Policy & Politics

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the legislation, guidance, policies and people involved in federal and state government
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
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
Federal Ed. Dept. Moves to Shutter Its Office for English Learners
Officials plan to move all federal English-learner programs and duties out of a standalone office.
Ileana Najarro
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6 min read
A photograph of a letter from the United States Department of Education dated February 13, 2026 stating that "This letter officially provides such notice of her proposal, including rationale, to redelegate OELA's programs and duties to other offices, thereby dissolving the need for a standalone OELA."
Gina Tomko/Education Week via Canva
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
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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

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More Policy & Politics

  • The Supreme Court building is seen on April 30, 2025, in Washington.
    The U.S. Supreme Court building is seen on April 30, 2025, in Washington. The high court recently declined to pause a ruling allowing a South Carolina transgender student to use restrooms consistent with his gender identity.
    Mark Schiefelbein/AP
    Law & Courts Supreme Court Rejects Bid to Block Transgender Boy From Male Restrooms at School
    A divided Supreme Court declined to pause an injunction blocking a South Carolina law as it applied to a transgender male student.
    Mark Walsh, September 10, 2025
    •
    2 min read
    Stonewall Jackson High School in Shenandoah County.
    The Shenandoah County, Va. school board voted in May 2024 to rename Mountain View High School as Stonewall Jackson High School and Honey Run Elementary as Ashby Lee Elementary four years after the names had been removed. Now, a judge has found the decision to rename the high school violated students' free speech rights.
    <a href="https://virginiamercury.com/2025/09/10/federal-judge-says-restoring-stonewall-jackson-name-at-shenandoah-school-violates-students-rights/" target="_blank" link-data="{&quot;cms.site.owner&quot;:{&quot;_ref&quot;:&quot;00000173-0561-d1f0-a17f-adef4bee0000&quot;,&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;ae3387cc-b875-31b7-b82d-63fd8d758c20&quot;},&quot;cms.content.publishDate&quot;:1757538383770,&quot;cms.content.publishUser&quot;:{&quot;_ref&quot;:&quot;00000173-e988-d25a-a7ff-f9cb2a4c0000&quot;,&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;6aa69ae1-35be-30dc-87e9-410da9e1cdcc&quot;},&quot;cms.content.updateDate&quot;:1757538383770,&quot;cms.content.updateUser&quot;:{&quot;_ref&quot;:&quot;00000173-e988-d25a-a7ff-f9cb2a4c0000&quot;,&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;6aa69ae1-35be-30dc-87e9-410da9e1cdcc&quot;},&quot;link&quot;:{&quot;disableUtmTracking&quot;:false,&quot;target&quot;:&quot;NEW&quot;,&quot;attributes&quot;:[],&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://virginiamercury.com/2025/09/10/federal-judge-says-restoring-stonewall-jackson-name-at-shenandoah-school-violates-students-rights/&quot;,&quot;_id&quot;:&quot;00000199-3573-d4d3-a7db-f77343390000&quot;,&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;ff658216-e70f-39d0-b660-bdfe57a5599a&quot;},&quot;linkText&quot;:&quot;Courtesy of Nathaniel Cline/Virginia Mercury&quot;,&quot;theme.brightspot-theme-default.:core:enhancement:Enhancement.hbs.enhancementAlignment&quot;:null,&quot;theme.brightspot-theme-default.:core:link:Link.hbs._template&quot;:null,&quot;theme.brightspot-theme-default.:core:link:Link.hbs.type&quot;:null,&quot;theme.brightspot-theme-default.:core:link:Link.hbs._preset&quot;:null,&quot;theme.brightspot-theme-default.:core:enhancement:Enhancement.hbs._preset&quot;:null,&quot;_id&quot;:&quot;00000199-3573-d4d3-a7db-f77342e50001&quot;,&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;809caec9-30e2-3666-8b71-b32ddbffc288&quot;}">Courtesy of Nathaniel Cline/Virginia Mercury</a>
    Law & Courts School's Confederate Name Violates Students' Free Speech, Judge Says
    The district was the first to reverse course and bring back Confederate names for its schools. The litigation is ongoing.
    Brooke Schultz, September 10, 2025
    •
    3 min read
    Vector illustration of a man in a suit with flashlight looking into hole in the shape of a dollar sign.
    DigitalVision Vectors
    Law & Courts Schools Sue Trump, But It's Getting Harder for Them to Recoup Money
    Judges have recently ruled against districts as they challenge Ed. Dept. funding cuts and threats in court.
    Brooke Schultz, September 10, 2025
    •
    7 min read
    A stylized, faceless student has a smooth, open head with a glowing smartphone rising from it, symbolizing the smart phone and social media's impact on NAEP scores.
    Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty Images
    Standards & Accountability Opinion Student Test Scores Keep Falling. What’s Really to Blame?
    There’s strong circumstantial evidence pointing to a particular culprit. (Hint: It’s not the pandemic.)
    Martin R. West, September 9, 2025
    •
    5 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 The Biggest Things People Don’t Know About School Choice
    The school choice debate is rife with urban myths and dubious claims.
    Rick Hess, September 9, 2025
    •
    8 min read
    A teacher at Audrey H. Lawson Middle School in Houston, Texas, marks a grade on a class worksheet on Sept. 6, 2023.
    A teacher at Audrey H. Lawson Middle School in Houston marks a grade on a worksheet on Sept. 6, 2023. Texas lawmakers have passed a bill that would drop the state's once-a-year STAAR test in favor of a model in which students are tested three times a year.
    Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle via AP
    States The Future of Annual State Testing Is in the Trump Admin.’s Hands
    The Ed. Dept. has invited states to request waivers from accountability requirements.
    Brooke Schultz, September 8, 2025
    •
    7 min read
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