State Policy

Read more about state laws, regulations, and programs that impact education
A third grade students works with visual aids while learning fractions in a math class at New River Elementary school, 4710 River Glen Blvd, on Wednesday, March 26, 2025 in Wesley Chapel.
Visual aids help a student learn fractions at New River Elementary School in Wesley Chapel, Fla, on March 26, 2025. In recent years states have passed new legislation or policy requiring teacher training, math screening for students, or automatic enrollment in advanced class—changes that are inspired by other legislation in reading.
Dirk Shadd/Tampa Bay Times via TNS
Mathematics States Are Changing Math Policy. Follow the Trend With EdWeek's New Tracker
States are overhauling their policies in supporting struggling learners, teacher prep, and other areas.
Evie Blad, August 31, 2026
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1 min read
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during a press conference on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during a press conference on July 29, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas. Abbott wants to ban schools from using H-1B visas to hire international educator—a practice used to fill high-need roles teaching subjects like math and foreign languages.
Elvis Martinez-Cartagena/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Tribune News Service via Getty Images<br/>
Recruitment & Retention Why This Governor Wants to Ban H-1B Visas for Teachers—and Why Schools Use Them
Gov. Greg Abbott wants to ban schools from using H-1B visas to hire international teachers, a strategy used to fill key staffing gaps.
Evie Blad, August 21, 2026
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4 min read
Teacher Donnie Piercey goes over the results of a writing assignment called "Find the Bot" during his class at Stonewall Elementary in Lexington, Ky., Feb. 6, 2023.
Teacher Donnie Piercey reviews the products of a writing assignment during his class at Stonewall Elementary in Lexington, Ky., on Feb. 6, 2023.
Timothy D. Easley/AP Photo
Reading & Literacy First Reading. Then Math. Is the 'Science of Writing' Next?
Integrating reading and writing can lead to better student outcomes in both areas, studies show.
Sarah Schwartz, August 19, 2026
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4 min read
Student Elias Albert gets help from Instructor Nurit Foster, who is using artificial intelligence in her multilingual learners class at Hillside Middle School in Northville, Michigan on Jan. 13, 2025 . AI allows teachers in Northville to provide students with content for a class assignment and then adjust the levels for each student based on their English proficiency, officials said.
Student Elias Albert gets help from instructor Nurit Foster, who is using artificial intelligence in her multilingual learners class at Hillside Middle School in Northville, Mich., on Jan. 13, 2025. Statewide assessments in students' native languages are another accommodation states have on hand to help English learners.
Daniel Mears/The Detroit News via TNS
English Learners Which States Test English Learners in Their Native Languages?
In 2025 the Migration Policy Institute analyzed states' use of native language assessments.
Ileana Najarro, Maya Riser-Kositsky & Gina Tomko, August 19, 2026
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2 min read
Conceptual image of gears drawn in flowing line art being tethered together and a lasso bounding box.
Laura Baker/Education Week + Getty
Curriculum Q&A Should State Boards Have More Oversight of Curricula?
A more active role would help schools select strong, research-based curricula, an expert argues.
Evie Blad, August 17, 2026
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5 min read
Grading and assessment SR
Robert Neubecker for Education Week
Assessment This State Banned Nonzero Grading Policies. Why Some Schools Use Them
A new law bans "grading floors," which require a minimum grade of 50% for assignments or grading periods.
Evie Blad, August 5, 2026
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6 min read
Mike Morath, the Texas Commissioner of Education, walks through a science class at Lucyle Collins Middle School in Lake Worth on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025.
Mike Morath, the Texas Commissioner of Education, walks through a science class at Lucyle Collins Middle School in Lake Worth on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025. Morath has been a champion of the state's bonus-pay program for teachers, but it's not always helping equalize talent at the state's neediest schools.
Christopher Torres via TNS
Recruitment & Retention What Does it Cost to Convince Top Teachers to Switch to High-Need Schools?
New research underscores how hard it is to pull top educators to rural or high-poverty schools.
Sarah D. Sparks, August 5, 2026
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5 min read
A student takes an assessment.
Paper-and-pencil assessments have been replaced by digital versions in many schools across the country. But two school districts in New Mexico are pushing back against a state-required digital reading assessment that uses artificial intelligence. They argue that it raises serious student data privacy concerns.
John Pendygraft/Tampa Bay Times via TNS
Artificial Intelligence School Districts Push Back Against State-Required AI Reading Assessments
Two school districts in New Mexico say the assessments could jeopardize students' data privacy.
Natalie Robbins, Albuquerque Journal, August 4, 2026
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4 min read
Sixth graders read a passage and give constructive feedback to their partners during Nancy Barajas' class at Fairview Elementary School on May 6, 2026, in Modesto, Calif.
Sixth graders read a passage and give constructive feedback to their partners during Nancy Barajas' class at Fairview Elementary School on May 6, 2026, in Modesto, Calif. New research shows the nation's 6th graders' reading scores have flatlined, and the lowest-performing students are losing ground.
Annie Barker/AP
Reading & Literacy Middle Schoolers' Reading Scores Are Still Stuck at Post-Pandemic Lows
New data shows that the lowest-performing students are falling the furthest behind.
Sarah Schwartz, August 4, 2026
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4 min read
An illustration of three school leaders at a desk and one is holding an umbrella. They are all looking up into the sky where a sun is peeking through several clouds that are depicting dollar bills.
Illustration by Robert Neubecker for Education Week
Education Funding From the Feds on Down, School Funding Is Uncertain. What to Know
Federal turbulence during the Trump administration highlights the precarity of state and local funding, too.
Mark Lieberman, August 3, 2026
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7 min read
An illustration of a teacher and student overlooking blocks that represent bar charts going up, filled with illustrations of numbers, letters, math problems and books.
Illustration by Robert Neubecker for Education Week
Mathematics The ‘Science of Reading’ Movement Is Evolving. Is Math Next?
Schools can expect more change—and continued debate—as the push for evidence-based instruction continues.
Sarah Schwartz, August 3, 2026
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10 min read
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Marvin Joseph/Education Week
Mathematics Tracker Which States Are Overhauling Math Education? See Our Tracker
Our tracker follows and summarizes states legislation shaping math teaching, instruction, and intervention.
Evie Blad, Sarah Schwartz, Stephen Sawchuk & Maya Riser-Kositsky, July 31, 2026
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1 min read
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A teenager uses her mobile phone to access social media on January 31, 2024, in New York. Meanwhile, Illinois is requiring public schools to update their cyberbullying policies to address AI deepfakes.
Photo illustration by Spencer Platt/Getty Images
School Climate & Safety How One State's Schools Are Updating Policies to Fight AI Deepfakes
Illinois has updated school cyberbullying laws to include AI deepfakes, pushing for prevention and support.
Olina Banerji, July 31, 2026
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5 min read
English learner students in Jeremy True's class work on a reading assignment on Nov. 10, 2022, in Mason City, Iowa.
English learner students work on a reading assignment on Nov. 10, 2022, in Mason City, Iowa. Reclassification criteria can affect older English learners' access to advanced coursework.
Abby Koch/Globe-Gazette via AP
English Learners How State Reclassification Rules Impact Long-Term English Learners
Research shows how the reclassification of older English learners in Texas carries varied outcomes.
Ileana Najarro, July 29, 2026
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4 min read