 2025, in Miami.
    Students ride tricycles at a 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. The Trump administration has reclassified Head Start as a "federal public benefit" similar to welfare so it can bar undocumented students from the early childhood program. Twenty-one attorneys general are now suing over that policy change.
    Rebecca Blackwell/AP
    Law & Courts States Sue Over Trump's Ban on Undocumented Youth in Head Start, Early College
    The cost of compliance is so high, the lawsuit argues, some Head Start programs could be forced to close.
    Matthew Stone, July 21, 2025
    •
    4 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
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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
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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
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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
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3 min read
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