Policy & Politics

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the legislation, guidance, policies and people involved in federal and state government
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
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4 min read
Education Funding School Mental Health Projects Canceled by Trump Might Still Survive
The end of funding could still be days away, but a new court order offers some hope for grantees.
Matthew Stone
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6 min read
Law & Courts Schools Can’t Bar Teachers From Telling Parents If Kids Are Transgender, Judge Rules
The injunction bans any public school employee from misleading parents about their child’s gender presentation at school.
Kristen Taketa, The San Diego Union-Tribune
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5 min read
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
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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
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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
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
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2 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
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
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4 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

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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
    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
    •
    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
    •
    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
    •
    6 min read
    Roman Martinez, an attorney with Latham & Watkins, is featured in the Bloomberg Law documentary 'Supreme Advocacy.'
    Roman Martinez, a Washington lawyer who has played a role in four U.S. Supreme Court cases about the rights of special education students, is featured in the Bloomberg Law documentary "Supreme Advocacy."
    via YouTube
    Law & Courts How One Lawyer Helped Reshape Special Education at the Supreme Court
    A documentary follows a lawyer behind major Supreme Court wins for students with disabilities.
    Mark Walsh, December 15, 2025
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    9 min read
    Salt Lake Education Association Vice President Chelsie Acosta cheers with other educators and union members in opposition to HB 267: Public Sector Labor Union Amendments, at the Capitol in Salt Lake City, Utah, Jan. 31, 2025.
    Salt Lake Education Association Vice President Chelsie Acosta cheers with other educators and union members in opposition to HB 267: Public Sector Labor Union Amendments, at the Capitol in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Jan. 31, 2025. HB 267 banned collective bargaining by teachers and many other public-sector workers. The Utah legislature has repealed the law.
    Laura Seitz/Deseret News via AP
    States Utah Repeals Ban on Collective Bargaining for Teachers and Other Workers
    Gov. Spencer Cox approved the repeal of a policy experts called one of the country's most restrictive labor laws.
    The Associated Press, December 15, 2025
    •
    2 min read
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