Policy & Politics

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the legislation, guidance, policies and people involved in federal and state government
Federal Biden Announces Goal to Get Educators the COVID-19 Vaccine This Month
President Joe Biden pushes states to get educators at least one dose by the end of March to help schools resume in-person learning.
Andrew Ujifusa
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4 min read
Federal Explainer Miguel Cardona, U.S. Secretary of Education: Background and Achievements
Background and highlights of Miguel Cardona's tenure as the twelfth U.S. Secretary of Education.
Education Week Library
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2 min read
Federal Senate Confirms Miguel Cardona as Education Secretary
The former Connecticut education commissioner got his start as an elementary school teacher and was a principal and school administrator.
Evie Blad
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2 min read
Law & Courts Biden Administration, Education Groups Back School District in Student Online Speech Case
A Pennsylvania district and its allies argue that administrators need to be able to discipline students for threatening or bullying speech.
Mark Walsh
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5 min read
supreme court SOC
States Vaccine Access Speeds Up for Teachers After Biden's Declaration
The vaccine landscape for teachers shifted dramatically after President Joe Biden directed states to prioritize the K-12 workforce.
Madeline Will
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7 min read
030321 Vaccine Breaking AP BS
The Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine is held by a pharmacist at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut on March.
Jessica Hill
Law & Courts Federal Appeals Court Upholds School's Removal of 4th Grader's Essay on LGBTQ Rights
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit backs a principal who said the essay was age-inappropriate for inclusion in a school booklet.
Mark Walsh
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4 min read
Image shows a courtroom and gavel.
imaginima/E+
Education Funding Return of Pet Projects in Congress Could Mean More Money for Schools to Address COVID-19
"Community funding projects," also known as earmarks, could support district and nonprofit K-12 projects.
Andrew Ujifusa
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3 min read
In this Jan. 4, 2020 photo, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., speaks during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. On Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020, DeLauro was elected chair of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee by fellow Democrats, a position colleagues say will make her the most powerful politician from Connecticut in Washington in generations.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., speaks during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington last year. On Friday, Feb. 26, 2021, DeLauro revealed a proposal to restore the practice of earmarks after a decade-long ban in Congress.
Al Drago/Pool Photo via AP

From Politics K-12 Blog

Assessment A Plan for Standardized Test Scores During the Pandemic Has Gotten States' Attention
A testing expert says his idea would provide helpful data with key context, but said other measures about student well-being are crucial.
Andrew Ujifusa
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7 min read
HS class 1257213326
Education Funding Concern About Unspent COVID-19 School Aid Continues as Congress Moves Toward More Relief
A congressional analysis has spurred discontent about how fast money will be spent, but some warn against over-simplifying the situation.
Andrew Ujifusa
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5 min read
Thermometers, gloves, and cleaning swabs sit on a table at the entrance to the Frederickson KinderCare daycare center, in Tacoma, Wash on May 27, 2020.
Thermometers, gloves, and cleaning swabs sit on a table at the entrance to the Frederickson KinderCare daycare center, in Tacoma, Wash on May 27, 2020. As a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus, workers and children have their temperatures checked every day before they enter the building.
Ted S. Warren/AP
Assessment Biden's Testing Stance Leaves States Tough Choices. Some May Still Try to Avoid Exams
Whether to give tests in person this spring or even test students next school year instead, education leaders confront a complex path.
Andrew Ujifusa, Evie Blad & Sarah Schwartz
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12 min read
Flags decorate a space outside the secretary's office at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington.
Flags decorate a space outside the secretary's office at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Assessment States Still Must Give Standardized Tests This Year, Biden Administration Announces
But the administration says it would allow states to give tests in the summer or use partial exams due to challenges related to COVID-19.
Andrew Ujifusa
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3 min read
Image of students taking a test.
smolaw11/iStock/Getty
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More Policy & Politics

