The Latest

  • he U.S. flag and Department of Education flags whip in the wind outside the department's headquarters
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    Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Federal judge stands by order requiring OCR be restored

    The Trump administration is appealing Judge Myong Joun’s decision requiring the Office for Civil Rights to revert to “the status quo.”

  • Linda McMahon speaks while seated at a podium.
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    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
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    Education Department proposes removing trans, nonbinary student categories from mandated data collection

    The Civil Rights Data Collection is used to inform civil rights compliance and discrimination investigations.

  • An aerial view of Arleta High School in Los Angeles Unified School District
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    Retrieved from Los Angeles Unified School District on August 13, 2025
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    LAUSD emphasizes virtual school, safe zones after student detention

    Unidentified immigration agents handcuffed a student at gunpoint “in an alleged case of mistaken identity” just before the new school year begins.

  • Chairs are placed on top of individual desks in an empty classroom.
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    StockPlanets via Getty Images
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    Austin ISD eyes school consolidations as enrollment keeps dropping

    After losing over 10,000 students in the past decade, the district is evaluating buildings for capacity, cost and condition before proposing closures.

  • The headquarters of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Washington, D.C.
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    Ryan Golden/K-12 Dive
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    School district asks court to reel in EEOC charge it called a ‘fishing expedition’

    The lawsuit alleged that then-Commissioner Andrea Lucas issued an “overly broad and vague” discrimination charge that exceeded the agency’s authority.

  • 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 the past week’s K-12 news

    From a district considering school consolidations to the impacts of Trump’s immigration policies on students, what did you learn from our recent stories?

  • Woman teacher instructing child students to play drum in school classroom
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    Frazao Studio Latino via Getty Images
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    How music education can help improve literacy

    Music education’s benefits for student literacy and development are particularly important in the early grades, experts say.

  • A serious teenager sits with crossed legs on a library floor, reading an interesting book.
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    SeventyFour via Getty Images
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    Middle school students need strong, tailored reading instruction, NWEA says

    High-quality assessments and flexible scheduling are among factors that could help boost literacy skills for middle schoolers, according to a new report.

  • Federal officers stand across the hall from a woman and child walking down the hall of immigration court
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    Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Trump ICE policies create student trauma — but schools can help, researchers say

    Recent enforcement policy changes are resulting in absenteeism, disengagement, and social isolation, according to psychiatric researchers.

  • A side view of an open laptop sitting on a table. Hands are on the keyboard. A cellphone sits next to the laptop
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    Chinnapong via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    AI carries potential to transform both student and teacher

    Educators have an opportunity to learn to use artificial intelligence early and work with students on best classroom uses, writes a middle school teacher.

  • The Everett McKinley Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    7th Circuit revives Christian teacher’s religious accommodation claim

    The teacher had asked to call all students by their last names rather than use transgender students’ chosen names.

  • Linda McMahon stands with a T-shirt in her hands featuring a Native American mascot
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    Retrieved from U.S. Department of Education.
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    Deep Dive

    Racist if you do, racist if you don’t: The Native American mascot controversy

    As districts grapple with state laws and policies meant to curb the imagery, the Trump administration is calling those measures discriminatory.

  • A standing microphone is seen in the foreground. In a blurred background are people seated in rows of chairs
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    Tzido via Getty Images
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    Communicate budget uncertainty early and often, district leaders advise

    Two school district leaders shared how they’re navigating a fast-changing federal policy landscape in a recent TNTP webinar.

  • Students and staff stand outside Chula Vista Elementary School District's Camarena Elementary School.
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    Retrieved from Camarena Elementary School.
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    ICE apprehends parent during morning student drop-off hours

    The incident in California’s Chula Vista Elementary School District adds to other known incidents of ICE activity during school pick-ups and drop-offs.

  • Houston skyline
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    Haugland Bowen, Katie. (2014). "Houston Skyline" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
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    Week In Review: Enrollment concerns weigh on districts and Houston makes progress

    We’re rounding up last week’s news, from school choice in special education to Atlanta’s plans to address empty seats.

  • A large crowd of students, staff and parents are lined up for a photo outside a school building near a tennis court.
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    Permission granted by LEAP Academy University School
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    Why this New Jersey school requires parents to volunteer

    Officials at LEAP Academy University School say they work with families to ensure the annual 40 hours of volunteer work aren’t burdensome.

  • LGBTQ flag waves during parade
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    Stock via Getty Images
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    Florida district won’t rehire teacher in LGBTQ+ controversy over student’s preferred name

    The veteran teacher, whose license was in jeopardy, settled with the state for a $750 fine and a year of probation, among other consequences.

  • A school building's door is closed. Through the door's windows a hallway with lockers appears in the background.
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    VisualArtStudio via Getty Images
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    Bellwether warns of school closures, consolidations ahead

    The nonprofit's analysis suggests enrollment declines may have cost the nation's 100 largest districts $5.2 billion.

  • Three large screens appear above a stage that say "UNITED" with a person speaking who is displayed on the outer screens.
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    Anna Merod/K-12 Dive
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    UNITED ‘25: Principals explore solutions to pressing K-12 challenges

    School principals gathered in Seattle in July to address a wide range of issues including chronic absenteeism and school safety.

  • Atlanta skyline on a cloudy day
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    Davis Turner via Getty Images
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    ‘Bold and necessary effort’: Atlanta Public Schools stares down empty seats

    The district is considering everything from closing buildings and redistricting to consolidations and mergers amid a dip in student population.

  • One person is standing and looking to the right. Two other people are in the background and sitting at a table.
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    Kara Arundel/K-12 Dive
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    How can colleges help solve the special educator shortage?

    Speakers at this week’s OSEP conference highlighted an Illinois teacher apprenticeship program and technical assistance for minority serving institutions.

  • Houston Independent School District Superintendent Mike Miles kneels next to a student in a classroom
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    Retrieved from Houston Independent School District.
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    Houston ISD reports zero failing schools 2 years after takeover

    The improvements follow wholesale reforms in Texas' largest school district, though its state takeover will remain in place at least two more years.

  • Futuristic central processor unit on the abstract motherboard with blue lights and rays as symbol of data transfers.
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    sankai via Getty Images
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    How a summer camp exposes both students and teachers to quantum physics

    The Quantum For All pilot combines professional learning and direct practice to close knowledge gaps and expand STEM opportunities.

  • A stack of books sits on a table in the foreground. In the background are rows of shelves of books in a room
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    Kenishirotie via Getty Images
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    Top 10 books for English language arts remain largely unchanged over 35 years

    Some 90% of teachers somewhat or strongly agreed that diverse literature should be required for all students, according to a NCTE survey.

  • Two people are on a stage. One person is standing and has a microphone. The other is sitting.
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    Kara Arundel/K-12 Dive
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    Education Department eyes special education in school choice expansion

    Increasing choice models will better help meet student and family needs, Diana Diaz-Harrison said at the OSEP conference.