Policy & Politics

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the legislation, guidance, policies and people involved in federal and state government
Federal Ed. Dept. Hangs Banner of Charlie Kirk Alongside MLK Jr., Ben Franklin
It's part of a celebration of the nation's 250th anniversary.
Matthew Stone
•
1 min read
Federal Ed. Dept. Wants to Revamp Assistance Program It Calls 'Duplicative,' 'Confusing'
The department's Comprehensive Centers have already been through a year of shakeups.
Matthew Stone
•
3 min read
Federal Will the Ed. Dept. Act on Recommendations to Overhaul Its Research Arm?
An adviser's report called for more coherence and sped-up research awards at the Institute of Education Sciences.
Stephen Sawchuk & Matthew Stone
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6 min read
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
•
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
Federal Opinion We Shouldn’t Have to Choose Between Federal Overreach and Abandonment in K-12
Why is federal power being used to occupy our cities but not protect our students’ civil rights?
Sally Iverson
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4 min read
Large hand making pressure over group of small, silhouetted figures. Oppressions, manipulation. Contemporary art collage. Photocopy effect. Concept of world crisis, business, economy, control
Education Week + iStock
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
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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
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
•
8 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

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More Policy & Politics

  • The Supreme Court building is seen on April 30, 2025, in Washington.
    The U.S. Supreme Court building is seen on April 30, 2025, in Washington. The high court recently declined to pause a ruling allowing a South Carolina transgender student to use restrooms consistent with his gender identity.
    Mark Schiefelbein/AP
    Law & Courts Supreme Court Rejects Bid to Block Transgender Boy From Male Restrooms at School
    A divided Supreme Court declined to pause an injunction blocking a South Carolina law as it applied to a transgender male student.
    Mark Walsh, September 10, 2025
    •
    2 min read
    Stonewall Jackson High School in Shenandoah County.
    The Shenandoah County, Va. school board voted in May 2024 to rename Mountain View High School as Stonewall Jackson High School and Honey Run Elementary as Ashby Lee Elementary four years after the names had been removed. Now, a judge has found the decision to rename the high school violated students' free speech rights.
    <a href="https://virginiamercury.com/2025/09/10/federal-judge-says-restoring-stonewall-jackson-name-at-shenandoah-school-violates-students-rights/" target="_blank" link-data="{&quot;cms.site.owner&quot;:{&quot;_ref&quot;:&quot;00000173-0561-d1f0-a17f-adef4bee0000&quot;,&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;ae3387cc-b875-31b7-b82d-63fd8d758c20&quot;},&quot;cms.content.publishDate&quot;:1757538383770,&quot;cms.content.publishUser&quot;:{&quot;_ref&quot;:&quot;00000173-e988-d25a-a7ff-f9cb2a4c0000&quot;,&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;6aa69ae1-35be-30dc-87e9-410da9e1cdcc&quot;},&quot;cms.content.updateDate&quot;:1757538383770,&quot;cms.content.updateUser&quot;:{&quot;_ref&quot;:&quot;00000173-e988-d25a-a7ff-f9cb2a4c0000&quot;,&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;6aa69ae1-35be-30dc-87e9-410da9e1cdcc&quot;},&quot;link&quot;:{&quot;disableUtmTracking&quot;:false,&quot;target&quot;:&quot;NEW&quot;,&quot;attributes&quot;:[],&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://virginiamercury.com/2025/09/10/federal-judge-says-restoring-stonewall-jackson-name-at-shenandoah-school-violates-students-rights/&quot;,&quot;_id&quot;:&quot;00000199-3573-d4d3-a7db-f77343390000&quot;,&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;ff658216-e70f-39d0-b660-bdfe57a5599a&quot;},&quot;linkText&quot;:&quot;Courtesy of Nathaniel Cline/Virginia Mercury&quot;,&quot;theme.brightspot-theme-default.:core:enhancement:Enhancement.hbs.enhancementAlignment&quot;:null,&quot;theme.brightspot-theme-default.:core:link:Link.hbs._template&quot;:null,&quot;theme.brightspot-theme-default.:core:link:Link.hbs.type&quot;:null,&quot;theme.brightspot-theme-default.:core:link:Link.hbs._preset&quot;:null,&quot;theme.brightspot-theme-default.:core:enhancement:Enhancement.hbs._preset&quot;:null,&quot;_id&quot;:&quot;00000199-3573-d4d3-a7db-f77342e50001&quot;,&quot;_type&quot;:&quot;809caec9-30e2-3666-8b71-b32ddbffc288&quot;}">Courtesy of Nathaniel Cline/Virginia Mercury</a>
    Law & Courts School's Confederate Name Violates Students' Free Speech, Judge Says
    The district was the first to reverse course and bring back Confederate names for its schools. The litigation is ongoing.
