Policy & Politics

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the legislation, guidance, policies and people involved in federal and state government
Federal Opinion What Our Students Deserve From New Homeland Security Secretary Mullin
The National Academy of Education calls for policy changes to ensure safer learning environments.
National Academy of Education Board of Directors
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5 min read
Federal Melania Trump Shares the Spotlight With a Robot at White House Education Event
The humanoid robot Figure 03 made history as the first robot to walk the White House red carpet.
The Associated Press
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1 min read
Education Funding Common Questions About Education Funding
Education Week has answered some of the most common questions about education funding in the United States.
Maya Riser-Kositsky
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1 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
Bryan Najera holds a sign during a House Education K-12 subcommittee meeting Tuesday, March 11, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn.
Bryan Najera holds a sign during a House Education K-12 subcommittee meeting Tuesday, March 11, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. Tennessee lawmakers are debating amended legislation, originally introduced last year, to collect students' immigration information.
George Walker IV/AP
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
The U.S. Department of Education building is pictured on Oct. 24, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
The U.S. Department of Education building is pictured on Oct. 24, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The agency said Thursday it will move to a different building starting this summer.
Maansi Srivastava for Education Week
Federal Q&A Why the Heritage Foundation Is Targeting Plyler v. Doe
Lora Ries explains how the Supreme Court could overturn the 1982 Plyler v. Doe decision.
Ileana Najarro
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4 min read
A woman embraces her child outside a House hearing room during protests against a bill that would allow public and charter schools to deny immigrant students from enrolling for classes in Nashville, Tenn., March 11, 2025.
A woman embraces her child outside a hearing room at the Tennessee State Capitol during protests against a bill that would have allowed public and charter schools to deny immigrant students from enrolling in school, in Nashville, Tenn., on March 11, 2025. Lawmakers are expected to vote on an amended version of the bill that would require schools to collect students' immigration status information.
George Walker IV/AP
Education Funding Arts Education Advocates Talk About How to Elevate Their Discipline
Art education community members come together to discuss funding challenges and opportunities.
Jennifer Vilcarino
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3 min read
DSC 4497
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 24: National arts education leaders, advocates, and policymakers gather for a couple of hours at the University Club on March 24, 2026 in Washington.
Marvin Joseph for Education Week

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How should districts govern AI in schools? Learn practical strategies for policies, safety, transparency, as well as responsible adoption.
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The Science of Reading transformed K-3 literacy. Now it's time to extend that focus to students in grades 6 through 12.
Content provided by STARI
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Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
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More Policy & Politics

  • 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
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    5 min read
    Commuters walk past the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Eduction, which were ordered closed for the day for what officials described as security reasons amid large-scale layoffs, on March 12, 2025, in Washington.
    The U.S. Department of Education spent up to $38 million last year to pay civil rights staffers who remained on administrative leave while the agency tried to lay them off.
    Mark Schiefelbein/AP
    Federal Ed. Dept. Paid Civil Rights Staffers Up to $38 Million as It Tried to Lay Them Off
    A report from Congress' watchdog looks into the Trump Admin.'s efforts to downsize the Education Department.
    Alyson Klein, February 3, 2026
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    5 min read
    20260203 AMX US NEWS COULD TEXAS SCHOOL VOUCHER PROGRAM 1 DA
    Enrollment in private school choice programs has grown quickly around the country in recent years. Applications open this month for Texas' newly created private school choice program, the largest such program in the country. Private "microschools"—such as the Humanist Academy in Irving, Texas, shown on Jan. 8, 2026—could benefit.
    Juan Figueroa/ The Dallas Morning News via Tribune Content Agency
    School Choice & Charters Where Private School Choice Enrollment—and Spending—Is Surging
    States have devoted billions of dollars recently in public funds families can use on private schooling.
    Mark Lieberman, February 3, 2026
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    13 min read
    Congress Shutdown 26034657431919
    Congress has passed a budget that rejects the Trump administration’s proposals to slash billions of dollars from federal education investments, ending a partial government shutdown. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and fellow House Republican leaders speak ahead of a key budget vote on Feb. 3, 2026.
    AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
    Education Funding Congress Has Passed an Education Budget. See How Key Programs Are Affected
    Federal funding for low-income students and special education will remain level year over year.
    Mark Lieberman, February 3, 2026
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    2 min read
    Photo collage of 3 photos. Clockwise from left: Scarlett Rasmussen, 8, tosses a ball with other classmates underneath a play structure during recess at Parkside Elementary School on May 17, 2023, in Grants Pass, Ore. Chelsea Rasmussen has fought for more than a year for her daughter, Scarlett, to attend full days at Parkside. A proposed ban on transgender athletes playing female school sports in Utah would affect transgender girls like this 12-year-old swimmer seen at a pool in Utah on Feb. 22, 2021. A Morris-Union Jointure Commission student is seen playing a racing game in the e-sports lab at Morris-Union Jointure Commission in Warren, N.J., on Jan. 15, 2025.
    Federal education grant terminations and disruptions during the Trump administration's first year touched programs training teachers, expanding social services in schools, bolstering school mental health services, and more. Affected grants were spread across more than a dozen federal agencies.
    Clockwise from left: Lindsey Wasson; Michelle Gustafson for Education Week
    Education Funding Trump Slashed Billions for Education in 2025. See Our List of Affected Grants
    We've tabulated the grant programs that have had awards terminated over the past year. See our list.
    Mark Lieberman, January 27, 2026
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    8 min read
    Federal Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Polarized Do You Think Educators Are?
    The EdWeek Research Center examined the degree to which K-12 educators are split along partisan lines. Quiz yourself and see the results.
    Elle Butler, January 27, 2026
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    1 min read
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Resources

