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
•
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
•
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 first grade classroom at a school in Colorado Springs, on Feb. 12, 2026.
    A 1st grade classroom at a school in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Feb. 12, 2026. The U.S. Department of Education released a proposal to rework a decades-old program charged with helping states and school districts problem-solve and deploy new initiatives, calling the current structure “duplicative” and “confusing.”
    Kevin Mohatt for Education Week
    Federal Ed. Dept. Wants to Revamp Assistance Program It Calls 'Duplicative,' 'Confusing'
    The department's Comprehensive Centers have already been through a year of shakeups.
    Matthew Stone, March 2, 2026
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    3 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 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
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    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
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    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
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    4 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.
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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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  • U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon is interviewed by Indiana’s Secretary of Education Katie Jenner during the 2025 Reagan Institute Summit on Education in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 18, 2025.
    U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, pictured here in Washington on Sept. 18, 2025, has granted Iowa a partial waiver from provisions of the Every Student Succeeds Act, saying the move is a step toward the Trump administration's goal of "returning education to the states." The waiver allows Iowa some additional flexibility in how it spends the limited portion of federal education funds used by the state department of education.
    Leah Millis for Education Week
    States McMahon Touts Funding Flexibility for Iowa That Falls Short of Trump Admin. Goal
    The Ed. Dept. is allowing the state education agency to consolidate small sets of funds from four grants.
    Mark Lieberman, January 7, 2026
    •
    6 min read
    Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill speaks during a press conference on Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Baton Rouge, La. Murrill teamed up with the Trump administration to ask a judge to end a decades-old desegregation order under which the state's DeSoto Parish Schools were under federal oversight.
    Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill speaks during a press conference on Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Baton Rouge, La. Murrill teamed up with the Trump administration to ask a judge to end a decades-old desegregation order under which the state's DeSoto Parish Schools were under federal oversight.
    Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate via AP
    Law & Courts Judge Ends School Desegregation Order at Trump Administration's Request
    The decision ends decades of federal oversight to ensure schools' compliance with the order to desegregate.
    Patrick Wall, The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate, January 7, 2026
    •
    4 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 Who Are the Nation's Top Education Scholars?
    The RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings recognize researchers who shape practice and policy.
    Rick Hess, January 7, 2026
    •
    2 min read
    Students carrying pride flags and transgender flags leave Great Oak High School on Sept. 22, 2023, in Temecula, Calif., 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 flags and transgender flags leave Great Oak High School on Sept. 22, 2023, in Temecula, Calif., 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. But many districts in California follow a state policy limiting when schools can inform parents about a student's gender identity without the student's consent.
    Anjali Sharif-Paul/The Orange County Register via AP
    Law & Courts Appeals Court Blocks Ruling Bolstering Parental Rights Over Gender Identity
    A federal appeals court blocked a groundbreaking ruling over the disclosure of students' gender identities.
    Mark Walsh, January 6, 2026
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    4 min read
    Stephon Thompson, an administrator at Stevenson Elementary School, directs students through the doors at the beginning of the school day in Southfield, Mich., on Feb. 28, 2024.
    Stephon Thompson directs students through the doors at the beginning of the school day at Stevenson Elementary School in Southfield, Mich., on Feb. 28, 2024. The school has added on-site social services in recent years as a community school. The Trump administration has recently discontinued 19 federal grants that help schools become local service hubs for students and their families.
    Samuel Trotter for Education Week
    Education Funding Educator Layoffs Loom as Canceled Community Schools Grants Remain in Limbo
    Three legal challenges and bipartisan backlash have followed the Trump administration's funding cuts.
    Mark Lieberman, January 6, 2026
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    5 min read
    Illustration in blue of huge hands holding money as silhouette people run towards it.
    iStock/Getty
    Education Funding Video School Funding: The 3 Big Questions to Watch in 2026
    2025 was a disruptive year for school funding, here's what we're anticipating in the year ahead.
    Mark Lieberman & Yi-Jo Shen, January 6, 2026
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    2:13
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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
•
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
•
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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