Federal

Education news, analysis, and opinion about federal education policies and federal officials.
  • President Donald Trump, right, arrives in a classroom at St. Andrew Catholic School in Orlando, Fla., on March 3, 2017.
    President Donald Trump visits a classroom at St. Andrew Catholic School in Orlando, Fla., on March 3, 2017. Trump issued an executive order on Jan. 29, 2025, that aims to end what he calls "radical indoctrination" in the nation's schools.
    Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP
    Federal Trump Threatens School Funding Cuts in Effort to End 'Radical Indoctrination'
    An executive order from the president marks an effort from the White House to influence what schools teach.
    Brooke Schultz, January 29, 2025
    6 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
    8 min read
    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks at a news conference at the Capitol in Washington on March 6, 2021.
    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks at a news conference at the Capitol in Washington on March 6, 2021. He has criticized the Trump Administration's move in January 2025 to nix a school safety panel created by federal legisation.
    J. Scott Applewhite/AP
    Federal Schumer Tells Trump to Immediately Reinstate School Safety Board
    Trump must immediately reinstate a federal school safety board, Schumer demanded.
    Evie Blad, January 27, 2025
    2 min read
    This combination of photos shows Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, left, and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris during an ABC News presidential debate at the National Constitution Center, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Philadelphia.
    Donald Trump and Kamala Harris participate in the ABC News presidential debate at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on Sept. 10, 2024. Supporters of both candidates say that they didn't hear enough about education during the election.
    Alex Brandon/AP
    Federal A Divided Electorate Agrees on One Thing: Education Didn’t Get Enough Airtime
    A newly released poll finds voters wanted to hear more.
    Alyson Klein, January 24, 2025
    1 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
    8 min read
    Image of a school hallway with icons representing lockdowns, SRO, metal detectors.
    via Canva
    Federal Trump Admin. Axes Newly Created School Safety Board
    The Trump administration disbanded a board that advises agencies on school safety strategies. Members include parents of school shooting victims.
    Evie Blad, January 23, 2025
    4 min read
    Young girl working on an electrical panel in a classroom setting.
    iStock/Getty
    Federal Most Voters Reject Trump’s Push to Cut U.S. Education Department, Poll Finds
    Career-connected learning has broad support from voters across the political spectrum, according to the survey.
    Alyson Klein, January 22, 2025
    3 min read
    Students arrive for school Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston.
    Students arrive for school Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday said it had revoked a policy that kept immigration agents from making arrests and conducting enforcement raids at schools and other places considered sensitive locations.
    Michael Dwyer/AP
    Federal Trump Admin. Lifts Ban on Immigration Arrests at Schools
    A new change ends a policy that mostly prohibited agents from making immigration arrests at schools and other spots where children gather.
    Brooke Schultz & Ileana Najarro, January 22, 2025
    6 min read
    Former U.S. Secretaries of Education Arne Duncan, John King, and Margaret Spellings discuss the future of the U.S. Department of Education.
    From left, former education secretaries Margaret Spellings, John King, and Arne Duncan. The three former agency heads, who served during the Bush and Obama administrations respectively, discussed the future of the U.S. Department of Education during a Jan. 21, 2025, event hosted by the Brookings Institution.
    Gerry Broome, Susan Walsh, Jacquelyn Martin/AP
    Federal What 3 Former Education Secretaries Think of Their Old Department's Future
    Though President Donald Trump’s first-term proposal to end the agency didn't materialize, he renewed the campaign promise last year.
    Brooke Schultz, January 21, 2025
    6 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
    5 min read
    The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
    Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
    Federal Opinion ‘Budget Reconciliation’ Sounds Like Wonkspeak. But It Matters for Schools
    It won’t enable the Trump administration to make cuts to K-12 programs or abolish the Ed. Department, but it will have other implications.
    Rick Hess, January 21, 2025
    9 min read
    President Donald Trump holds up an executive order commuting sentences for people convicted of Jan. 6 offenses in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington.
    President Donald Trump signs a series of executive orders in the Oval Office on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, the first day of his second term in office. Trump was expected to sign dozens of executive actions, some of them affecting schools, on his first day.
    Evan Vucci/AP
    Federal President Trump's Early Actions Undo Biden Efforts to Protect LGBTQ+ Students
    The promised action comes as Republicans have increasingly focused on limiting transgender rights.
    Brooke Schultz, January 20, 2025
    6 min read
    Supporters of TikTok hold signs during a rally to defend the app at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. The House holds a hearing Thursday, with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew about the platform's consumer privacy and data security practices and impact on kids.
    Educators who support TikTok hold signs during a rally to defend the app at the Capitol in Washington on March 22, 2023. President Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office that delays enforcement of the law for at least 75 days.
    Jose Luis Magana/AP
    Federal Trump Puts Use of TikTok Back in Play. What This Means for Educators
    The platform's future remain's murky despite Trump's executive order delaying a ban.
    Mark Walsh & Lauraine Langreo, January 20, 2025
    5 min read
    The U.S. Department of Education, in Washington, D.C., pictured on February 21, 2021.
    The U.S. Department of Education, in Washington, D.C., pictured on Feb. 21, 2021.
    Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA via AP Images
    Federal Trump Names Acting Education Secretary Ahead of Linda McMahon's Confirmation
    Denise Carter will fill the role until President Donald Trump's pick, Linda McMahon, is confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
    Brooke Schultz, January 20, 2025
    2 min read
    080321 Tennessee Education Commissioner CRT AP BS
    Penny Schwinn, who was Tennessee's education commissioner, sits with students at Fairmount Elementary in Bristol, Tenn. on June 14, 2021. Schwinn, President-elect Trump's choice for the U.S. Department of Education's No. 2 job, has a long resume of leadership roles in K-12.
    David Crigger/Bristol Herald Courier via AP
    Federal Trump Names Experienced Educator as His Pick for Deputy Education Secretary
    Penny Schwinn, a former teacher and state schools chief, is an advocate for school choice and evidence-based reading practices.
    Lesli A. Maxwell, January 18, 2025
    3 min read