Policy & Politics

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the legislation, guidance, policies and people involved in federal and state government
Federal Trump Administration to Move Dept. of Ed. Out of Its Longtime Offices
The move follows a year of efforts to dismantle the federal agency.
Sean Cavanagh
•
2 min read
Federal Q&A Why the Heritage Foundation Is Targeting Plyler v. Doe
Lora Ries explains how the Supreme Court could overturn the 1982 Plyler v. Doe decision.
Ileana Najarro
•
4 min read
Education Funding Arts Education Advocates Talk About How to Elevate Their Discipline
Art education community members come together to discuss funding challenges and opportunities.
Jennifer Vilcarino
•
3 min read
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
•
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
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
Attorney General Pam Bondi in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, on Feb. 20, 2026, in Washington.
Attorney General Pam Bondi in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, on Feb. 20, 2026, in Washington. The Justice Department under Bondi has now sued three states over policies allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls' sports
Alex Brandon/AP
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
President Donald Trump signs an executive order on birthright citizenship in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Jan. 20, 2025.
President Donald Trump signs an executive order on birthright citizenship in the Oval Office of the White House on Jan. 20, 2025. The order, now before the U.S. Supreme Court, seeks to limit citizenship for some children born in the United States to immigrant parents without permanent legal status.
Evan Vucci/AP
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
Bryan Najera holds a sign during a House Education K-12 subcommittee meeting Tuesday, March 11, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn.
Bryan Najera holds a sign during a House Education K-12 subcommittee meeting Tuesday, March 11, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. Tennessee lawmakers are debating amended legislation, originally introduced last year, to collect students' immigration information.
George Walker IV/AP

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More Policy & Politics

  • Illustration of office chairs moving into different spaces.
    Laura Baker/Education Week + Getty
    Federal The Ed. Dept. Is Sending 118 Programs to Other Agencies. See Where They're Going
    The Trump administration is partnering with at least four other agencies as it tries to shutter the Education Department.
    Mark Lieberman, Matthew Stone & Maya Riser-Kositsky, March 12, 2026
    •
    1 min read
    North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction Kirsten Baesler announces the gathering of a task force to look into future options the state has for the assessment of students during a press conference May 8, 2015, at the state Capitol in Bismarck, N.D.
    Kirsten Baesler, then North Dakota's schools superintendent, talks to the press on May 8, 2015, at the state capitol in Bismarck. Baesler, now the assistant secretary of elementary and secondary education in the Trump administration, spoke with Education Week about the administration's approach to flexibility from federal education requirements.
    Mike McCleary/The Bismarck Tribune via AP
    Every Student Succeeds Act Q&A Trump's Top K-12 Official: Returning Ed. to States Isn't Just Waiving Rules
    Kirsten Baesler spoke with EdWeek about the Education Department's approach to testing and accountability.
    Alyson Klein, March 12, 2026
    •
    5 min read
    Education Secretary Linda McMahon and former Secretary of State Condeleeza Rice, right, are seen after a roundtable discussion on college sports in the East Room of the White House, on March 6, 2026, in Washington. McMahon last year encouraged states to seek flexibility from federal requirements. Now, states have begun to respond to that invitation.
    Education Secretary Linda McMahon is pictured with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice after a roundtable discussion on college sports in the East Room of the White House on March 6, 2026. McMahon last year encouraged states to seek flexibility from federal education requirements. States are responding to that invitation.
    Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
    Every Student Succeeds Act In 'Returning Education to the States,' How Far Will Trump's Ed. Dept. Go?
    States' requests for new flexibility from the feds will test just how far the department can go.
    Alyson Klein, March 11, 2026
    •
    9 min read
    Seen is the drawing made by Viejo Elementary School first-grader B.B. that was entered into evidence. B.B. gave the drawing to her classmate, M.C., who is African American. M.C. thanked B.B.
    Pictured is a drawing by a 1st grader in California and given to a Black classmate that is at the center of a First Amendment legal challenge over the student's alleged punishment.
    U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit
    Law & Courts Appeals Court Revives Lawsuit Over 1st Grader’s Black Lives Matter Drawing
    A court revived a 1st grader 's claim she was punished for giving a drawing to a Black classmate.
    Mark Walsh, March 11, 2026
    •
    4 min read
    President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable discussion on college sports in the East Room of the White House, Friday, March 6, 2026, in Washington.
    President Donald Trump during a recent roundtable discussion in the East Room of the White House, on March 6, 2026, in Washington. Trump's administration is using new ways to incorporate its policy priorities into grantmaking that will affect schools and other recipients of other grants.
    Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
    Education Funding Federal Funding Disruptions for Schools Are Far From Over
    Signs are piling up that schools could experience more funding turbulence in the coming months.
    Mark Lieberman, March 11, 2026
    •
    12 min read
    New graduates line up before the start of a college commencement at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J, May 17, 2018. A proposed regulation could exclude education from a list of "professional" graduate degrees, limiting federal loans for students in the field.
    New graduates line up before the start of a college commencement at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J, May 17, 2018. A proposed regulation could exclude education from a list of "professional" graduate degrees, limiting federal loans for students in the field.
    Seth Wenig/AP
    Federal Why K-12 Educators Are Alarmed About Proposed Student Loan Limits
    They worry that the new loan limits could put a leak in the teacher and administrator pipeline.
    Evie Blad, March 10, 2026
    •
    4 min read
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Resources

