Policy & Politics

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the legislation, guidance, policies and people involved in federal and state government
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
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
Education Funding Trump Again Proposes Major Education Cuts in New Budget Proposal
The president again wants lawmakers to consider billions in K-12 spending cuts and program eliminations.
Mark Lieberman
•
7 min read
The Senate and the Capitol Dome are illuminated in Washington, early Thursday, April 2, 2026, as Congress meets in a short, pro forma session.
The Senate and the Capitol dome are illuminated in Washington early in the day on Thursday, April 2, 2026. For the second year in a row, the White House budget proposes major cuts to federal education programs that the Republican-led Congress rejected last year.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
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

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More Policy & Politics

  • A commuter walks past the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Education on March 12, 2025, in Washington.
    A commuter walks past the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Education in Washington on March 12, 2025. A federal court sided with the Trump administration this week, allowing it to proceeds with laying off half of the department's office for civil rights.
    Mark Schiefelbein/AP
    Law & Courts Appeals Court Says Ed. Dept. Can Fire Civil Rights Staff
    Office for civil rights employees had already begun returning to work under a court order
    Brooke Schultz, September 30, 2025
    •
    4 min read
    The Capitol is seen during rainy weather just days before federal money runs out which could trigger a government shutdown, in Washington, Sept. 25, 2025.
    The Capitol is seen during rainy weather on Sept. 25, 2025, just days before federal money runs out, which could trigger a government shutdown. A shutdown that lasts even a few days could have ripple effects for schools across the nation.
    J. Scott Applewhite/AP
    Federal How Will a Federal Shutdown Affect Schools? 5 Big Questions, Answered
    School funding could experience yet another setback this year if the federal government closes up shop.
    Mark Lieberman, September 29, 2025
    •
    9 min read
    Protesters gather at the State Capitol in Salem, Ore., on Feb. 18, 2019, calling for education funding during the "March for Our Students" rally.
    Protesters call for education funding in Salem, Ore., on Feb. 18, 2019. The Trump administration has relaunched two school mental health grant programs after abruptly discontinuing the awards in April. Now, the grants will only support efforts to boost the ranks of school psychologists, and not school counselors, social workers, or any other types of school mental health professionals.
    Alex Milan Tracy/Sipa via AP
    Education Funding Trump Admin. Relaunches School Mental Health Grants It Yanked—With a Twist
    The administration abruptly discontinued the grant programs in April, saying they reflected Biden-era priorities.
    Matthew Stone, September 26, 2025
    •
    6 min read
    Vector illustration of a giant pair of scissors coming in the side of the frame about to cut dollar signs that are falling off of a microscope. There is a businessman at the top of a ladder looking down into the microscope at the dollar signs falling off the lense.
    Collage by Gina Tomko/Education Week and Getty
    Education Funding Trump Administration Slashes STEM Education Research Grants
    Some experts say the funding cuts are at odds with the administration's AI learning priorities.
    Alyson Klein, September 26, 2025
    •
    3 min read
    Illustration with figure walking on downward arrow.
    iStock
    Education Funding Districts Lose Millions for This School Year as Trump Ends Desegregation Grants
    Funding will instead go toward grants for mental health services in schools, according to the Trump administration.
    Mark Lieberman, September 25, 2025
    •
    9 min read
    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
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Assess your knowledge of the key factors driving K-12 hiring today.
Artificial Intelligence Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About AI Policy, PD and Practical Use in Your District?
Answer 7 questions about AI Policy, PD and Practical Use in Your District?
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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School & District Management Sponsor Supercharged by STEM Learning: How FIRST® Robotics Boosted Volusia County Students’ State Exam Scores by 50%
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Content provided by FIRST
Mathematics Spotlight Spotlight on Building Foundational Math Skills and Beyond
This Spotlight will provide insights on helping students build foundational math skills.
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  • 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
    Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signs an education overhaul bill into law, March 8, 2023, at the state Capitol in Little Rock, Ark.
    Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signs an education overhaul bill into law on March 8, 2023, at the state Capitol in Little Rock. The law includes a provision targeting critical race theory and other ideologies that state lawmakers considered "discriminatory."
    Andrew DeMillo/AP
    Law & Courts Appeals Court Backs Arkansas Law Targeting Critical Race Theory
    A federal appeals court allowed Arkansas to enforce its law barring teachers from "indoctrination" of students in Critical Race Theory.
    Mark Walsh, July 18, 2025
    •
    3 min read
    The U.S. Capitol is reflected in a puddle outside of the Rayburn House Office Building on July 16, 2025, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
    The U.S. Capitol is reflected in a puddle outside of the Rayburn House Office Building on July 16, 2025, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Education Week contacted hundreds of lawmakers to determine their feelings on the unprecedented step taken by the Trump Administration to withhold education funds approved by Congress.
    Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
    Education Funding We Asked Congress Whether Trump Withholding School Funds Is Legal. Here's What They Said
    All but a few members who voted in March to allocate now-withheld funding didn't respond to the question.
    Mark Lieberman & Maya Riser-Kositsky, July 18, 2025
    •
    9 min read
    Children raise their hands while participating in activities during the East Providence Boys and Girls Club Summer Camp at Emma G. Whiteknact Elementary School on July 10, 2025, in Providence R.I.
    Children raise their hands while participating in activities during the East Providence Boys and Girls Club Students participate in a Boys and Girls Club Summer Camp at Emma G. Whiteknact Elementary School on July 10, 2025, in Providence, R.I. The Boys and Girls Club runs summer camps, and before- and after-school programs, across the country funded with the help of federal education funds.
    Sophie Park/AP
    Education Funding Trump Releases $1.4 Billion He Withheld From After-School Programs
    More than $5 billion for education remains frozen.
    Mark Lieberman, July 18, 2025
    •
    6 min read
    Photo of frozen money,
    Gary Alvis / iStock
    Education Funding What's the Latest on Trump's School Funding Freeze? What We Know and Don't Know
    Billions of federal dollars for education are on hold and might not show up at all.
    Mark Lieberman, July 16, 2025
    •
    12 min read
    Sen. Susan Collins, R,Maine, with Sens. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., left, and Shelly Moore Capito, R-W.Va., center, question Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., during a Senate Committee on Appropriations subcommittee hearing to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2026 for the Department of Health and Human Services, on Capitol Hill, May 20, 2025, in Washington.
    Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, (right) and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., (center) are shown during a Senate subcommittee hearing on May 20, 2025, in Washington. They're among 10 Republican senators who have signed a letter urging the Trump administration to release $6.8 billion in federal education funds it's withheld from states. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., (left) was among 32 Democratic senators to sign a letter urging the same.
    Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
    Education Funding Republicans Urge Trump to Release $6.8 Billion in School Funding He's Held Back
    The funds that were supposed to go out July 1 pay for teacher training, English learner services, after-school programs, and more.
    Mark Lieberman, July 16, 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
•
3 min read
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