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.
Sponsor
School & District Management Sponsor Supercharged by STEM Learning: How FIRST® Robotics Boosted Volusia County Students’ State Exam Scores by 50%
Hands-on STEM programming developed by the global, youth-serving nonprofit, FIRST, is proven to improve test scores, build self-confidence, and prepare student participants for real-world success.
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.
Special Education Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About the Keys to Successful Dyslexia Education?
Answer 7 questions about the keys to successful dyslexia education
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  • The US Capitol is seen on Jan. 22, 2026, in Washington. Another federal shutdown that could impact education looms and could begin as soon as this weekend.
    The U.S. Capitol is seen on Jan. 22, 2026, in Washington. Another federal shutdown that could affect education looms if senators don't pass a funding bill by this weekend.
    Mariam Zuhaib/AP
    Federal Could Another Federal Shutdown Affect Education? What We Know
    After federal agents shot a Minneapolis man on Saturday, Democrats are now pulling support for a spending bill due by Friday.
    Mark Lieberman, January 26, 2026
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    5 min read
    Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee speaks during a news conference Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn.. Lee presented the Education Freedom Scholarship Act of 2024, his administration's legislative proposal to establish statewide universal school choice.
    Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee speaks in favor of establishing a statewide, universal private school choice program on Nov. 28, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. Tennessee lawmakers passed that proposal, and Lee is also opting Tennessee into the first federal tax-credit scholarship program that will make publicly funded private school scholarships available to families. Tennessee is one of 21 participating states and counting.
    George Walker IV/AP
    School Choice & Charters Federal Program Will Bring Private School Choice to At Least 4 New States
    More state decisions on opting into the first federal private school choice program are rolling in.
    Matthew Stone, January 26, 2026
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    6 min read
    Students sit on bleachers after science, technology, engineering and mathematics activities, facilitated by the Kentucky Science Center, in Simpsonville Elementary School, Nov. 18, 2025, in Simpsonville, Ky.
    Students sit on bleachers after STEM activities facilitated by the Kentucky Science Center at Simpsonville Elementary School in Simpsonville, Ky., on Nov. 18, 2025. The school district serving Simpsonville is one of nine in north-central Kentucky that was able to hire new school counselors with the help of a federal grant that the Trump administration terminated last year.
    Jon Cherry/AP
    Law & Courts The Stark Divide in the States Recouping K-12 Grants Cut by Trump's Ed. Dept.
    A fifth of lawsuits challenging Trump admin. education policies have come from multistate coalitions.
    Matthew Stone, January 22, 2026
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    8 min read
    Ten Commandments Texas 25322117067170
    A Ten Commandments poster is seen with boxes of others before they were delivered to local public schools in New Braunfels, Texas, on Monday, Nov. 17, 2025. A federal appeals court appears open to reviving blocked Ten Commandments school laws in Louisiana and Texas.
    AP Photo/Eric Gay
    Law & Courts Full Appeals Court Signals Openness to Ten Commandments Classroom Laws
    The full 5th Circuit seemed sympathetic to unblocking two laws requiring Ten Commandments displays.
    Mark Walsh, January 21, 2026
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    5 min read
    Photo collage of U.S. Capitol building and currency.
    iStock
    Education Funding Rebuking Trump, Congress Moves to Maintain Most Federal Education Funding
    Funding for key programs like Title I and IDEA are on track to remain level year over year.
    Mark Lieberman, January 20, 2026
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    8 min read
    swingspaces pgk 31
    Education Funding In Trump's First Year, At Least $12 Billion in School Funding Disruptions
    The administration's cuts to schools came through the Education Department and other agencies.
    Mark Lieberman, January 16, 2026
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    9 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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