Policy & Politics

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the legislation, guidance, policies and people involved in federal and state government
Federal Opinion What Our Students Deserve From New Homeland Security Secretary Mullin
The National Academy of Education calls for policy changes to ensure safer learning environments.
National Academy of Education Board of Directors
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5 min read
Federal Melania Trump Shares the Spotlight With a Robot at White House Education Event
The humanoid robot Figure 03 made history as the first robot to walk the White House red carpet.
The Associated Press
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1 min read
Education Funding Common Questions About Education Funding
Education Week has answered some of the most common questions about education funding in the United States.
Maya Riser-Kositsky
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1 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
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
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
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2 min read
The U.S. Department of Education building is pictured on Oct. 24, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
The U.S. Department of Education building is pictured on Oct. 24, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The agency said Thursday it will move to a different building starting this summer.
Maansi Srivastava for Education Week
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
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4 min read
A woman embraces her child outside a House hearing room during protests against a bill that would allow public and charter schools to deny immigrant students from enrolling for classes in Nashville, Tenn., March 11, 2025.
A woman embraces her child outside a hearing room at the Tennessee State Capitol during protests against a bill that would have allowed public and charter schools to deny immigrant students from enrolling in school, in Nashville, Tenn., on March 11, 2025. Lawmakers are expected to vote on an amended version of the bill that would require schools to collect students' immigration status information.
George Walker IV/AP
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
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3 min read
DSC 4497
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 24: National arts education leaders, advocates, and policymakers gather for a couple of hours at the University Club on March 24, 2026 in Washington.
Marvin Joseph for Education Week

