State Policy

Read more about state laws, regulations, and programs that impact education
Illustration using a wedding cake in the foreground, and in the background is an image of Candice Bergen, who plays the role of a single parent on the television comedy series "Murphy Brown," relaxes on the set of her Emmy-winning show during a live broadcast of the CBS "This Morning" show, Sept. 21, 1992. Bergen's character will return to her TV news anchor job and will respond to Dan Quayle's remark about glamorizing single motherhood when the show resumes its new season. (Chris Martinez/AP)
Some states want schools to teach students that they have a better shot at success if they work, get married, and have a child—in that order. Debates about these "family values" have evolved and resurfaced over the years. One firestorm happened in 1992, when TV character Murphy Brown of the eponymous comedy series, played by Candice Bergen, became a single parent—a development criticized by then-Vice President Dan Quayle as an example of "glamorizing" single motherhood.
Illustration by Education Week via Chris Martinez/AP + Canva
Student Well-Being & Movement Then & Now Schools and 'Family Values': A Reboot of a Familiar Debate
The "success sequence" is the latest in a long line of proposals to have schools take up responsible decision-making.
Evie Blad, April 10, 2026
•
5 min read
Illustration of a child with a backpack looking at game pieces and board from THE GAME OF LIFE.
Laura Baker/Education Week + iStock
States 'Success Sequence' Urges Marriage, Then Parenthood. These States Want Schools to Teach It
The decades-old concept is getting new attention, largely from Republican lawmakers.
Evie Blad, April 3, 2026
•
6 min read
FILE - A Bible is seen on a chair in the House chamber in Washington, Jan. 6, 2023. The Bible will return to the shelves in a northern Utah school district that provoked an outcry after it banned them from middle and elementary schools. The Davis School District said in a statement on Tuesday, June 20, that its board had determined the sacred text was age-appropriate for all school libraries.
A Bible is seen on a chair in the House chamber in Washington, Jan. 6, 2023. Utah joins several other states that have moved to incorporate Christian teaching and text into the classroom.
Andrew Harnik/AP
Social Studies Another State Is Requiring Students to Study the Bible in School
In Utah, schools will teach Biblical passages that are “cited or alluded to in founding documents."
Sarah Schwartz, April 2, 2026
•
3 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
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, March 27, 2026
•
4 min read
A display indicating a detected weapon is pictured on an Evolv weapons detection system in New York City.
A display indicating a detected weapon is pictured on an Evolv AI weapons detection system in New York City, on March 28, 2024. Lawmakers in Georgia are weighing a bill that would require all public schools to have weapons-detection systems or metal detectors at building entrances. While supporters say the systems make schools safer, critics say the technology has limitations.
Barry Williams/New York Daily News via TNS
School Climate & Safety States Push AI Weapons Detection as Part of School Safety
Three states are considering whether to require weapons-detection systems at school entrances.
Evie Blad, March 26, 2026
•
5 min read
West De Pere High School is committed to sustainability and environmental stewardship, focusing on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing environmental literacy through facility upgrades such as LED lighting, motion sensors and advanced HVAC systems. To further explore energy, students have opportunities to explore alternative energy, including participation in the annual Wisconsin Public Service Solar Olympics Challenge. Going the extra mile, West De Pere hosts recycling drives that successfully collected 117 pounds of batteries and Christmas lights last year alone. The school's physical education program fosters a deep appreciation for the natural world, offering diverse activities like biking, fishing, and archery that emphasize physical health and lifelong skills. Additionally, West De Pere's involvement in the Farm to Table program highlights the importance of local produce, complemented by a school greenhouse that enhances hands-on learning. Through these initiatives, West De Pere High School is empowering students to become proactive stewards of the environment and advocates for sustainability in their communities.
West De Pere High School in De Pere, Wis., was a 2025 honoree in the state's Green and Healthy Schools Wisconsin program. The state expanded that recognition program honoring schools' sustainability work after the U.S. Department of Education ended its Green Ribbon Schools program last year.
Courtesy of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
States Q&A This State Stepped In When the Feds Stopped Honoring Schools' Environmental Work
The Trump administration last year ended the Green Ribbon Schools recognition program.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, March 19, 2026
•
4 min read
New military recruits take the Oath of Office during a swearing in ceremony at a Salute to Service event at an NFL football game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Jacksonville.
New military recruits take the Oath of Office during a swearing-in ceremony on Nov. 10, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. States' education plans call for tracking students paths from the classroom to college, career, or the military, but they've struggled to access enlistment data from the U.S. Department of Defense. Through a new agreement, five states will pilot a data-sharing process with the Pentagon with hopes to expand to additional states.
Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP
States What Happens to Students Who Join the Military? A New Effort Aims to Find Out
A pilot will allow states to use Pentagon data to track students from the classroom to the military.
Evie Blad, March 18, 2026
•
3 min read
Wall clock and calendar with the number of days and clock close up.
iStock/Getty
Student Absenteeism What Happens When a Shorter School Calendar Meets Chronic Absenteeism?
Short academic years hinder efforts to catch up students, study finds.
Sarah D. Sparks, March 17, 2026
•
4 min read
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
•
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
•
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
•
8 min read
A third-grader practices his cursive handwriting at a school in the Queens borough of New York.
A third-grader practices his cursive handwriting at a school in the Queens borough of New York. At least half of the nation’s states have adopted cursive writing instruction in recent years, reversing a sharp decline in teaching of that skill after the Common Core, launched in 2010, omitted it from its standards.
Mary Altaffer/AP
Curriculum Cursive is Making a Comeback. It Won’t Be Without Challenges
A growing number of states are requiring schools to return to cursive writing instruction.
Elizabeth Heubeck, March 2, 2026
•
5 min read
Students at an elementary school make their way to the cafeteria past reminders of the education and subjects they are receiving on March 8, 2024, in Chicago.
Students at a Chicago elementary school make their way to the cafeteria past logos showing the core subjects they study on March 8, 2024. The state of Illinois has launched an effort to offer school districts guidance on effective strategies in math.
Charles Rex Arbogast/AP
Mathematics As States Eye Math Reform, How Prescriptive Should They Be?
Illinois is among the states aiming to revamp math, but a question remains: How hard should it push?
Sarah Schwartz, February 27, 2026
•
5 min read
School Choice & Charters Video Private School Choice Is Growing. What Comes Next?
States are investing billions of dollars in public funds for families to use on private schooling.
Mark Lieberman & Yi-Jo Shen, February 24, 2026
•
1 min read
Load More ▼