Policy & Politics

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the legislation, guidance, policies and people involved in federal and state government
Education Funding Education Week's 2025 Word of the Year Is ...
Trump's efforts to reshape the federal role in education caused uncertainty for schools.
Evie Blad & Mark Lieberman
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6 min read
Education Funding Congress Revived a Fund for Rural Schools. Their Struggles Aren't Over
Federal funds will again flow to districts with national forest land—but broader funding uncertainties remain.
Mark Lieberman
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6 min read
Education Funding Amid Cancellations and Legal Fights, Trump Admin. Awards New Mental Health Grants
The grants came from a competition the Ed. Dept. redesigned to erase Biden administration priorities.
Matthew Stone
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3 min read
Education Funding Federal Funds for Community Schools Fall Victim to a New Round of Trump Cuts
The latest round of grant cuts hits a program that helps schools provide more social services on site.
Mark Lieberman
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6 min read
Parents attend a basic facts bee at Stevenson Elementary School in Southfield, Mich., on Feb. 28, 2024.
Parents attend a "basic facts" bee at Stevenson Elementary School in Southfield, Mich., on Feb. 28, 2024. The school has been a recipient of a federal Full-Services Community Schools grant that has allowed it to add an on-site health clinic, a parent-resource room, a therapy dog, and other services parents would otherwise have to seek elsewhere.
Samuel Trotter for Education Week
Law & Courts How One Lawyer Helped Reshape Special Education at the Supreme Court
A documentary follows a lawyer behind major Supreme Court wins for students with disabilities.
Mark Walsh
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9 min read
Roman Martinez, an attorney with Latham & Watkins, is featured in the Bloomberg Law documentary 'Supreme Advocacy.'
Roman Martinez, a Washington lawyer who has played a role in four U.S. Supreme Court cases about the rights of special education students, is featured in the Bloomberg Law documentary "Supreme Advocacy."
via YouTube
States Utah Repeals Ban on Collective Bargaining for Teachers and Other Workers
Gov. Spencer Cox approved the repeal of a policy experts called one of the country's most restrictive labor laws.
The Associated Press
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2 min read
Salt Lake Education Association Vice President Chelsie Acosta cheers with other educators and union members in opposition to HB 267: Public Sector Labor Union Amendments, at the Capitol in Salt Lake City, Utah, Jan. 31, 2025.
Salt Lake Education Association Vice President Chelsie Acosta cheers with other educators and union members in opposition to HB 267: Public Sector Labor Union Amendments, at the Capitol in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Jan. 31, 2025. HB 267 banned collective bargaining by teachers and many other public-sector workers. The Utah legislature has repealed the law.
Laura Seitz/Deseret News via AP
Federal The Ed. Dept.'s Research Clout Is Waning. Could a Bipartisan Bill Reinvigorate It?
Advanced education research has bipartisan support even as the federal role in it is on the wane.
Sarah D. Sparks
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5 min read
Learning helps to achieve goals and success, motivation or ambition to learn new skills, business education concept, smart businessman climbing on a stack of books to see the future.
Fahmi Ruddin Hidayat/iStock/Getty

Events

Tue., December 16, 2025, 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. ET
School & District Management Webinar Squeeze More Learning Time Out of the School Day
Learn how to increase learning time for your students by identifying and minimizing classroom disruptions.
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Reading & Literacy Webinar Improve Reading Comprehension: Three Tools for Working Memory Challenges
Discover three working memory workarounds to help your students improve reading comprehension and empower them on their reading journey.
Content provided by Solution Tree
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Wed., January 21, 2026, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
Recruitment & Retention Webinar EdRecruiter 2026 Survey Results: How School Districts are Finding and Keeping Talent
Discover the latest K-12 hiring trends from EdWeek’s nationwide survey of job seekers and district HR professionals.
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More Policy & Politics

  • IQ test, paper sheet with test answer on the table
    iStock/Getty
    Law & Courts Supreme Court Weighs IQ Tests and Other School Records in Key Death Penalty Case
    The court weighs the proper role of IQ tests for defendants claiming an intellectual disability.
    Mark Walsh, December 11, 2025
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    8 min read
    Education Secretary Rod Paige talks to reporters during a hastily called news conference at the Department of Education in Washington Wednesday, April 9, 2003, regarding his comments favoring schools that appreciate "the values of the Christian community." Paige said he wasn't trying to impose his religious views on others and said "I don't think I have anything to apologize for. What I'm doing is clarifying my remarks."
    Education Secretary Rod Paige speaks to reporters during a news conference at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington on April 9, 2003. Paige, who led the department during President George W. Bush's first term, died Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, at 92.
    Gerald Herbert/AP
    Federal Obituary Rod Paige, Nation's First African American Secretary of Education, Dies at 92
    Under Paige’s leadership, the Department of Education rolled out the landmark No Child Left Behind law.
    The Associated Press, December 10, 2025
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    4 min read
    Attendees listen to a eulogy during a memorial for Charlie Kirk hosted by the University of Texas at Dallas chapter of Turning Point USA, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in Richardson, Texas.
    Attendees listen to a eulogy during a memorial for Charlie Kirk hosted by the University of Texas at Dallas chapter of Turning Point USA, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in Richardson, Texas.
    Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News via TNS
    States Texas Gov. Abbott Wants 'Disciplinary Action' for Schools That Resist Turning Point USA
    He endorsed growing the footprint of the late Charlie Kirk's organization in the state's high schools.
    Philip Jankowski, The Dallas Morning News, December 9, 2025
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    1 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
    Policy & Politics Opinion Standing Up to Education Groupthink
    Why is it so hard to push back on popular ideas in education, even when it’s sorely needed?
    Rick Hess, December 9, 2025
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    7 min read
    A U.S. Supreme Court police officer walks in front of the Supreme Court amid renovations as the justices hear oral arguments on President Donald Trump's push to expand control over independent federal agencies in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 8, 2025.
    A U.S. Supreme Court police officer walks in front of the court amid renovations in Washington, on Dec. 8, 2025. The court took several actions in education cases, including ordering a lower court to take a fresh look at a lawsuit challenging a New York state law that ended religious exemptions to school vaccinations.
    J. Scott Applewhite/AP
    Law & Courts Supreme Court Orders New Review of Religious Exemptions to School Vaccines
    The U.S. Supreme Court ordered a new look in a school vaccination case and declined to review library book removals.
    Mark Walsh, December 8, 2025
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    6 min read
    A student visits a sensory room at a Topeka, KS elementary school, on Nov. 3, 2021.
    A student visits a sensory room at an elementary school in Topeka, Kan., on Nov. 3, 2021. Schools have expanded their student mental health services in recent years, many with support from hundreds of millions of dollars in federal grants that the Trump administration pulled earlier this year and have since been caught up in legal proceedings.
    Charlie Riedel/AP
    Education Funding A Guide to Where School Mental Health Grants Stand After a New Legal Twist
    Temporary relief for one set of projects raises questions for other initiatives vying for federal money.
    Matthew Stone, December 8, 2025
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    5 min read
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Resources

