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
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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

  • The U.S. Department of Education building is pictured on Oct. 24, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
    The U.S. Department of Education building in Washington is pictured on Oct. 24, 2025. A new report from a department adviser calls for major overhauls to the agency's research arm to facilitate timely research and easier-to-use guides for educators and state leaders.
    Maansi Srivastava for Education Week
    Federal Will the Ed. Dept. Act on Recommendations to Overhaul Its Research Arm?
    An adviser's report called for more coherence and sped-up research awards at the Institute of Education Sciences.
    Stephen Sawchuk & Matthew Stone, February 27, 2026
    •
    6 min read
    As part of the program, the Business students at Donald M. Payne Sr. Tech Campus in Newark, NJ on Feb. 26, 2026m have access to computers with subscriptions to the latest software to help them prepare for the workforce.
    Business students at the Donald M. Payne Sr. School of Technology in Newark, N.J., work in a computer lab on Feb. 25, 2026. A U.S. Department of Education grant was helping students in business and other fields at the school access enrichment programming, college courses, and financial support after graduation. But the department terminated the grant, along with 18 other similar awards across the country, last summer.
    Oliver Farshi for Education Week
    Education Funding The Trump Admin. Says It Supports Career-Tech. Ed. It Canceled CTE Grants Anyway
    Nineteen projects—many in rural areas—lost funding that was helping students prepare for college and careers.
    Mark Lieberman & Lauraine Langreo, February 26, 2026
    •
    12 min read
    Pictures show what mouth shape different sounds make on the walls of Diana Oviedo-Holguin’s class at Heritage Elementary School in San Antonio, Texas, on Sept. 3, 2025.
    Pictures show what mouth shape different sounds make on the walls of Diana Oviedo-Holguin’s class at Heritage Elementary School in San Antonio, Texas, on Sept. 3, 2025. While educators feel relieved that federal dollars for supplemental English-learner resources will continue in the next fiscal year, they remain uncertain for the years to come.
    Noah Devereaux for Education Week
    Education Funding Educators Warn Flat English Learner Funding Falls Short of Growing Demand
    Educators remain uncertain about the future of federal funds for English learners.
    Ileana Najarro, February 26, 2026
    •
    3 min read
    State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley speaks during a news conference at the Knock Knock Children's Museum, in Baton Rouge, La., on Aug. 11, 2021.
    Louisiana schools Superintendent Cade Brumley holds a news conference in Baton Rouge on Aug. 11, 2021. The U.S. Department of Education has approved the state's request for modest flexibility over how districts use federal education funds issued under the Every Student Succeeds Act.
    Bill Feig/The Advocate via AP
    Every Student Succeeds Act Another State Gets Modest Leeway From Ed. Dept. Are More Waivers Coming?
    The Trump administration gave another state more authority to let school districts manage their federal funds.
    Alyson Klein, February 25, 2026
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    4 min read
    President Donald Trump enters to deliver the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026.
    President Donald Trump enters to deliver the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. The president devoted little time in the speech to discussing his education policies.
    Kenny Holston/The New York Times via AP, Pool
    Federal Trump Talks Up AI in State of the Union, But Not Much Else About Education
    The president didn't mention two of his cornerstone education policies from the past year.
    Alyson Klein, February 25, 2026
    •
    4 min read
    School Choice & Charters Video Private School Choice Is Growing. What Comes Next?
    States are investing billions of dollars in public funds for families to use on private schooling.
    Mark Lieberman & Yi-Jo Shen, February 24, 2026
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    1 min read
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Resources

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Science Sponsor Strengthening STEM Education and Workforce Development in Rural America
When it comes to STEM education and workforce development, rural communities are often underserved, overlooked, and left out of the conversation entirely
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School & District Management Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Well Do You Know the K-12 Buying Cycle?
Take this quick quiz to evaluate your understanding of when districts plan, budget, and buy—and how to meet them there.
School Choice & Charters Spotlight Spotlight on The Landscape of Charter Schools
This Spotlight explores the dynamic and evolving world of school choice, focusing on charter schools and private school choice programs.
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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Mathematics Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Effective Math Curriculum?
Answer 5 questions about identifying and implementing effective math curriculum.
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  • 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
    Policy & Politics Opinion What It Takes to Be an Effective Education Scholar
    The 2026 RHSU Scholar Rankings will be released soon. How do the top researchers attain influence?
    Rick Hess, January 5, 2026
    •
    3 min read
    Students carrying pride and transgender flags leave Great Oak High School in Temecula, Calif., on Sept. 22, 2023, after walking out of the school in protest of the Temecula school district policy requiring parents to be notified if their child identifies as transgender.
    Students carrying pride and transgender flags leave Great Oak High School in Temecula, Calif., on Sept. 22, 2023, after walking out of the school in protest of the Temecula school district policy requiring parents to be notified if their child identifies as transgender.
    Anjali Sharif-Paul/The Orange County Register via AP
    Law & Courts Appeals Court Halts Ruling Letting Teachers Disclose Students' Gender Identity
    A federal appeals court has temporarily paused enforcement of the ruling but has not yet decided whether to grant a longer-term stay.
    Kristen Taketa, The San Diego Union-Tribune, January 2, 2026
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    3 min read
    Zohran Mamdani speaks during a victory speech at a mayoral election night watch party on Nov. 4, 2025, in New York.
    Zohran Mamdani speaks during a victory speech at a mayoral election night watch party on Nov. 4, 2025, in New York. The new mayor named a former teacher and principal and current superintendent as chancellor of the city’s public schools.
    Yuki Iwamura/AP
    States Zohran Mamdani Picks Manhattan Superintendent as NYC Schools Chancellor
    Kamar Samuels is a veteran educator of the nation's largest school system.
    Cayla Bamberger & Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, December 31, 2025
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    2 min read
    Randi Weingarten speaks at a press conference at Murrell Dobbins Career & Technical Education High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 2, 2025.
    Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, speaks at a press conference in Philadelphia on Sept. 2, 2025. Weingarten says that cuts to federal education funds by the Trump administration "are only hurting young people."
    Rachel Wisniewski for Education Week
    Education Funding ‘Terminated on a Whim’: The AFT Sues Trump’s Ed. Dept. Over Funding Cuts
    The AFT and a Chicago-area nonprofit argue the cuts happened without following required procedures.
    Lauraine Langreo & Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, December 30, 2025
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    4 min read
    Demonstrators hold up signs protesting an immigration bill as it is discussed in the Senate chamber at the state Capitol Thursday in Nashville, Tenn. The bill would allow public school systems in Tennessee to require K-12 students without legal status in the country to pay tuition or face denial of enrollment, which is a challenge to the federal law requiring all children be provided a free public education regardless of legal immigration status.
    Demonstrators hold up signs protesting an immigration bill as it was discussed in the Senate chamber at the state Capitol in Nashville, Tenn., on April 10, 2025. The bill, which legislators paused, would have allowed schools in the state to require undocumented students to pay tuition. It was one of six efforts taken by states in 2025 to limit undocumented students' access to free, public education.
    John Amis/AP
    States Undocumented Students Still Have a Right to Education. Will That Change in 2026?
    State-level challenges to a landmark 1982 Supreme Court ruling are on the rise.
    Ileana Najarro, December 29, 2025
    •
    5 min read
    Reducing, removing or overcoming financial barriers, financial concept : US dollar bag on a maze puzzle.
    William Potter/iStock
    Education Funding School Mental Health Projects Canceled by Trump Might Still Survive
    The end of funding could still be days away, but a new court order offers some hope for grantees.
    Matthew Stone, December 24, 2025
    •
    6 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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