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A small group of diverse middle school students sit at their desks with personal laptops in front of each one as they work during a computer lab.
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Federal The Ed. Dept. Axed Its Office of Ed Tech. What That Means for Schools
The office helped districts navigate new and emerging technology affecting schools.
Lauraine Langreo & Arianna Prothero, March 18, 2025
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6 min read
The exterior of the Department of Education Building in Washington, DC on Thursday, December 14, 2017.
The exterior of the Department of Education Building in Washington on Dec. 14, 2017. Parents are suing the department over the firing of its office for civil rights staff, arguing that the layoffs will stifle civil rights investigations.
Swikar Patel/Education Week
Law & Courts Parents Sue Ed. Dept. Over Civil Rights Office Layoffs and Delays
The lawsuit argues that the mass layoffs leave students and families with little recourse for discrimination complaints.
Brooke Schultz, March 14, 2025
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4 min read
Chloe Kienzle of Arlington, Va., holds a sign as she stands outside the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Education, which were ordered closed for the day for what officials described as security reasons amid large-scale layoffs, Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Washington.
Chloe Kienzle of Arlington, Va., holds a sign as she stands outside the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Education on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Washington. The department this week announced it was shedding half its staff.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Federal Data: Which Ed. Dept. Offices Lost the Most Workers?
Cuts disproportionately hit the agency’s civil rights investigation and research arms, according to an Education Week analysis.
Brooke Schultz, March 13, 2025
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3 min read
A commuter walks past the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Education, which were ordered closed for the day for what officials described as security reasons amid large-scale layoffs, Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Washington.
A commuter walks past the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Education on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Washington. The department this week announced it was shedding half its staff. Twenty-one states have sued over the mass layoff.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Law & Courts States Sue Trump Over Education Department Firings
The challenge from 21 attorneys general comes just days after the Education Department announced it would shrink its staff by roughly half.
Brooke Schultz, March 13, 2025
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4 min read
Chloe Kienzle of Arlington, Va., holds a sign as she stands outside the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Eduction, which were ordered closed for the day for what officials described as security reasons amid large-scale layoffs, Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Washington.
Chloe Kienzle of Arlington, Va., holds a sign as she stands outside the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Education on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Washington. The department this week said it was cutting nearly half its staff.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Federal Civil Rights, Research, and More: What’s Hit Hardest by Massive Ed. Dept. Cuts
An analysis of the Trump administration's cuts to the agency shows its civil rights enforcement and research arms are hit particularly hard.
Brooke Schultz, Mark Lieberman, Sarah Schwartz, Ileana Najarro & Matthew Stone, March 12, 2025
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17 min read
The exterior of the Department of Education Building in Washington, DC on Thursday, December 14, 2017.
The exterior of the Department of Education building in Washington on Thursday, December 14, 2017. The department's Washington office and regional offices will be closed on Wednesday for "security reasons," according to an email sent to staff members.
Swikar Patel/Education Week
Federal Ed. Dept. Will Shed Nearly Half Its Staff in Massive Reduction Under Trump
The U.S. Department of Education announced Tuesday it was getting rid of nearly half its staff through a variety of measures.
Brooke Schultz & Matthew Stone, March 11, 2025
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6 min read
President Trump signing an executive order.
President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Washington.
Evan Vucci/AP
Federal Can Trump Do That? Which Actions on Education Are Legal, and Which Ones Aren't
A guide to President Trump's actions and whether or not they're legal or constitutional.
Mark Lieberman & Brooke Schultz, March 11, 2025
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14 min read
Peggy Carr, Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press about the National Assessment of Educational Progress on Oct. 21, 2022, in Washington.
Peggy Carr, the commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, speaks about the National Assessment of Educational Progress on Oct. 21, 2022, in Washington. The Trump administration placed Carr on administrative leave less than a month after the 2024 NAEP results were released.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal NAEP Chief Peggy Carr Put on Leave by Trump Administration
The official who oversees a key measure of the nation's educational progress was abruptly placed on leave by the Trump administration.