  • Rowers paddle along the Charles River past the Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Mass. on March 7, 2017.
    Rowers paddle along the Charles River past the Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Mass.
    Charles Krupa/AP
    Law & Courts U.S. Supreme Court Is Asked to Take Up Harvard's Consideration of Race in Admissions
    Lower courts rejected claims by Students for Fair Admissions that the Harvard policies discriminate against Asian-American applicants.
    Mark Walsh, February 25, 2021
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    3 min read
    States Research Identifies 18th Century School for Black Children
    Virginia organizations are teaming up to preserve an 18th-Century school dedicated to the education of enslaved and free Black children.
    The Associated Press, February 25, 2021
    •
    1 min read
    Marijuana grows at an indoor cannabis farm in Gardena, Calif on Aug. 15, 2019.
    Marijuana grows at an indoor cannabis farm in Gardena, Calif on Aug. 15, 2019.
    Richard Vogel/AP
    Policy & Politics Colorado Families Ask for Statewide School Cannabis Access
    Colorado families pleaded with state lawmakers on Wednesday to pass a bill to expand cannabis-based medicine at school.
    The Associated Press, February 25, 2021
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    2 min read
    Bloomfield High School transgender athlete Terry Miller, second from left, wins the final of the 55-meter dash over transgender athlete Andraya Yearwood, far left, and other runners in the Connecticut girls Class S indoor track meet at Hillhouse High School in New Haven, Conn on Feb. 7, 2019. Transgender athletes are getting an ally in the White House next week as they seek to participate as their identified gender in high school and college sports. Attorneys on both sides say they expect President-elect Joe Biden’s Department of Education will switch sides in legal battles that could go a long way in determining whether transgender athletes are treated by the sex on their birth certificates or by how they identify.
    Bloomfield High School transgender athlete Terry Miller, second from left, wins over transgender athlete Andraya Yearwood, far left, and other runners in an event in New Haven, Conn. The two transgender athletes are at the center of a legal fight in Connecticut over the participation of transgender female athletes in girls' or women's sports.
    Pat Eaton-Robb/AP
    Federal Biden Legal Team Steps Back From Trump Stance on Transgender Female Sports Participation
    The Education Department's office for civil rights pulls a letter that said Connecticut's transgender-inclusive policy violates Title IX.
    Mark Walsh, February 24, 2021
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    4 min read
    Suzanne Devine Clark, an art teacher at Deerfield Beach Elementary School, places painted stones at a memorial outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, 2019 during the first anniversary of the school shooting in Parkland, Fla.
    Suzanne Devine Clark, an art teacher at Deerfield Beach Elementary School, places painted stones at a memorial outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, 2019 during the first anniversary of the school shooting in Parkland, Fla.
    Wilfredo Lee/AP
    Federal Congress Again Tries to Pass Eagles Act, Focused on School Shootings After Parkland
    A group of bipartisan Congressional lawmakers is once again trying to get a law passed aimed at preventing school violence.
    Devoun Cetoute & Carli Teproff, Miami Herald, February 24, 2021
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    2 min read
    Santa Fe High School freshman, Jai Gillard writes messages on each of the 10 crosses representing victims in front the school in Santa Fe, Texas on May 21, 2018.
    Santa Fe High School freshman, Jai Gillard writes messages on each of the 10 crosses representing victims in front the school in Santa Fe, Texas on May 21, 2018.
    Steve Gonzales/Houston Chronicle via AP
    Law & Courts Accused Texas School Shooter to Remain at State Hospital
    Doctors say the student accused of fatally shooting 10 people at a Texas high school in 2018 remains incompetent to stand trial.
    The Associated Press, February 24, 2021
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    1 min read
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English-Language Learners Spotlight Spotlight on Bilingualism and Remote Learning - Second Edition
In this Second Edition Spotlight, evaluate how schools will measure learning loss for English-learners and more.
Classroom Technology Spotlight Spotlight on Instructional Tech
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EdWeek Market Brief

Marketplace K-12 Report Offers Window into International Schools’ Curricula
Though demand rose over the past five years for U.S.- and U.K.-based curricula to be used in international private schools, demand for international curricula at these schools increased to a much greater degree.
Brian Bradley
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4 min read
Purchasing Alert Florida District Seeks Civic Curriculum; Texas School System Looks for Special Education Consulting
A mid-sized Florida district wants to buy civic literacy books, while a district in Texas is looking for special ed consulting services.
Brian Bradley
•
2 min read
Analyst's View Inside New Guidelines for How Districts Will Judge Social-Emotional Learning Products
A framework released by the influential group CASEL places an emphasis on products supporting supporting equity and student decision-making in their well-being.
David Saleh Rauf
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9 min read
Purchasing Alert State Ed. Agency Seeks World Language Curriculum; Wisconsin District Looks for Speech-Language Services
A state education agency has issued an RFP for instructional materials for world languages, while a New York school system wants universal pre-K services.
Brian Bradley
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2 min read
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