Policy & Politics

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the legislation, guidance, policies and people involved in federal and state government
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
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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
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6 min read
States 'Success Sequence' Urges Marriage, Then Parenthood. These States Want Schools to Teach It
The decades-old concept is getting new attention, largely from Republican lawmakers.
Evie Blad
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6 min read
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
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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
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
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

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More Policy & Politics

  • 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
    Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk speaks during a campaign rally, Oct. 24, 2024, in Las Vegas.
    Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk speaks during a campaign rally, Oct. 24, 2024, in Las Vegas. Following Kirk's assassination, Republican leaders are propelling Turning Point USA into K-12 schools.
    John Locher/AP
    States How Charlie Kirk's Turning Point USA Is Expanding Its Reach to K-12 Schools
    The organization has more than 1,000 chapters in high schools across the country.
    Brooke Schultz, September 25, 2025
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    6 min read
    State Superintendent Ryan Walters leaves the Oklahoma State Board of Education meeting on April 25, 2024 in Oklahoma City.
    Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters leaves a state board of education meeting on April 25, 2024 in Oklahoma City. Walters, a conservative firebrand who was constantly in the news during his three years in office, will run an organization that encourages teachers to leave their unions.
    Nick Oxford/Human Rights Campaign via AP
    States Ryan Walters, Okla.’s Fiery Education Chief, to Step Down
    Oklahoma state superintendent announces his resignation after nearly three years of near-constant controversy.
    Andrea Eger, Tulsa World, September 25, 2025
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    3 min read
    Rolled American One Hundred Dollar bills and handsaw cutting the bottom out from under on orange background.
    iStock/Getty
    Education Funding Trump Bypasses Congress and Slashes Hundreds of Education Grants
    More than 200 ongoing projects have seen their remaining grant funding canceled in recent weeks.
    Mark Lieberman, September 24, 2025
    •
    10 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 How Can Education Savings Accounts Serve Students With Special Needs?
    The state that pioneered the ESA is overseeing more than 10,000 requests daily from families for education expenses.
    Rick Hess, September 23, 2025
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    8 min read
    Demonstrators are seen outside the Supreme Court as oral arguments were heard in Mahmoud v. Taylor on April 22, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The case contends that forcing students to participate in LGBTQ+ learning material violates First Amendment rights to exercise religious beliefs.
    Demonstrators are seen outside the Supreme Court as oral arguments were heard in Mahmoud v. Taylor on April 22, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The high court later ruled that parents have a constitutional right to excuse their children from LGBTQ-themed lessons based on religious objections.
    Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images
    Law & Courts LGBTQ+ Rights, Ed. Dept. Cuts, Ten Commandments: A Summer Legal Roundup
    Courts weighed in this summer on LGBTQ+ rights, school speech, and religion in classrooms.
    Mark Walsh, September 22, 2025
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    11 min read
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Resources

School & District Management Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Well Do You Understand The School Boards’ Role in K-12 Purchasing?
Vendors often underestimate how—and when—school boards shape deals. This quiz unpacks what you really need to know.
Families & the Community Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Building Strong School & Home Connections?
Answer 7 questions about building strong family and school connections.
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
Reading & Literacy Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Building Early Literacy Skills?
Answer 7 questions about students' relationships with mathematics.
Content provided by Teaching Strategies
Student Achievement Spotlight Spotlight on MTSS: Pathways to Achievement
This Spotlight will help you explore effective MTSS implementation and strategies for supporting struggling learners.
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  • Education Week opinion letters submissions
    Gwen Keraval for Education Week
    Federal Letter to the Editor Why Publish Arguments Hostile to Public Education?
    A reader pushes back against recent essays published in Education Week Opinion in this letter to the editor.
    August 29, 2025
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    1 min read
    Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker talks with two crossing guards on Aug. 27, 2025, in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago.
    Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker talks with two crossing guards on Aug. 27, 2025, in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago. On Aug. 15, 2025, he signed into law a bill that protects all students' right to a free, public education regardless of immigration status.
    Erin Hooley/AP
    States How This State Is Protecting Undocumented Students’ Right to an Education
    Illinois lawmakers passed a bill locally codifying the 1982 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Plyler v. Doe.
    Ileana Najarro, August 28, 2025
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    4 min read
    Photo illustration of a 100 dollar bill gradually fading to white
    iStock/Getty
    Education Funding Trump Cancels Dozens of Education Grants—With More Terminations on the Horizon
    More than $1 billion in already-awarded grant funding has yet to flow as expected.
    Mark Lieberman, August 27, 2025
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    11 min read
    Penelope Koutoulas holds signs supporting school choice in a House committee meeting on education during a special session of the state legislature Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn.
    Penelope Koutoulas holds signs supporting school choice in a House committee meeting on education during a special session of the Tennessee state legislature on Jan. 28, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. After the passage of the first federal tax-credit scholarship, all states will have to decide whether to opt into the new program.
    George Walker IV/AP
    School Choice & Charters Tracker Federal Private School Choice: Which States Are Opting In?
    Education Week is tracking state decisions on the first major federal program that directs public funds to private schools.
    Matthew Stone, Brooke Schultz & Lynn (Yunfei) Liu, August 27, 2025
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    3 min read
    A newly-constructed gender neutral bathroom is seen at Shawnee Mission East High School, Friday, June 16, 2023, in Prairie Village, Kan.
    A newly-constructed gender-neutral bathroom is seen at Shawnee Mission East High School, Friday, June 16, 2023, in Prairie Village, Kan. The Shawnee Mission school district is one of four in Kansas that the Trump administration has started investigating at the urging of the state's Republican attorney general, Kris Kobach.
    Charlie Riedel/AP
    States Some State Leaders Cheer as Trump's Ed. Dept. Investigates Their Schools
    The use of the office for civil rights for political purposes has been dialed up in the second Trump administration, experts say.
    Brooke Schultz, August 25, 2025
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    6 min read
    Jackson County High School in Kentucky posts the Ten Commandments in the front hall of the school, shown here in 2000, and in every classroom, on June 25, 2025. A group of North Texas reverends filed a federal lawsuit this week to challenge a new state law that would require posting the Ten Commandments in each public school classroom.
    The Ten Commandments is seen on display at Jackson County High School in Kentucky in 2000. On Aug. 20, 2025, a federal judge blocked—in 11 school districts for now—a Texas state law requiring similar displays. Similar state laws in Arkansas and Louisiana have also been halted recently in at least part of each state.
    <a href="https://www.gettyimages.com/search/2/image?artistexact=Lexington%20Herald-Leader">Lexington Herald-Leader</a>/Getty Images
    Law & Courts Judge Blocks Texas Law Requiring Ten Commandments in Schools
    A federal district judge ruled that the Texas law requiring Ten Commandments displays is schools likely violates the First Amendment.
    Mark Walsh, August 20, 2025
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    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
•
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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