The Latest

  • A building on San José State University's campus.
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    Sundry Photography via Getty Images
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    Education Department opens Title IX probes into athletic programs following anti-trans order

    The agency said it is investigating a middle and high school athletics association, San José State University and the University of Pennsylvania.

  • An adult sits at a desk next to a student. The adult is holding papers and both are looking at papers. Another student looks on.
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    SolStock via Getty Images
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    Individualized tutoring can combat chronic absenteeism

    A high impact tutoring initiative in Washington, D.C., showed promise for middle schoolers and those with extreme absenteeism, a new report finds.

    Updated Feb. 7, 2025
  • Trump holds up his signed executive order while surrounded by girl and women athletes.
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    Andrew Harnik via Getty Images
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    Trump signs executive order barring transgender students from girls’ sports

    During the signing ceremony, the president warned K-12 schools and colleges that they could lose federal funding if they don’t comply. 

  • A photo illustration of a circle encompassing a question mark, pencil, and scantron test.
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    Photo illustration: Shaun Lucas/Industry Dive; Getty Images

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    POP QUIZ

    Test yourself on this week’s K-12 news

    From Trump’s latest executive order impacting K-12 to a rise in student homelessness, what did you learn from our recent stories?

  • DOJ Sues To Block Penguin Random House's Acquisition Of Rival Simon And Schuster
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    Justin Sullivan / Staff via Getty Images
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    Publishing giants sue Idaho over state law enabling book bans

    The plaintiffs allege HB 710 is unconstitutional and forces schools and public libraries to guess if any member of the public might object to any book.

  • Young child looks out of window from a yellow school bus, which has the words Head Start printed on the side.
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    Mario Villafuerte via Getty Images
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    Some Head Start programs face ‘unnecessary delays’ in access to federal grants

    The slowdown is impacting 20,000 children and families as programs have to shutter or scramble for funds.

  • A man is sitting at a desk at a dias. Other people are sitting or standing around them.
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    Kara Arundel/K-12 Dive
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    Lawmakers weigh solutions to poor academic performances, college debt

    Republicans at a House education hearing touted school choice and alternative career pathways as Democrats vowed to protect the Education Department.

  • An above camera shot of an adult and a few students sitting on the floor in a circle in a library. The adult has a book open.
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    Ridofranz via Getty Images
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    High teacher buy-in for NYC Reads initiative

    The phonics- and evidence-based framework is earning high marks in its rollout, though more professional learning is needed, according to a report.

  • A teacher with sheet music practices with a choir of children in a classroom.
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    skynesher via Getty Images
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    Music brings harmony to language lessons for multilingual learners

    Music can be a more engaging vehicle for vocabulary and sentence development than repetitive drills and memorization lessons.

  • The exterior of a white stone building with windows is shown. The words U.S. Department of Education is on the side of the building.
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    Kara Arundel/K-12 Dive
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    Expected Trump order on Education Department’s future rattles advocates

    Since congressional approval is needed to shut down the agency, experts say the more likely scenario for now is a combination of budget cuts and restructuring.

  • The facade of the Capitol building is reflected on windows across from it
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    Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    House Republicans float plan to cut Community Eligibility Provision

    The budget reconciliation provision would raise eligibility requirements for low-income schools and districts to serve free meals to all students.

  • A wide angle photo of a school gym shows a volleyball game with several players on each side of the net.
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    Permission granted by Monarch School Project
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    25% uptick in student homelessness highlights the demand for school resources

    Advocates say the higher rate isn't all bad. Instead, it reflects more robust identification practices and means more families can get the help they need.

  • An adult, facing camera, sits on the floor in a classroom. Also on the floor with backs toward camera are students
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    Nimito via Getty Images
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    S&P predicts stable outlook for charter schools in 2025

    Schools on the lower end of the rating scale are facing challenges from the expiration of federal COVID-19 relief funds and low attendance and enrollment.

  • A digital rendering of the scales of justice.
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    putilich via Getty Images
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    K-12 cybersecurity a hot topic in state legislatures in 2024

    California, Florida and Indiana enacted new laws containing cybersecurity supports for schools, an analysis from the Consortium for School Networking finds.

  • Police put up crime scene tape at Perry High School in Iowa following a school shooting on January 4, 2024.
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    The Trump administration disbanded a federal school safety board. Now what?

    Education leaders stress that school safety is a bipartisan issue and are hopeful the Trump administration will continue to prioritize it.

  • An aerial photo of blurred people in motion in a large open inside area. Some people are wearing backpacks
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    skynesher via Getty Images
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    Education Department will enforce 2020 Title IX rule

    A letter to K-12 schools and colleges says sex discrimination enforcement activities will only recognize two sexes — male and female.

  • A young student walks outside on a walkway, wearing a pink coat and pink backpack. Tall seagrass is along the walkway.
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    Deep Dive

    How are schools responding to immigration policy shifts?

    Student attendance and the legal rights of schools and families are among concerns after schools lose "protected areas" status.

  • A person standing in a classroom has their back to the camera. Looking toward the person are students seated in desks.
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    monkeybusinessimages via Getty Images
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    The K-12 outlook for 2025: Shifting policy, tech landscapes bring new challenges

    We’ve gathered our trends to watch over the coming year in one place to help you stay ahead of the game.

  • An illustration of a student looking into an empty outline of a teacher in a classroom.
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    Illustration: Cathryn Virginia for Industry Dive

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    STAFFED UP

    Are uncertified teachers still the answer?

    Some researchers frown upon the practice, encouraging states and districts to pursue alternative strategies for addressing teacher shortages.

  • Graduates receive a certificate at the university
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    Rattankun Thongbun/iStock via Getty Images
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    The coming decline in high school graduate counts, in 5 charts

    A recent forecast dove deep into the demographics and number of future traditional-aged college prospects. The news wasn’t all bad.

  • A close-up shot of Donald Trump in the Oval Office.
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    Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images
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    Trump signs executive orders prioritizing school choice, ending K-12 ‘indoctrination’

    Trump’s latest orders call for the Education Department to explore options to fund school choice, while ending support for "discriminatory equity ideology."

  • Donald Trump is walking in a hallway of the White House. The photo is taken from the ground up. There is red carpet and people in uniform are lined along the walls of the hallway
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    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
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    Trump administration reverses course on federal funding freeze

    Agencies, including the Education Department, will still need to review their allocations for conflicts with White House executive orders.

  • Students sitting at tables wearing masks write on paper in a classroom.
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    Jon Cherry via Getty Images
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    NAEP 2024

    Reading, math continue slide in 2024 NAEP results

    Average reading scores dropped 5 points for both 4th and 8th graders from 2019 to 2024. Math scores also saw significant declines.

  • President Donald Trump's top portion of his face can be seen behind an open folder he is holding. His is in the Oval Office and seated as a desk.
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    Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images
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    Federal judge puts temporary freeze on Trump’s funding pause

    While Title I, IDEA and Head Start funding seem unaffected by the OMB directive, policy experts and educators are seeking more guidance about the actual impact.

    Updated Jan. 28, 2025
  • A group of students sits at a circular table to study.
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    Jacob Ammentorp Lund via Getty Images
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    First-year college enrollment spiked 5.5% in fall 2024

    The final data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center comes a week after the group retracted preliminary findings showing a decline.