Policy & Politics

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the legislation, guidance, policies and people involved in federal and state government
Federal Opinion Margaret Spellings and Arne Duncan: The Ed. Agenda We Can Agree On
We need to get education back on track, write the former Ed. Secretaries. Let’s start at the top.
Margaret Spellings & Arne Duncan
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5 min read
Law & Courts Trump Says Title IX Excludes Trans Girls. The Supreme Court Could Weigh In Next
It's the flip side of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding state laws that bar transgender girls.
Mark Walsh
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7 min read
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
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5 min read
School Choice & Charters Court Declares Ohio School Choice Voucher Program Unconstitutional
A state appellate court found a voucher program harms public schools and violates Ohio’s constitution.
The Associated Press
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2 min read
Alex Impion, 12, shines a flashlight on a model moon held by Necmeddin Aljabri, 8, at Riverside Elementary School in Cleveland on March 14, 2024. The two were learning about the upcoming total solar eclipse, a topic that has challenged and inspired teachers in and near the eclipse's path.
Alex Impion, 12, shines a flashlight on a model moon held by Necmeddin Aljabri, 8, at Riverside Elementary School in Cleveland on March 14, 2024. An Ohio court has found that the state's voucher program, EdChoice, is unconstitutional, providing a choice to the private schools that must honor the taxpayer-funded vouchers rather than to Ohio families.
Carolyn Thompson/AP
School Choice & Charters Q&A How Much Will Federal School Choice Benefit Public Schools?
"The money is there," says a researcher trying to project how much is there for public school students.
Arianna Prothero
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5 min read
Federal tax dollars flow into a public school. Federal school choice funding.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty
School Choice & Charters Democratic Holdouts Still Aren’t Committing to Trump’s School Choice Program
Sixteen governors still haven't said whether they'll opt in to the first national school choice program.
Matthew Stone & Arianna Prothero
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6 min read
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker speaks at a Texas Democratic Party press conference ahead of the Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas on Sept. 9, 2026.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker speaks at a Texas Democratic Party press conference ahead of the Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas on Sept. 9, 2026. Pritzker is among 16 governors who have yet to announce whether their states will participate in the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit, the first national school choice program.
Gabriela Passos/AP
States Which Education Issues Are on the Ballot? Look Up Your State in Our Guide
Education Week reviews what’s on ballots in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Matthew Stone & Emily Wright
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1 min read
An, " I Voted Today," sticker is stuck to an information sign at Olbrich Gardens, Aug. 11, 2026, in Madison, Wis.
An "I Voted Today" sticker on a sign on Aug. 11, 2026, in Madison, Wis. The race for control of Congress is the highest-profile election battle underway this fall. But there's a lot on the ballot in every state that matters for schools, the policies they have to follow, and their budgets.
Nam Y. Huh/AP

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More Policy & Politics

  • Creative Minds students find their partners during daily family time in Wichita Kansas.
    Students find their partners during daily family time on Sept. 15, 2026, at Creative Minds, a microschool run by the public school district in Wichita, Kan. Interest in microschools has surged in recent years, and some school districts are starting their own. One example is in Indiana, where Superintendent George Philhower of the Eastern Hancock district has started the Indiana Microschool Collaborative.
    Melissa Lukenbaugh for Education Week
    School Choice & Charters Q&A To Compete With School Choice, This Superintendent Turned to Microschools
    More school districts have started microschools. George Philhower has started a network of them.
    Arianna Prothero, October 8, 2026
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    4 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
    School building at the center against a green grid background. Neighborhood homes are on both sides of the school and are made up of tax forms that are collaged together. Some of the forms show things like "School District Residency" and "File a separate form SD 100 for each taxing school district in which you lived during the taxable year".
    Illustration by Taylor Callery for Education Week
    States A Unique K-12 Ballot Initiative, and Other 2026 Election Highlights
    One state would require 'Spar-Spangled Banner' broadcasts in schools. Others would limit taxes.
    Matthew Stone, October 7, 2026
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    10 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
    A police officer chases a protester during scuffles following a demonstration against under-resourced schools, in Paris, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026.
    A police officer chases a protester during scuffles following a demonstration against under-resourced schools, in Paris, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026.
    Teresa Suarez/AP
    Education Funding School Funding at the Heart of Massive Protests in France
    Secondary students have called out dilapidated buildings, a lack of air conditioning, and inequities across schools.
    The Associated Press, October 6, 2026
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    4 min read
    A spectator wears a Let's Go Brandon shirt in the stands during the first half of the Hula Bowl NCAA college football game, Jan. 15, 2022, in Orlando, Fla.
    A spectator wears a Let's Go Brandon shirt in the stands during the first half of the Hula Bowl NCAA college football game, Jan. 15, 2022, in Orlando, Fla.
    Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP
    Law & Courts Supreme Court Rejects Appeal Over School's Ban of 'Let's Go Brandon' Sweatshirts
    The justices left in place a lower court ruling that schools can ban the phrase over its veiled vulgarity.
    The Associated Press, October 6, 2026
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    1 min read

Resources

Reading & Literacy Spotlight The Engagement Imperative: Closing Literacy’s Most Overlooked Gap
Literacy growth takes more than skills. Explore how engagement, motivation, and evidence-based instruction can help students thrive.
Science Spotlight From Curiosity to Creation: Reengaging Students Through STEM
Student engagement through hands-on STEM, real-world problem-solving, and learning experiences that make school feel more relevant.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
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Curriculum Whitepaper How Supplemental Instruction Is Reshaping High School Classrooms
Explore new research on why educators use them—and the challenges districts face around quality of sources, consistency, and teacher work...
Content provided by Cengage School
Reading & Literacy Spotlight Building Responsive Literacy Systems for Every Learner
Build a responsive literacy system with strategies for stronger instruction, targeted support, and success for every reader.
  • A Ten Commandments poster is seen with boxes of others before they were delivered to local public schools in New Braunfels, Texas, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025.
    A Ten Commandments poster is seen with boxes of others before they were delivered to local public schools in New Braunfels, Texas, on Nov. 17, 2025. Texas is one of four states that now require the commandments be displayed in public school classrooms.
    Eric Gay/AP
    Law & Courts Ten Commandments in Classrooms: 'Passive Display' or Part of the Curriculum?
    Five states now have laws that require or authorize Ten Commandments displays in public schools.
    Mark Walsh, October 2, 2026
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    9 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

EdWeek Market Brief

Regulation & Policy Exclusive Data How Widely Influential Are State-Approved Materials Lists? K-12 Officials Weigh In.
Approved materials lists created by state education departments are playing a significant role in determining which curriculum products school districts choose, new EdWeek Market Brief data shows.
Emma Kate Fittes
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8 min read
Regulation & Policy Industry Insight Kentucky K-12 Is at an ‘Inflection Point.’ What Education Companies Should Know
More than three decades after Kentucky enacted sweeping reforms that reshaped its public schools, the state is embarking on another significant overhaul of its K-12 system.
David Saleh Rauf
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7 min read
Meeting District Needs Exclusive Data Security Vendors Are Flooding K-12. Which District Officials Have Influence on What Gets Bought?
Superintendents have the most influence over K-12 security purchases, new EdWeek Research Center data show, but finance, technology, operations, security personnel and school leaders all play significant roles in what gets bought.
David Saleh Rauf
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8 min read
Strategy & Operations K-12 Dealmaking McGraw Hill Acquires TeachFX; Brighteye Ventures Secures $72M
Voice-first AI tutoring platform Aristotle has also raised $5 million in seed funding.
Alexandria Ng
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5 min read
Read More