Policy & Politics

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the legislation, guidance, policies and people involved in federal and state government
Policy & Politics Opinion Who Tops Their Field in the 2026 RHSU Edu-Scholar Rankings?
A scholar's rank within a discipline may be more telling than their place in the overall rankings.
Rick Hess
•
1 min read
States States Are Banning Book Bans. Will It Work?
Approved legislation aims to stop school libraries from removing books for partisan reasons.
Sarah Schwartz
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5 min read
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
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6 min read
Law & Courts School Sports Case Reaches the Supreme Court at a Fraught Time for Trans Rights
The justices will consider state laws that bar transgender girls from participating in female sports.
Mark Walsh
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8 min read
Fifteen year-old Becky Pepper-Jackson tosses a discus at home in West Virginia.
Fifteen-year-old Becky Pepper-Jackson tosses a discus at home in West Virginia. Her challenge to the state’s ban on transgender girls in school sports is now before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Scout Tufankjian/ACLU
Law & Courts Judge Bars Trump Admin. From Purging DEI Terms From Head Start Funding Requests
The federal judge also prohibited further layoffs of staff from the federal Office of Head Start.
The Associated Press
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2 min read
Students ride tricycles during aftercare at a Head Start program run by Easterseals, an organization that gets about a third of its funding from the federal government, Jan. 29, 2025, in Miami.
Students ride tricycles during aftercare at a Head Start program run by Easterseals, an organization that gets about a third of its funding from the federal government, Jan. 29, 2025, in Miami.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
Federal A Major Democratic Group Thinks This Education Policy Is a Winning Issue
An agenda from center-left Democrats could foreshadow how they discuss education on the campaign trail.
Alyson Klein
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4 min read
Students in Chad Wright’s construction program work on measurements at the Regional Occupational Center on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, in Bakersfield, Calif.
Students in Chad Wright’s construction program work on measurements at the Regional Occupational Center on Jan. 11, 2023, in Bakersfield, Calif. A newly released policy agenda from a coalition of center-left Democrats focuses heavily on career training.
Morgan Lieberman for Education Week
Federal Opinion The Federal Government Hasn’t Been Meeting Our Need for Unbiased Ed. Research
Trump’s attacks on data collection are misguided—but that doesn’t mean it was working before.
Rick Hess
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5 min read
The end of a bar chart made of pencils with a line graph drawn over it.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty + Education Week

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More Policy & Politics

  • 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 The 2026 RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Scoring Formula
    Rick Hess unveils the 2026 RHSU Edu-Scholar rankings tomorrow. Here's his methodology.
    Rick Hess, January 6, 2026
    •
    8 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 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
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Resources

Special Education Spotlight Spotlight on Unlocking Potential: Building Resilience and Support for Students with Dyslexia
This Spotlight examines dyslexia, the need for social-emotional support, the value of early screening, and the key role teachers and schools play.
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.
Load More ▼
  • The Tahoe Truckee Unified School district holds a meeting on Dec. 17, 2025, in Truckee, Calif.
    The Tahoe Truckee Unified School district holds a meeting on Dec. 17, 2025, in Truckee, Calif.
    Brooke Hess-Homeier/AP
    States A School District Is 'Stuck' Between 2 States' Competing Trans Athlete Rules
    The district is located in one state, but competes with teams in another that has adopted different rules.
    The Associated Press, December 19, 2025
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    4 min read
    Genesis Olivio and her daughter Arlette, 2, read a book together in a room within the community hub at John H. Amesse Elementary School on March 13, 2024 in Denver. Denver Public Schools has six community hubs across the district that have serviced 3,000 new students since October 2023. Each community hub has different resources for families and students catering to what the community needs.
    Genesis Olivio and daughter Arlette, 2, read a book in one of Denver Public Schools' community hubs in March 2024. The community hubs, which offer food pantries, GED classes, and other services, are similar to what schools across the country have developed with the help of federal Community Schools grants, many of which the U.S. Department of Education has prematurely terminated.
    Rebecca Slezak For Education Week
    Education Funding 'A Gut Punch’: What Trump’s New $168 Million Cut Means for Community Schools
    School districts in 11 states will imminently lose federal funds that help them cover staff salaries.
    Mark Lieberman, December 18, 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
    Federal Opinion Rick Hess' Top 10 Hits of 2025
    In a year full of education news, what cut through the noise?
    Rick Hess, December 18, 2025
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    2 min read
    Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
    Sonia Pulido for Education Week
    Policy & Politics Opinion Larry Ferlazzo’s 10 Education Predictions for 2026
    Gazing into his crystal ball, Larry Ferlazzo divines what's ahead for education next year.
    Larry Ferlazzo, December 18, 2025
    •
    3 min read
    A vial of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is on display at the Lubbock Health Department, Feb. 26, 2025, in Lubbock, Texas.
    A vial of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is on display at the Lubbock Health Department on Feb. 26, 2025, in Lubbock, Texas. A new study examined the degree to which school absences surged during a measles outbreak earlier this year in West Texas.
    Mary Conlon/AP
    States A Study Shows Just How Much School Absences Soar in a Measles Outbreak
    The research offers a glimpse at the toll on student learning from the spread of measles.
    The Associated Press, December 17, 2025
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    4 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
    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, December 15, 2025
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    6 min read
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EdWeek Market Brief

Education Market Market Analysis What's Next: 7 Key Trends to Watch in the Education Market in 2026
EdWeek Market Brief's editorial team offers its predictions on the forces that will shape company's work in schools over the coming year.
Emma Kate Fittes, Michelle Caffrey & Alexandria Ng
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12 min read
Meeting District Needs Exclusive Data District Device Purchasing Holds Steady, With a Shift Toward Maintenance
This is the fourth consecutive year EdWeek Market Brief has published survey results about the devices that districts plan to buy and their funding sources.
Alexandria Ng
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4 min read
Meeting District Needs K-12 Insider What Superintendents Want From AI: Build for Central Office Efficiency
While most AI tools target classrooms, one superintendent shares how he uses AI in leadership and what’s missing in product development for district leaders.
Alexandria Ng
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5 min read
Financing & Investment K-12 Market News Percentage of K-12 Companies Reporting Revenue Declines Doubles from 2023
The findings come from a new special report from EdWeek Market Brief, “State of the Industry: Breaking Through Economic Barriers.”
Michelle Caffrey
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4 min read
Read More