    Brooke Schultz, September 10, 2025
    •
    3 min read
    Vector illustration of a man in a suit with flashlight looking into hole in the shape of a dollar sign.
    DigitalVision Vectors
    Law & Courts Schools Sue Trump, But It's Getting Harder for Them to Recoup Money
    Judges have recently ruled against districts as they challenge Ed. Dept. funding cuts and threats in court.
    Brooke Schultz, September 10, 2025
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    7 min read
    A stylized, faceless student has a smooth, open head with a glowing smartphone rising from it, symbolizing the smart phone and social media's impact on NAEP scores.
    Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty Images
    Standards & Accountability Opinion Student Test Scores Keep Falling. What’s Really to Blame?
    There’s strong circumstantial evidence pointing to a particular culprit. (Hint: It’s not the pandemic.)
    Martin R. West, September 9, 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
    School Choice & Charters Opinion The Biggest Things People Don’t Know About School Choice
    The school choice debate is rife with urban myths and dubious claims.
    Rick Hess, September 9, 2025
    •
    8 min read
    A teacher at Audrey H. Lawson Middle School in Houston, Texas, marks a grade on a class worksheet on Sept. 6, 2023.
    A teacher at Audrey H. Lawson Middle School in Houston marks a grade on a worksheet on Sept. 6, 2023. Texas lawmakers have passed a bill that would drop the state's once-a-year STAAR test in favor of a model in which students are tested three times a year.
    Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle via AP
    States The Future of Annual State Testing Is in the Trump Admin.’s Hands
    The Ed. Dept. has invited states to request waivers from accountability requirements.
    Brooke Schultz, September 8, 2025
    •
    7 min read
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Teaching Spotlight Spotlight on Effective Classroom Instruction
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Student Absenteeism Sponsor How Clark County Reduced Chronic Absenteeism by 9%
As someone who’s been deeply involved in the fight to reduce chronic absenteeism in the Clark County School District (CCSD) in Nevada, I’m pleased to share how our whole-community approach is bringing students back to the classroom and improving school culture. Chronic absenteeism has plagued schools across the nation, so this challenge isn’t unique to our district—which serves a diverse and growing student population in Las Vegas and its surrounding communities—but we are using some unique tools to address it. As a result we’re seeing a shift: our district has reduced chronic absenteeism by an estimated 9% in just one academic year.
Content provided by National University
School & District Management Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About The District Academic Officer Persona?
The district academic officer is a key player when it comes to purchasing. Test your knowledge of this key buyer persona and see how your results stack up with your peers.
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  • AB Hernandez, a transgender student at Jurupa Valley High School, competes in the high jump at the California high school track-and-field championships in Clovis, Calif., May 31, 2025.
    AB Hernandez, a transgender female student at Jurupa Valley High School, competes in the high jump at the California high school track and field championships in Clovis, Calif., on May 31. The U.S. Supreme Court in its new term will consider state laws that prohibit transgender girls and women from competing in female athletics.
