Federal

Education news, analysis, and opinion about federal education policies and federal officials.
  • Kevin Roberts, president of The Heritage Foundation, speaks before Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at the National Religious Broadcasters convention at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center on Feb. 22, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn.
    Kevin Roberts, president of The Heritage Foundation, speaks before Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at the National Religious Broadcasters convention at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center on Feb. 22, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. Democrats are using the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 agenda to show what could happen in a Trump presidency while the former president distances himself from it.
    George Walker IV/AP
    Federal Project 2025: What It Is and What It Means for K-12 If Trump Wins
    The comprehensive policy agenda proposes eliminating the U.S. Department of Education under a conservative president.
    Libby Stanford, July 8, 2024
    4 min read
    Misy Sifre, 17, and others protest for transgender rights at the Capitol in Salt Lake City, March 25, 2022. On Tuesday, July 2, 2024, a federal judge in Kansas blocked a federal rule expanding anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ students from being enforced in four states, including Utah and a patchwork of places elsewhere across the nation.
    Misy Sifre, 17, and others protest for transgender rights at the Capitol in Salt Lake City, March 25, 2022. On Tuesday, July 2, 2024, a federal judge in Kansas blocked a federal rule expanding anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ students from being enforced in four states, including Utah and a patchwork of places elsewhere across the nation. The case is one of eight legal challenges to those expanded legal protections contained in new Title IX regulations issued by the Biden administration.
    Spenser Heaps/The Deseret News via AP
    Federal Which States Have Sued to Stop Biden's Title IX Rule?
    A summary of all the lawsuits challenging the Biden administration's Title IX rule that expands protections for LGBTQ+ students.
    Libby Stanford, July 8, 2024
    3 min read
    President Joe Biden, right, and Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, left, during a presidential debate hosted by CNN, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta.
    President Joe Biden, right, and former President Donald Trump, left, face off on stage during a presidential debate hosted by CNN, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. Not a single question was asked about K-12 education and neither candidate raised the issue.
    Gerald Herbert/AP
    Federal The Topic That Didn't Get a Single Mention in Biden-Trump Debate
    K-12 schools—after animating state and local elections in recent years—got no airtime.
    Libby Stanford, June 27, 2024
    2 min read
    Image of social media icons and warning label.
    iStock + Education Week
    Federal Social Media Should Come With a Warning, Says U.S. Surgeon General
    A surgeon general's warning label would alert users that “social media is associated with significant mental health harms in adolescents.”
    Arianna Prothero, June 17, 2024
    4 min read
    People walk outside the U.S Capitol building in Washington, June 9, 2022.
    People walk outside the U.S Capitol building in Washington, June 9, 2022. Experts called for investments in education research and development at a symposium at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on June 13.
    Patrick Semansky/AP
    Federal Classroom Tech Outpaces Research. Why That's a Problem
    Experts call for better alignment between research and the classroom in Capitol Hill discussions.
    Sarah D. Sparks, June 13, 2024
    4 min read
    Red, Blue, and Purple colors over a fine line etching of the Capitol building. Republicans and Democrats, Partisan Politicians.
    Douglas Rissing/iStock
    Federal Opinion Federal Education Reform Has Largely Failed. Unfortunately, We Still Need It
    Neither NCLB nor ESSA have lived up to their promise, but the problems calling for national action persist.
    Jack Jennings, June 7, 2024
    4 min read
    Parents and community members rally outside P.S. 189 to protest New York City Mayor Eric Adam's plan to temporarily house immigrants in the school's gymnasium, seen in the background on May 16, 2023, in New York.
    Parents and community members rally outside P.S. 189 to protest New York City Mayor Eric Adam's plan to temporarily house immigrants in the school's gymnasium, seen in the background on May 16, 2023, in New York.
    John Minchillo/AP
    Federal A More Complete Picture of Immigration's Impact on U.S. Public Schools
    House Republicans say a migrant influx has caused "chaos" in K-12 schools. The reality is more complicated.
    Libby Stanford, June 6, 2024
    10 min read
    In this Nov. 21, 1979 file photo, Bella Abzug, left, and Patsy Mink of Women USA sit next to Gloria Steinem as she speaks in Washington where they warned presidential candidates that promises for women's rights will not be enough to get their support in the next election.