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More Policy & Politics

  • 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
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    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
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    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
    A student adds a note to others expressing support and sharing coping strategies, as members of the Miami Arts Studio mental health club raise awareness on World Mental Health Day, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023, at Miami Arts Studio, a public 6th-12th grade magnet school, in Miami.
    A student adds a note expressing support and sharing coping strategies during a World Mental Health Day activity on Oct. 10, 2023, at Miami Arts Studio, a magnet school in Miami. Most recipients of two federal school mental health services grants the Trump administration has attempted to cancel over the past year will see their funding continue at least through June 1.
    Rebecca Blackwell/AP
    Education Funding School Mental Health Projects Get 3-Month Reprieve as Court Rules Against Trump
    The projects to expand school-based services have faced nearly a year of funding uncertainty and legal limbo.
    Matthew Stone, March 9, 2026
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    5 min read
    The Supreme Court is photographed, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, in Washington.
    The Supreme Court is photographed, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, in Washington. The high court recently ruled that California policies that sometimes limit or discourage schools from disclosing information to parents about children’s gender transitions and expressions at school likely violate parents’ constitutional rights
    Rahmat Gul/AP
    Law & Courts Supreme Court’s Gender Identity Ruling Leaves Schools Seeking Clarity
    Advocates say they would welcome more from the Supreme Court on gender-notification policies.
    Mark Walsh, March 6, 2026
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    7 min read
    Image of money symbol, books, gavel, and scale of justice.
    DigitalVision Vectors
    Education Funding Some Halted Federal Funds for Community Schools Will Flow, But More Remain Frozen
    Schools in Illinois will regain access to some federal grant funds, but programs nationwide continue to struggle.
    Mark Lieberman, March 5, 2026
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    5 min read
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IT Infrastructure & Management Quiz Quiz Yourself: Future-Ready Schools: A Strategic IT Readiness Quiz
Connected classrooms need more than devices. Test your K–12 IT strategy savvy—from cybersecurity to interoperability.
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Student Achievement Spotlight Tutoring Works…When It’s Done Right
Well-designed high-dosage tutoring boosts reading, math, and STEM interest, proving that targeted support drives real recovery gains.
College & Workforce Readiness Spotlight Spotlight on College and Career Readiness
Schools are blending career and technical education, internships, and AI skills to prepare students for college, careers, and beyond.
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  • Democratic Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek speaks at a news conference in Portland, Ore., on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, after Republican President Donald Trump said he would send troops to the city.
    Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, a Democrat, speaks at a news conference in Portland, Ore., on Sept. 27, 2025. Kotek and three other Democratic governors initially said their states wouldn't participate in the first federal private school choice program. Now, three of those governors, including Kotek, are reconsidering their stances and say they haven't made up their minds.
    Claire Rush/AP
    School Choice & Charters They Said No to the Federal School Choice Program. Now, 3 Dems Are Reconsidering
    Advocacy to get Democratic states to participate has ramped up both locally and nationally.
    Matthew Stone, March 4, 2026
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    4 min read
    Large hand making pressure over group of small, silhouetted figures. Oppressions, manipulation. Contemporary art collage. Photocopy effect. Concept of world crisis, business, economy, control
    Education Week + iStock
    Federal Opinion We Shouldn’t Have to Choose Between Federal Overreach and Abandonment in K-12
    Why is federal power being used to occupy our cities but not protect our students’ civil rights?
    Sally Iverson, March 4, 2026
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    4 min read
    US NEWS TEXAS SCHOOL VOUCHERS DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT DA
    Kelly Hancock, Texas' acting state comptroller, speaks alongside Gov. Greg Abbott in Richland Hills, Texas, on May 17, 2022, when Hancock was a state senator. Hancock has excluded Islamic schools from Texas' new, $1 billion private school choice program, which he now oversees, according to a new lawsuit.
    Elias Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News via TNS
    School Choice & Charters The Nation's Largest School Choice Program Excludes Muslim Schools, Lawsuit Says
    The largest state to allow public funds for private schooling faces its first legal challenge.
    Jennifer Vilcarino, March 3, 2026
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    4 min read
    Teacher’s aide Amelia Mester, wrapped in a Pride flag, urges Escondido Union High School District not to have employees notify parents if they believe a student may be transgender in November 2025. A policy on the issue in the city’s elementary school district is the subject of a federal class-action lawsuit in which a judge just sided against the district.
    Teacher’s aide Amelia Mester, wrapped in a Pride flag, urges Escondido Union High School District not to have employees notify parents if they believe a student may be transgender at a meeting in November 2025. Two parents and two teachers from the district sued in 2023, challenging California state guidance concerning student gender transitions and parental notification. The U.S. Supreme Court has now reinstated a lower-court decision overturning those state policies.
    Charlie Neuman for The San Diego Union-Tribune/TNS
    Law & Courts Supreme Court Backs Parents in School Gender Disclosure Fight
    The Supreme Court restored an injunction blocking California policies on student gender transitions
    Mark Walsh, March 2, 2026
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    8 min read
    New banners of Booker T. Washington, Catharine Beecher and Charlie Kirk hang from the Department of Education, Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Washington.
    New banners of Booker T. Washington, Catharine Beecher, and Charlie Kirk hang from the U.S. Department of Education on March 1, 2026, in Washington.
    Allison Robbert/AP
    Federal Ed. Dept. Hangs Banner of Charlie Kirk Alongside MLK Jr., Ben Franklin
    It's part of a celebration of the nation's 250th anniversary.
    Matthew Stone, March 2, 2026
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    1 min read
    A first grade classroom at a school in Colorado Springs, on Feb. 12, 2026.
    A 1st grade classroom at a school in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Feb. 12, 2026. The U.S. Department of Education released a proposal to rework a decades-old program charged with helping states and school districts problem-solve and deploy new initiatives, calling the current structure “duplicative” and “confusing.”
    Kevin Mohatt for Education Week
    Federal Ed. Dept. Wants to Revamp Assistance Program It Calls 'Duplicative,' 'Confusing'
    The department's Comprehensive Centers have already been through a year of shakeups.
    Matthew Stone, March 2, 2026
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    3 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
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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
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3 min read
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