Deep Dive

Industry insights from our journalists

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    Solving for success: DC’s citywide effort to boost math achievement

    Increased rigor, teacher supports, data analysis and lots of hard work have contributed to better math performance. But more work remains, educators say.

    Kara Arundel • Feb. 12, 2026
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    Hispanolistic via Getty Images
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    How special educators can help students when ICE comes to town

    Special educators in St. Paul, Minnesota, are turning to COVID-19-era resources to help some impacted students access learning virtually.

    Kara Arundel • Feb. 11, 2026
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    Tamir Kalifa / Stringer via Getty Images
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    Trump’s OCR resolved no K-12 sexual harassment, assault complaints in 2025, data shows

    The Education Department contends "it has restored commonsense safeguards against sexual violence by returning sex-based separation in intimate facilities."

    Naaz Modan • Feb. 10, 2026
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    3 trends that will shape ed tech in 2026

    School districts will need to be more critical of ed tech tools as vendors face more aggressive accountability demands this year, say K-12 tech experts. 

    Anna Merod • Jan. 28, 2026
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    4 education legal and policy trends to watch in 2026

    From civic education advocacy to religious public schools, here’s what K-12 leaders can expect in the legal and policy spheres.

    Naaz Modan • Jan. 21, 2026
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    Trump 2.0: A sea change for K-12

    From Education Department downsizing to a variety of legal battles, take a month-by-month look at how the federal approach to K-12 has shifted.

    Kara Arundel, Anna Merod, Naaz Modan and Roger Riddell • Jan. 20, 2026
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    6 trends to watch for K-12 in 2026

    Enrollment concerns, growing school choice competition, data privacy and new federal policy priorities are among a slew of challenges facing public schools.

    Kara Arundel, Anna Merod and Naaz Modan • Jan. 8, 2026
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    Permission granted by Beaverton School District
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    District of the Year: Beaverton School District

    The Oregon district has taken career and technical education, dual language programming and cost-saving school transportation to new heights.

    Kara Arundel • Dec. 16, 2025
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    Permission granted by Erick Salazar
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    How IDEA sparked innovations for students with — and without — disabilities

    The landmark law has become the catalyst for legions of innovative practices and tools to make learning more accessible.

    Kara Arundel • Nov. 25, 2025
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    Permission granted by CR Marketing
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    Teacher shortages hinder special education progress. What are the solutions?

    "When we fail to fully staff our classrooms, we fail to deliver on the promise of a free and appropriate public education for students with disabilities," says one educator.

    Anna Merod • Nov. 25, 2025
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    Permission granted by Wylde Aura Photo Co.
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    ‘A case of life or death’: Behind the Trump administration’s revoked mental health grants

    A student suicide shook a rural county. The Trump administration pulled funds that could help prevent it from happening again.

    Naaz Modan • Nov. 5, 2025
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    SolStock via Getty Images
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    Special education at a crossroads: What should the federal role be?

    Major moves by the Trump administration have some debating, and others defending, the federal oversight system that supports students with disabilities.

    Kara Arundel • Nov. 3, 2025
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    US Department of Education. (2025). "03042025 SLM First day in the Office-3" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
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    ‘Death by 1,000 cuts’: Districts, states challenge Education Department civil rights enforcement

    The agency and its funding recipients usually collaborate to resolve civil rights complaints. However, that’s changing under the Trump administration.

    Naaz Modan • Oct. 2, 2025
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    Permission granted by Erika Dubois Photography
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    Education Department terminates some grants for deafblind students

    The department says the IDEA Part D grants weren't continued because they don't align with Trump administration priorities.

    Kara Arundel • Sept. 12, 2025
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    New York City workplace shooting exposes building security weaknesses

    The mass shooting in July underscores how access controls fail, but facility managers can get better security out of the technology, specialists say.

    Joe Burns • Aug. 21, 2025
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    Retrieved from U.S. Department of Education.
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    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.

    Naaz Modan • Aug. 11, 2025
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    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
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    Did SCOTUS make it easier to sue schools for disability discrimination?

    Special education legal experts say they don't expect a significant uptick in lawsuits in the long term from the Supreme Court’s A.J.T. v. Osseo ruling.

    Kara Arundel • Aug. 4, 2025
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    What will ‘big, beautiful’ school choice mean for public schools?

    A new federal private school choice program is adding to existing pressure from state-led programs amid shrinking enrollment and funding.

    Kara Arundel • July 29, 2025
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    How would Trump’s FY 26 budget plan reshape special education?

    The White House says its IDEA budget proposal would be less complex and more effective. Critics worry about cuts and reduced accountability.

    Kara Arundel • June 30, 2025
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    Retrieved from Thomas J. O'Halloran/Library of Congress.
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    Head Start turns 60: Alumni reflect on lifelong impact of early learning

    Three former students share how the preschool program benefited them, and how they’ve stayed connected to Head Start via careers in education.

    Kara Arundel • May 16, 2025
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    States, lawmakers push back on ‘abrupt and chaotic’ reversal of COVID funds

    The Education Department ended ESSER late liquidation, months after many states had received preapproval from the Biden administration.

    Kara Arundel • April 10, 2025
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    The Education Department’s approach to civil rights enforcement is changing. Here’s how.

    Rapid and targeted investigations, outside agency involvement and federal funding cuts may be the new norm for schools.

    Naaz Modan • April 8, 2025
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    Permission granted by Spring Branch ISD
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    5 years later: COVID’s impact lingers in school culture

    School leaders and education experts look back at how the pandemic shaped chronic absenteeism, ed tech use, student performance and parent trust.

    Kara Arundel and Anna Merod • March 27, 2025
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    How will Education Department cuts impact special education?

    Opponents predict lapses in civil rights protections and IDEA accountability, but supporters are embracing the promise of local flexibility.

    Kara Arundel • March 25, 2025
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    What will NCES layoffs mean for the Nation’s Report Card?

    The U.S. Department of Education claims mandated tests like NAEP won’t be impacted, but laid-off employees beg to differ.

    Naaz Modan • March 18, 2025