    Jae C. Hong/AP
    Law & Courts New Supreme Court Term Puts Transgender Student Rights in the Spotlight
    The justices will weigh state laws that bar transgender girls from female athletics, amid other issues of interest to educators in new term
    Mark Walsh, October 2, 2025
    •
    8 min read
    People stop to take photos of the U.S. Capitol building on Oct. 2, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
    People stop to take photos of the U.S. Capitol building on Oct. 2, 2025, in Washington. Out-of-office email messages from U.S. Department of Education employees during the government shutdown blame Democrats for the lapse in funding. Employees said the messages were set without their permission.
    Samuel Corum/Sipa via AP
    Federal Ed. Dept. Out-of-Office Emails Changed to Blame Democrats for Shutdown, Staff Say
    Staffers say they were instructed to use nonpartisan messages, then they were changed.
    Brooke Schultz, October 2, 2025
    •
    4 min read
    A commuter walks past the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Education on March 12, 2025, in Washington.
    A commuter walks past the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Education in Washington on March 12, 2025. A federal court sided with the Trump administration this week, allowing it to proceeds with laying off half of the department's office for civil rights.
    Mark Schiefelbein/AP
    Law & Courts Appeals Court Says Ed. Dept. Can Fire Civil Rights Staff
    Office for civil rights employees had already begun returning to work under a court order
    Brooke Schultz, September 30, 2025
    •
    4 min read
    The Capitol is seen during rainy weather just days before federal money runs out which could trigger a government shutdown, in Washington, Sept. 25, 2025.
    The Capitol is seen during rainy weather on Sept. 25, 2025, just days before federal money runs out, which could trigger a government shutdown. A shutdown that lasts even a few days could have ripple effects for schools across the nation.
    J. Scott Applewhite/AP
    Federal How Will a Federal Shutdown Affect Schools? 5 Big Questions, Answered
    School funding could experience yet another setback this year if the federal government closes up shop.
    Mark Lieberman, September 29, 2025
    •
    9 min read
    Protesters gather at the State Capitol in Salem, Ore., on Feb. 18, 2019, calling for education funding during the "March for Our Students" rally.
    Protesters call for education funding in Salem, Ore., on Feb. 18, 2019. The Trump administration has relaunched two school mental health grant programs after abruptly discontinuing the awards in April. Now, the grants will only support efforts to boost the ranks of school psychologists, and not school counselors, social workers, or any other types of school mental health professionals.
    Alex Milan Tracy/Sipa via AP
    Education Funding Trump Admin. Relaunches School Mental Health Grants It Yanked—With a Twist
    The administration abruptly discontinued the grant programs in April, saying they reflected Biden-era priorities.
    Matthew Stone, September 26, 2025
    •
    6 min read
    Vector illustration of a giant pair of scissors coming in the side of the frame about to cut dollar signs that are falling off of a microscope. There is a businessman at the top of a ladder looking down into the microscope at the dollar signs falling off the lense.
    Collage by Gina Tomko/Education Week and Getty
    Education Funding Trump Administration Slashes STEM Education Research Grants
    Some experts say the funding cuts are at odds with the administration's AI learning priorities.
    Alyson Klein, September 26, 2025
    •
    3 min read
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EdWeek Market Brief

Education Market Industry Insight AI Readiness: It's Not Just About Product Innovation
Digital Promise's director of learning technology research discusses what it'll take to get districts ready for the age of AI.
Alexandria Ng
•
7 min read
Education Market Market Analysis In Indiana, New State Controls Create Challenges — and Opportunities — for Vendors
Indiana is once again among the states pushing to change the way public money for schools is spent — and gaining national attention in the process.
Emma Kate Fittes
•
17 min read
Regulation & Policy Market Analysis Inside Florida's Push to Replicate Texas' Bluebonnet Curriculum, And Why It's On 'Life Support'
Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas’ plan to create state-developed instructional materials hit a roadblock in Florida’s GOP-led Legislature
David Saleh Rauf
•
8 min read
Regulation & Policy K-12 Market News Texas’ Bluebonnet Curriculum Faces Scrutiny as State Board of Education Takes Up 4,100 Corrections
The volume of corrections, along with some of the specific changes needed, drew the ire of some state board members.
David Saleh Rauf
•
4 min read
Read More