Federal Policy

News, analysis, and opinion about federal education laws, regulations, and proposals—and their impact
Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., speaks during a prayer vigil held by the Chesapeake Coalition of Black Pastors at The Mount (Mount Lebanon Baptist Church) in Chesapeake, Va., Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022, for the six people killed at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Va., when a manager opened fire with a handgun before an employee meeting Tuesday night.
Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., speaks during a prayer vigil in Chesapeake, Va., on Nov. 27, 2022. Scott is the ranking Democrat on the U.S. House of Representatives' education committee and will seek the panel's chairmanship if Democrats win a House majority in next month's elections.
Carolyn Kaster/AP
Federal Q&A A Top Democrat Breaks Down His Party's Plans for K-12 in a House Majority
If Democrats retake the House, Rep. Bobby Scott may be in a position to set his chamber’s K-12 agenda.
Alyson Klein, October 9, 2026
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5 min read
A tutor helps students at Benjamin O. Davis Middle School in Compton, Calif., on Feb. 6, 2025.
A tutor works with students at Benjamin O. Davis Middle School in Compton, Calif., on Feb. 6, 2025. The federal tax-credit scholarship program that launches next year can cover select expenses for public school students, including for tutoring. But to receive revenue from the program, public schools could have to set up systems to charge fees that the federally bankrolled scholarships can then cover.
Eric Thayer/AP
Budget & Finance Trump's School Choice Program Could Push Public Schools to Charge New Fees
Districts that charge new fees will likely confront tricky logistical, legal, and philosophical questions.
Mark Lieberman, October 9, 2026
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9 min read
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., the top Democrat in the Republican-majority House, is joined by Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., chair of the House Democratic Caucus, as they criticize President Donald Trump and his policies while talking to reporters about the approaching midterm election, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 17, 2026. He's joined by Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., who chairs the House Democratic Caucus. If Democrats gain a majority of either chamber of Congress after next month's elections, they'll be able to hold oversight hearings on and launch investigations into the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Federal What a Democratic Congress Could Mean for Trump's K-12 Agenda
They may try to reverse—or at least investigate—the Trump admin.'s efforts to dismantle the Ed. Dept.
Alyson Klein, October 8, 2026
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9 min read
Image of file folders with tabs called "funding" "grants" "projects" and a blank note paper paperclipped to the outside.
Collage by Laura Baker/Education Week + Getty
Federal The Future of Education Research: More Partisan and Largely Left to States?
As Trump administration works to change federal grants, outside researchers try to regroup.
Sarah D. Sparks, October 6, 2026
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6 min read
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Educational posters and stickers are displayed in a Head Start center classroom in Athens, Pa., on Aug. 13, 2026. The Trump administration has proposed sweeping changes to Head Start regulations.
MD. ZOBAYER HOSSAIN JOATI for Education Week
Early Childhood Here’s Where RFK Jr.’s Head Start Deregulation Would Hit Hardest
The Trump administration has proposed dismantling several key Head Start regulations.
Elizabeth Heubeck, October 6, 2026
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6 min read
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, center, is joined from left by Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., the GOP whip, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., as he speaks to reporters ahead of a Wednesday meeting with President Donald Trump, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, June 23, 2026.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., speaks to reporters ahead of a meeting with President Donald Trump at the Capitol in Washington on June 23, 2026. Cotton is one of the sponsors of a bipartisan bill that would create a grant program for states to implement school cellphone bans or restrictions.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Federal Bipartisan Bill in Congress Would Help Schools Put Cellphone Bans or Restrictions in Place
The bill would establish a federal grant program to support state efforts to restrict cellphones.
Lauraine Langreo, October 2, 2026
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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
Education Funding Opinion An Expert Explains How the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit Will Work
A former Ed. Dept. official predicts the program will generate $3 billion for scholarships in 2027.
Rick Hess, October 2, 2026
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9 min read
MINNEAPOLIS, MN, January 22, 2026: Students move through the halls at Washburn High School in Minneapolis, MN.
The Trump administration has released proposed regulations outlining how the first nationwide school choice program will operate when it launches next year. The regulations leave some major questions unaddressed but clarify other aspects for the tax-credit scholarship program.
Caroline Yang for Education Week
School Choice & Charters Explainer New Rules for Federal School Choice: What You Need to Know
Proposed rules from the IRS offer some details on how the first nationwide school choice program will work.