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In this podcast, Tyra Mariani, former Chief of Staff in the U.S. Department of Education, shares four questions leaders must answer to bu...
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Mathematics Spotlight Spotlight on Creating a Positive Math Culture
This Spotlight explores instructional practices that help build students’ math skills, confidence, and willingness to tackle hard problems.
Student Well-Being & Movement Spotlight Spotlight on The Science of Self-Regulation: The Missing Foundation of Academic Success
This Spotlight focuses on ways to build students’ self-management skills, a foundational predictor of academic success.
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  • President Donald Trump signs his signature bill of tax breaks and spending cuts at the White House on July 4, 2025, in Washington.
    President Donald Trump signs his signature bill of tax breaks and spending cuts, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, at the White House on July 4, 2025, in Washington. States are considering whether to incorporate the tax changes into their own tax codes, which will results in lower state revenue collections that could strain school budgets.
    Evan Vucci/AP
    Education Funding Schools Brace for Mid-Year Cuts as 'Big, Beautiful Bill' Changes Begin
    State decisions on incorporating federal tax cuts into their own tax codes could strain school budgets.
    Mark Lieberman, January 13, 2026
    •
    7 min read
    School bus outside Patterson High School in St. Mary Parish, in Louisiana.
    School bus outside Patterson High School in St. Mary Parish, in Louisiana.
    Brad Kemp/The Advocate
    Law & Courts After 60 Years, a Louisiana District Fights to Exit Federal Desegregation Order
    St. Mary Parish is on the frontlines of a legal battle to end ongoing school desegregation cases dating back to the civil rights era.
    Patrick Wall, The Advocate, Baton Rouge, La., January 12, 2026
    •
    6 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 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, January 9, 2026
    •
    8 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 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, January 9, 2026
    •
    4 min read
    The end of a bar chart made of pencils with a line graph drawn over it.
    DigitalVision Vectors/Getty + 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, January 8, 2026
    •
    5 min read
    The Instagram logo is seen on a cell phone, Oct. 14, 2022, in Boston.
    The Instagram logo is seen on a cell phone. New York is the third state, after California and Minnesota, to pass a law requiring social media warning labels.
    Michael Dwyer/AP
    States Scroll With Caution: Another State Requires Social Media Warning Labels
    Backers of New York's law, including Gov. Kathy Hochul, have likened tech's addictiveness to tobacco.
    Jennifer Vilcarino, January 8, 2026
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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
•
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
•
3 min read
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