Policy & Politics

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the legislation, guidance, policies and people involved in federal and state government
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
2 min read
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.
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.
4 min read
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.
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?
3 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
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
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

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More Policy & Politics

  • A commuter walks past the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Education on March 12, 2025, in Washington.
    A commuter walks past the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Education in Washington on March 12, 2025. A federal court sided with the Trump administration this week, allowing it to proceeds with laying off half of the department's office for civil rights.
    Mark Schiefelbein/AP
    Law & Courts Appeals Court Says Ed. Dept. Can Fire Civil Rights Staff
    Office for civil rights employees had already begun returning to work under a court order
    Brooke Schultz, September 30, 2025
    4 min read
    The Capitol is seen during rainy weather just days before federal money runs out which could trigger a government shutdown, in Washington, Sept. 25, 2025.
    The Capitol is seen during rainy weather on Sept. 25, 2025, just days before federal money runs out, which could trigger a government shutdown. A shutdown that lasts even a few days could have ripple effects for schools across the nation.
    J. Scott Applewhite/AP
    Federal How Will a Federal Shutdown Affect Schools? 5 Big Questions, Answered
    School funding could experience yet another setback this year if the federal government closes up shop.
    Mark Lieberman, September 29, 2025
    9 min read
    Protesters gather at the State Capitol in Salem, Ore., on Feb. 18, 2019, calling for education funding during the "March for Our Students" rally.
    Protesters call for education funding in Salem, Ore., on Feb. 18, 2019. The Trump administration has relaunched two school mental health grant programs after abruptly discontinuing the awards in April. Now, the grants will only support efforts to boost the ranks of school psychologists, and not school counselors, social workers, or any other types of school mental health professionals.
    Alex Milan Tracy/Sipa via AP
    Education Funding Trump Admin. Relaunches School Mental Health Grants It Yanked—With a Twist
    The administration abruptly discontinued the grant programs in April, saying they reflected Biden-era priorities.
    Matthew Stone, September 26, 2025
    6 min read
    Vector illustration of a giant pair of scissors coming in the side of the frame about to cut dollar signs that are falling off of a microscope. There is a businessman at the top of a ladder looking down into the microscope at the dollar signs falling off the lense.
    Collage by Gina Tomko/Education Week and Getty
    Education Funding Trump Administration Slashes STEM Education Research Grants
    Some experts say the funding cuts are at odds with the administration's AI learning priorities.
    Alyson Klein, September 26, 2025
    3 min read
    Illustration with figure walking on downward arrow.
    iStock
    Education Funding Districts Lose Millions for This School Year as Trump Ends Desegregation Grants
    Funding will instead go toward grants for mental health services in schools, according to the Trump administration.
    Mark Lieberman, September 25, 2025
    9 min read
    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
    5 min read

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  • IQ test, paper sheet with test answer on the table
    iStock/Getty
    Law & Courts Supreme Court Weighs IQ Tests and Other School Records in Key Death Penalty Case
    The court weighs the proper role of IQ tests for defendants claiming an intellectual disability.
    Mark Walsh, December 11, 2025
    8 min read
    Education Secretary Rod Paige talks to reporters during a hastily called news conference at the Department of Education in Washington Wednesday, April 9, 2003, regarding his comments favoring schools that appreciate "the values of the Christian community." Paige said he wasn't trying to impose his religious views on others and said "I don't think I have anything to apologize for. What I'm doing is clarifying my remarks."
    Education Secretary Rod Paige speaks to reporters during a news conference at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington on April 9, 2003. Paige, who led the department during President George W. Bush's first term, died Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, at 92.
    Gerald Herbert/AP
    Federal Obituary Rod Paige, Nation's First African American Secretary of Education, Dies at 92
    Under Paige’s leadership, the Department of Education rolled out the landmark No Child Left Behind law.
    The Associated Press, December 10, 2025
    4 min read
    Attendees listen to a eulogy during a memorial for Charlie Kirk hosted by the University of Texas at Dallas chapter of Turning Point USA, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in Richardson, Texas.
    Attendees listen to a eulogy during a memorial for Charlie Kirk hosted by the University of Texas at Dallas chapter of Turning Point USA, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, in Richardson, Texas.
    Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News via TNS
    States Texas Gov. Abbott Wants 'Disciplinary Action' for Schools That Resist Turning Point USA
    He endorsed growing the footprint of the late Charlie Kirk's organization in the state's high schools.
    Philip Jankowski, The Dallas Morning News, December 9, 2025
    1 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 Standing Up to Education Groupthink
    Why is it so hard to push back on popular ideas in education, even when it’s sorely needed?
    Rick Hess, December 9, 2025
    7 min read
    A U.S. Supreme Court police officer walks in front of the Supreme Court amid renovations as the justices hear oral arguments on President Donald Trump's push to expand control over independent federal agencies in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 8, 2025.
    A U.S. Supreme Court police officer walks in front of the court amid renovations in Washington, on Dec. 8, 2025. The court took several actions in education cases, including ordering a lower court to take a fresh look at a lawsuit challenging a New York state law that ended religious exemptions to school vaccinations.
    J. Scott Applewhite/AP
    Law & Courts Supreme Court Orders New Review of Religious Exemptions to School Vaccines
    The U.S. Supreme Court ordered a new look in a school vaccination case and declined to review library book removals.
    Mark Walsh, December 8, 2025
    6 min read
    A student visits a sensory room at a Topeka, KS elementary school, on Nov. 3, 2021.
    A student visits a sensory room at an elementary school in Topeka, Kan., on Nov. 3, 2021. Schools have expanded their student mental health services in recent years, many with support from hundreds of millions of dollars in federal grants that the Trump administration pulled earlier this year and have since been caught up in legal proceedings.
    Charlie Riedel/AP
    Education Funding A Guide to Where School Mental Health Grants Stand After a New Legal Twist
    Temporary relief for one set of projects raises questions for other initiatives vying for federal money.
    Matthew Stone, December 8, 2025
    5 min read

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