    In this Nov. 21, 1979, photo, Bella Abzug, left, and Patsy Mink of Women USA sit next to Gloria Steinem as she speaks in Washington at an event where they warned presidential candidates that promises for women's rights will not be enough to win their support in the next election.
    Harvey Georges/AP
    Federal Explainer What Is Title IX? Schools, Sports, and Sex Discrimination
    Title IX, the law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex, is undergoing changes. What it is, how it works, and how it's enforced.
    Libby Stanford, May 31, 2024
    2 min read
    Former President Donald Trump appears at Manhattan criminal court during jury deliberations in his criminal hush money trial in New York, on May 30, 2024.
    Former President Donald Trump appears at Manhattan criminal court during jury deliberations in his criminal hush money trial in New York, on May 30, 2024. The jury convicted him on all counts.
    Steven Hirsch/New York Post via AP
    Federal Donald Trump's Conviction: 3 Takeaways for Educators
    The conviction gives educators a backdrop to discuss elections, the judicial system, and how to evaluate biases.
    Libby Stanford, May 31, 2024
    4 min read
    Highway directional sign for AI Artificial Intelligence
    Matjaz Boncina/iStock/Getty
    Federal A Bipartisan Bill Aims to Boost AI Education for K-12 Teachers
    A new bill would create a grant program at the National Science Foundation focused on AI and K-12 schools.
    Alyson Klein, May 28, 2024
    4 min read
    From left, David Banks, chancellor of New York Public schools, speaks next to Karla Silvestre, President of the Montgomery Count (Md.) Board of Education, Emerson Sykes, Staff Attorney with the ACLU, and Enikia Ford Morthel, Superintendent of the Berkeley United School District, during a hearing on antisemitism in K-12 public schools, at the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, on May 8, 2024, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
    From left, David Banks, chancellor of New York City schools, speaks next to Karla Silvestre, president of the Montgomery County, Md., school board; Emerson Sykes, staff attorney with the ACLU; and Enikia Ford Morthel, superintendent of the Berkeley Unified school district in Berkeley, Calif., during a hearing on antisemitism in K-12 public schools, at the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, on May 8, 2024, in Washington.
    Jacquelyn Martin/AP
    Federal K-12 Leaders Denounce Antisemitism But Reject That It's Rampant in Schools
    Three school district leaders said they're committed to rooting out antisemitism during a hearing in Congress.
    Libby Stanford, May 8, 2024
    6 min read
    Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona testifies during a House Committee on Education and Workforce hearing on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, May 7, 2024, in Washington.
    U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona testifies during a House Committee on Education and Workforce hearing on Capitol Hill on May 7 in Washington.
    Mariam Zuhaib/AP
    Federal Miguel Cardona in the Hot Seat: 4 Takeaways From a Contentious House Hearing
    FAFSA, rising antisemitism, and Title IX dominated questioning at a U.S. House hearing with Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.
    Libby Stanford, May 7, 2024
    6 min read
    U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona speaks during Education Week’s 2024 Leadership Symposium at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Va., on May 2, 2024.
    U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona speaks during Education Week’s 2024 Leadership Symposium at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Va., on May 2, 2024.
    Sam Mallon/Education Week
    Federal Arming Teachers Could Cause 'Accidents and More Tragedy,' Miguel Cardona Says
    "This is not in my opinion a smart option,” the education secretary said at an EdWeek event.
    Mark Lieberman, May 2, 2024
    4 min read
    Image of a pencil holder filled with a variety of colored pencils that match the background with international flags.
    Laura Baker/Education Week via Canva
    Federal Opinion Should Migrant Families Pay Tuition for Public School?
    The answer must reflect an outlook that is pro-immigration, pro-compassion, and pro-law and order, writes Michael J. Petrilli.
    Michael J. Petrilli, May 2, 2024
    4 min read
    Illustration of checklist.
    F. Sheehan for Education Week + iStock / Getty Images Plus
    Federal New Title IX Rule Could Actually Simplify Some Things for Districts, Lawyers Say
    School districts could field more harassment complaints, but they can streamline how they handle them, according to legal experts.
    Libby Stanford, May 1, 2024
    7 min read