Evie Blad & Sarah Schwartz, February 25, 2025
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4 min read
President Donald Trump listens as Elon Musk speaks in the Oval Office at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington.
President Donald Trump listens as Elon Musk speaks in the Oval Office at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington. The department's office for civil rights, which enforces federal civil rights laws in schools, has been hamstrung by the Trump administration's goal of shrinking the agency.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal Trump Shakeup Stops Most Work at Education Department's Civil Rights Office
President Donald Trump is downsizing a federal office that he's also using to carry out his policy agenda for schools.
Brooke Schultz, February 14, 2025
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9 min read
A shouting protester is removed from the hearing room as Linda McMahon, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be Secretary of Education, testifies during her Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee confirmation hearing, at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, on Feb. 13, 2025. A shouting protester is removed from the hearing room as Linda McMahon, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be Secretary of Education, testifies during her Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee confirmation hearing, at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, February 13, 2025. (Graeme Sloan for Education Week)
A shouting protester is removed from the hearing room as Linda McMahon, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be Secretary of Education, testifies during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Feb. 13, 2025.
Graeme Sloan for Education Week
Federal Trump’s 4th Week: Musk’s Team Pushes Ed. Dept. Cuts as McMahon Faces Senators
Linda McMahon appeared before U.S. senators, answering for an already turbulent time at the Education Department before she's taken charge.
Brooke Schultz, February 14, 2025
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6 min read
North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction Kirsten Baesler announces the gathering of a task force to look into future options the state has for the assessment of students during a press conference May 8, 2015, at the state Capitol in Bismarck, N.D.
North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction Kirsten Baesler announces the gathering of a task force to look into future options the state has for the assessment of students during a press conference May 8, 2015, at the state Capitol in Bismarck, N.D. President Donald Trump has tapped Baesler to serve as assistant secretary of elementary and secondary education.
Mike McCleary/The Bismarck Tribune via AP
Federal Trump Picks Long-Serving State Chief With Bipartisan Fans for Top Ed. Dept. Role
Trump nominated North Dakota State Superintendent Kirsten Baesler to a key post overseeing K-12 policy at the U.S. Department of Education.
Alyson Klein, February 14, 2025
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5 min read
Tennessee Commissioner of Education Penny Schwinn is greeted by students at Fairmount Elementary in Bristol, Tenn., on Monday morning, June 14, 2021, during her "Accelerating TN Tour 2021." The students at Fairmount are taking part in the Summer S.T.R.E.A.M. Camp.
Penny Schwinn is greeted by students at Fairmount Elementary in Bristol, Tenn., on June 14, 2021, during her tenure as Tennessee's education commissioner. Schwinn's nomination to serve as deputy education secretary in President Donald Trump's second term has drawn praise from across the political spectrum.
David Crigger/Bristol Herald Courier via AP
Federal How the K-12 World Is Reacting to Trump's Pick for the Ed. Dept.'s No. 2 Job
While Linda McMahon brings a business background, Penny Schwinn brings a long resume in education.
Brooke Schultz, January 27, 2025
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8 min read
President-elect Donald Trump speaks at meeting of the House GOP conference, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington.
Donald Trump speaks at meeting of the House GOP conference, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. He returned to the White House this week, taking a flurry of executive actions, some of which could affect schools.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal Here Are Trump's First-Week Actions That Could Affect Schools
There's been a lot to keep track of during Trump's first week back in the White House. Here's how it all could affect schools.
Brooke Schultz, January 24, 2025
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8 min read
President Donald Trump speaks in Emancipation Hall after the 60th Presidential Inauguration, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
President Donald Trump speaks in Emancipation Hall after his inauguration, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Trump signed a number of executive orders on his first day in office, including some taking aim at career civil servants in the federal government.
Al Drago/AP
Federal What Will Trump's Orders for Federal Workers Do to the Education Department?
Some of the president's first-day orders kick-start actions he could take to weaken the Education Department.
Alyson Klein, January 21, 2025
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5 min read
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