Arianna Prothero, Mark Lieberman & Matthew Stone, October 1, 2026
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14 min read
The tax credit program would allow individuals who donate up to $1,700 to a scholarship granting organization to receive a dollar-for-dollar federal income tax credit in exchange. Pictured are students at Northeast Elementary located at 1024 Fleming Ave. in Jackson on Aug. 20, 2025.
Students at Northeast Elementary School in Jackson, Mich., on Aug. 20, 2025. A tax-credit scholarship program launching in January will allow individuals who donate up to $1,700 to a scholarship granting organization to receive a dollar-for-dollar federal income tax credit. Those SGOs can give out awards to cover private school tuition as well as some expenses for public school students.
Abra Richardson/mlive.com via TNS
School Choice & Charters Federal Education Tax Credit Rules Are Finally Here. What We Know So Far
The Treasury Department unveiled regulations governing a massive infusion of education funding nationwide.
Arianna Prothero & Mark Lieberman, October 1, 2026
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5 min read
Director of the United States Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought walks down a staircase on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, July 16, 2026.
Russell Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, walks down a staircase on Capitol Hill in Washington on July 16, 2026. The OMB withheld millions of dollars from the U.S. Department of Education's research arm for months, raising the possibility it wouldn't spend the money on education research and data collection in time for its Sept. 30, 2026, expiration.
Allison Robbert/AP
Education Funding Ed. Dept. Meets Research Spending Deadline—But Bigger Funding Challenges Loom
The Institute of Education Sciences finished spending more than $170 million set to expire Sept. 30.
Mark Lieberman, September 30, 2026
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3 min read
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., center, confers with Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, talk following a Senate Democratic Caucus meeting, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026.
Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, (right, speaking with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer) secured a commitment from Education Secretary Linda McMahon to supply additional funding for Native Hawaiian Education Program grantees when the U.S. Department of Education hadn't launched a competition for new grants. The Trump administration practice of abruptly canceling existing competitive education grants has slowed, but the Education Department is using procedures that result in fewer new grants and less stability for funding recipients.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Education Funding Trump's Ed. Dept. Is Still Disrupting Grants—Just More Quietly Than Before
The agency is deploying subtler procedures that result in fewer new grants and less stability for recipients.
Mark Lieberman, September 30, 2026
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11 min read
Giant tax funnel drops money into a public school building. Federal tax scholarships, public schools, private schools, charter schools
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty
Federal Opinion Public Educators Are Skeptical of the New Federal Tax Credits. They Needn't Be
Unlike vouchers, the new scholarships can benefit students choosing to attend public schools.
Deborah A. Gist & Thomas Arnett, September 29, 2026
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5 min read
Russell Vought, acting director, Office of Management and Budget, right, and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin listen during a cabinet meeting, Friday, July 31, 2026, at Camp David, the presidential retreat, near Thurmont, Md., Friday, July 31, 2026.
Russell Vought, director of the White House Office of Management, listens during a Cabinet meeting on July 31, 2026, at Camp David, the presidential retreat, near Thurmont, Md. The White House has announced an $810 million package of "pocket rescissions," saying it won't spend the congressionally appropriated funds before the end of the 2026 federal fiscal year, which ends Wednesday. The rescissions include nearly $100 million for U.S. Department of Education program.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP 
Education Funding Trump, Bucking Congress Yet Again, Cancels $100 Million for Education
A "pocket rescission" hits programs for migratory farmworkers and college-level language instruction.
Mark Lieberman, September 28, 2026
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7 min read
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 13: Local elementary schools participate in the annual Brooklyn Gay Pride Parade, celebrating its 30th year, June 13, 2026 in the Park Slope neighborhood of the borough of Brooklyn, New York City.
Local elementary schools participate in the annual Brooklyn Gay Pride Parade, celebrating its 30th year on June 13, 2026, in the Park Slope neighborhood of the borough of Brooklyn, New York City. The Trump administration has officially rescinded a Biden-era regulation that extended Title IX's prohibition on sex discrimination to cover discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images
Federal Ed. Dept. Officially Kills Biden Rule That Added LGBTQ+ Protections to Title IX
The Education Department reinstates 2020 Title IX regulations effectively in place since early 2025.
Mark Walsh, September 28, 2026
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4 min read