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
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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
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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
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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
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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

  • EdWeek Federal Funding Interior
    Taylor Callery for Education Week
    Education Funding One Casualty of Trump's $6.8 Billion Funding Freeze: Schools' Trust in the Feds
    Some district leaders are now wary of relying on federal funding—even when Congress has already approved it.
    Mark Lieberman, August 6, 2025
    •
    11 min read
    A copy of the Ten Commandments is posted along with other historical documents in a hallway of the Georgia Capitol, Thursday, June 20, 2024, in Atlanta. Civil liberties groups filed a lawsuit Monday, June 24, challenging Louisiana’s new law that requires the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom.
    A copy of the Ten Commandments is posted along with other historical documents in a hallway of the Georgia Capitol on June 20, 2024, in Atlanta. A judge on Aug. 4 blocked a new Arkansas law requiring a Ten Commandments display in public school classrooms in four districts in the state. Similar laws in Louisiana and Texas are also being challenged in courts.
    John Bazemore/AP
    Law & Courts Judge Blocks Arkansas Law Requiring Ten Commandments Displays in Schools
    A federal judge blocked an Arkansas law requiring Ten Commandments displays in schools. The law is one of three being challenged nationwide.
    Mark Walsh, August 5, 2025
    •
    6 min read
    Robert Hill, Head of School at Alice M. Harte Charter School, talks with students in New Orleans on Dec. 18, 2018. Charter schools, which are publicly funded and privately operated, are often located in urban areas with large back populations, intended as alternatives to struggling city schools.
    Robert Hill, Head of School at Alice M. Harte Charter School, talks with students in New Orleans on Dec. 18, 2018. Charter schools tend to be more popular in urban rather than rural areas.
    Gerald Herbert/AP
    School Choice & Charters The 3 States That Don't Allow Charter Schools—and Why
    Rural states were historically resistant to charter schools, but that has changed in recent years.
    Ciara Meyer, August 4, 2025
    •
    7 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 state legislature Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. The One, Big Beautiful Bill Act championed by President Donald Trump includes the first federal school voucher program. States will decide whether to opt in to the offering.
    George Walker IV/AP
    School Choice & Charters Opt In or Not? States Weigh Big Decision on Federal School Vouchers
    A new federal program provides tax credits for donations to groups that provide private-school scholarships.
    Brooke Schultz, August 4, 2025
    •
    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
    Federal Opinion Why Did Penny Schwinn Withdraw Her Bid to Be No. 2 in Trump’s Ed. Dept.?
    What the news tells us about the Republican education divide and the K–12 culture wars.
    Rick Hess, August 1, 2025
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    5 min read
    From left, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., and Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., confer as the panel marks up the FY2026 spending bill at the Capitol in Washington on July 24, 2025.
    From left, Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee; Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla.; and Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., confer as the panel marks up the fiscal 2026 spending bill at the Capitol in Washington on July 24, 2025. The appropriations panel approved an education budget Thursday that rejects most of the Trump administration's proposed cuts.
    J. Scott Applewhite/AP
    Education Funding Senators—Including Republicans—Reject All of Trump's Proposed Education Cuts
    The budget bill could go before the full Senate as early as September.
    Mark Lieberman, July 31, 2025
    •
    6 min read
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Resources

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Reading & Literacy Whitepaper The Science of Reading 3.0 eBook is Here!
With contributions from 18+ top experts, we are widening the lens on literacy to advance the science of reading movement and reveal the b...
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College & Workforce Readiness Spotlight Spotlight on Where Learning Meets Opportunity: Connecting Classrooms to Careers Through Real-World Learning
This Spotlight highlights a growing shift toward career-connected learning, which blends academic content with real-world applications.
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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
    •
    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
    •
    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
    •
    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

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
•
3 min read
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