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
•
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
•
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
•
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
•
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
•
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

  • 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
    •
    7 min read
    Right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones speaks to the media after arriving at the federal courthouse for a hearing in front of a bankruptcy judge on June 14, 2024, in Houston.
    Right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones speaks to the media outside a federal courthouse on June 14, 2024, in Houston. The U.S. Supreme Court this week declined to hear his appeal of a $1.4 billion judgment over his allegations that the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn., was staged.
    David J. Phillip/AP
    Law & Courts Supreme Court Again Declines a Case on School Gender Identity Policies
    The U.S. Supreme Court refused to review a case on purported school gender-identity policies, as well as two other education-related appeals
    Mark Walsh, October 14, 2025
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    5 min read
    The exterior of the U.S. Department of Education building is pictured on Oct. 11, 2025, in Washington.
    The exterior of the U.S. Department of Education building is pictured on Oct. 11, 2025, in Washington. The agency on Tuesday told more than 250 office for civil rights employees they've been laid off, just days after starting another round of layoffs during the federal government shutdown.
    Aaron M. Sprecher via AP
    Federal Ed. Dept. Tells More Than 250 Civil Rights Staff They've Been Laid Off
    The layoffs come just days after the agency began a new round of staff reductions during the shutdown.
    Brooke Schultz, October 14, 2025
    •
    4 min read
    Itinerant teacher April Wilson works with Zion Stewart at Bond County Early Childhood Center in Greenville, Ill., on Sept. 29, 2025.
    Teacher April Wilson, who works with visually impaired students, works with a student at Bond County Early Childhood Center in Greenville, Ill., on Sept. 29, 2025. The latest round of layoffs at the U.S. Department of Education will leave the federal office of special education programs with few staffers.
    Michael B. Thomas for Education Week
    Federal Ed. Dept. Offices Will Be Virtually Wiped Out in Latest Layoffs
    The U.S. Department of Education is losing about a fifth of its already diminished workforce.
    Mark Lieberman & Brooke Schultz, October 13, 2025
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    9 min read
    Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought speaks to reporters after Democratic and Republican Congressional leaders met with President Donald Trump at the White House on Sept. 29, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
    Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought speaks to reporters after Democratic and Republican congressional leaders met with President Donald Trump at the White House on Sept. 29, 2025. Vought announced Friday that federal layoffs during the shutdown have begun, and those layoffs will hit the U.S. Department of Education.
    Allison Bailey/NurPhoto via AP
    Federal A New Wave of Federal Layoffs Will Hit the Education Department
    Multiple divisions will lose staff members, according to the union representing agency staffers.
    Brooke Schultz, October 10, 2025
    •
    3 min read
    Penelope Koutoulas holds signs supporting school choice in a House committee meeting on education during a special session of the state legislature Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn.
    Penelope Koutoulas holds signs supporting school choice in a House committee meeting on education during a special session of the state legislature on Jan. 28, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. The federal government has made its biggest push yet for school choice under the Trump administration.
    George Walker IV/AP
    School Choice & Charters Private School Choice Gets Supercharged in Trump's 2nd Term
    At the same time, his administration is pledging to dial back the federal role in education.
    Brooke Schultz, October 9, 2025
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    6 min read
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This Spotlight focuses on supporting teachers and learners navigating key issues in today's ever more complex learning environment.
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  • President Donald Trump signs an executive order regarding education in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Washington, as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, and Education Secretary Linda McMahon watch.
    President Donald Trump signs an executive order regarding education in the Oval Office of the White House on April 23, 2025, as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, and Education Secretary Linda McMahon watch. The Trump administration on Tuesday announced that it's sending many of the Department of Education's K-12 and higher education programs to other federal agencies.
    Alex Brandon/AP
    Federal See Where the Ed. Dept.'s Programs Will Move as the Trump Admin. Downsizes
    Programs overseen by the Ed. Dept. will move to agencies including the Department of Labor.
    Brooke Schultz, Mark Lieberman & Matthew Stone, November 18, 2025
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    1 min read
    Photo of young female aircraft engineer apprentice at work.
    E+
    States Are States Equipped to Track Students’ Paths From Classroom to Career?
    Longitudinal data systems can answer critical questions about workforce priorities—if they're maintained.
    Evie Blad, November 18, 2025
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    4 min read
    U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon is interviewed by Indiana’s Secretary of Education Katie Jenner during the 2025 Reagan Institute Summit on Education in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 18, 2025.
    U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon is interviewed by Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner during the 2025 Reagan Institute Summit on Education in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 18, 2025. The U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday unveiled six agreements moving administration of many of its key functions to other federal agencies.
    Leah Millis for Education Week
    Federal Most K-12 Programs Will Leave Education Department in Latest Downsizing
    The Trump administration announced six agreements to transfer Ed. Dept. programs elsewhere.
    Brooke Schultz, Mark Lieberman & Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, November 18, 2025
    •
    6 min read
    USA Congress with loading icon. Shutdown, political crisis concept.
    DigitalVision Vectors
    Federal The Federal Shutdown Is Over. What Comes Next for Schools?
    Some delayed funds for schools could arrive soon, but questions about future grants remain.
    Mark Lieberman, November 14, 2025
    •
    7 min read
    Instructional coach Kristi Tucker posts notes to the board during a team meeting at Ford Elementary School in Laurens, S.C., on March 10, 2025.
    Instructional coach Kristi Tucker posts notes to the board during a team meeting at Ford Elementary School in Laurens, S.C., on March 10, 2025. The grant funding this training work was among three teacher-preparation grant programs largely terminated by the Trump administration in its first weeks. Eight states filed a lawsuit challenging terminations in two of those programs, and a judge on Thursday said she couldn't restore the discontinued grants but could rule on whether the Trump administration acted legally.
    Bryant Kirk White for Education Week
    Law & Courts A New Twist in the Legal Battle Over Trump's Cancellation of Teacher-Prep Grants
    A district court judge says she'll decide if the Trump administration broke the law.
    Brooke Schultz, November 13, 2025
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    4 min read
    Miniature American flags flutter in wind gusts across the National Mall near the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Nov. 10, 2025.
    Miniature American flags flutter in wind gusts across the National Mall near the Capitol in Washington on Nov. 10, 2025. President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a bill reopening the federal government after a 43-day shutdown.
    J. Scott Applewhite
    Federal Ed. Dept. Layoffs Are Reversed, But Staff Fear Things Won't Return to Normal
    The bill ending the shutdown reverses the early October layoffs of thousands of federal workers.
    Brooke Schultz, November 13, 2025
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    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
•
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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