Artificial Intelligence Spotlight Spotlight on AI in Education: Save Time, Scale Programs, and Prioritize The Human Connection
This Spotlight will explore how AI is helping educators save time, scale programs, and refocus on what matters most—students.
School & District Management Quiz Quiz Yourself: Can You Decode the Latest K-12 Buzzwords and Acronyms?
Education-speak evolves daily—can you translate the latest K-12 terms and trends?
Special Education Spotlight Spotlight on MTSS in Practice: From Life Skills to Learning Strategies
This Spotlight focuses on MTSS, providing a framework to support both students and educators across a range of needs and settings.
Student Achievement Spotlight Spotlight on Unlocking Potential: How Interventions Transform Learning
This Spotlight explores how interventions can shape student outcomes, with a focus on supporting older students who struggle with reading.
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  • Students attend Bow Memorial School in Bow, N.H. on Oct. 29, 2025. Bow Memorial School is a middle school that has developed a systematic approach to addressing foundational reading gaps in middle school students.
    Though states have put an emphasis on reading intervention, most don't specify how to help students beyond grade 3. Older students may need more support on vocabulary development, or understanding how word parts convey meaning. Middle school students learn about suffixes at Bow Memorial School in Bow, N.H. on Oct. 29, 2025. The school has developed a systematic approach to addressing foundational reading gaps in grades 5-8.
    Sophie Park for Education Week
    States State Reading Laws Focus on K-3. What About Older Students Who Struggle?
    Should lawmakers push reading legislation to address the needs of students beyond elementary grades?
    Evie Blad, November 24, 2025
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    8 min read
    Collage style illustration showing a large hand pointing to the right, while a small male pulls up an arrow filled with money and pushes with both hands to reverse it toward the right side of the frame.
    DigitalVision Vectors + Getty
    Federal From Our Research Center Trump Shifted CTE to the Labor Dept. What Has That Meant for Schools?
    What educators think of shifting CTE to another federal agency could preview how they'll view a bigger shuffle.
    Alyson Klein, November 21, 2025
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    3 min read
    The U.S. Department of Education building is pictured in a double exposure on Oct. 24, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
    The U.S. Department of Education building is pictured in a double exposure on Oct. 24, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
    Maansi Srivastava for Education Week
    Federal Video Here’s What the Ed. Dept. Upheaval Will Mean for Schools
    The Trump administration took significant steps this week toward eliminating the U.S. Department of Education.
    Mark Lieberman & Yi-Jo Shen, November 21, 2025
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    1 min read
    The U.S. Department of Education building is seen behind the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial on Oct. 24, 2025 in Washington, D.C.
    The U.S. Department of Education building is seen behind the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial on Oct. 24, 2025 in Washington, D.C. The department is shifting many of its functions to four other federal agencies as the Trump administration tries to downsize it. State education chiefs stand to be most directly affected.
    Maansi Srivastava for Education Week
    Federal What State Education Chiefs Think as Trump Moves Programs Out of the Ed. Dept.
    The department's announcement this week represents a consequential structural change for states.
    Brooke Schultz, November 20, 2025
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    6 min read
    Illustration of scissors, glue, a ruler, and pencils used to create a cut paper collage forming a small school.
    iStock/Getty
    School Choice & Charters Opinion 'This Place Feels Like Me': Why My School District Needed a Microschool
    A superintendent writes about adding a small, flexible learning site to his district's traditional schools.
    George Philhower, November 19, 2025
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    4 min read
    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
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EdWeek Market Brief

Education Market Market Analysis EdWeek Market Brief's Most Popular Stories From 2025
Education companies navigated a cautious and complex market in 2025.
Emma Kate Fittes
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8 min read
Meeting District Needs K-12 Insider Here's How One California Superintendent is Navigating the State's Biggest K-12 Challenges
From building a housing project to adopting new math materials, Michael McLaughlin's hands are full.
Michelle Caffrey
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11 min read
Education Market Market Analysis What California K-12 Districts Will Need From Vendors in 2026
The state's funding outlook is buoyed by higher tax revenues, but it's unclear how long the boost will last.
Michelle Caffrey
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18 min read
Strategy & Operations K-12 Dealmaking Parallel Raises $20M in Series B Funding; Tyler Technologies Scoops Up Edulink
Special education company Parallel raised $20 million in Series B funding, the company announced.
Michelle Caffrey
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2 min read
Read More