Most-clicked story of the week:
The U.S. Department of Education announced June 16 that certain special education programming and civil rights enforcement activities are being transferred to other federal agencies. The Education Department said the move is meant to reduce bureaucracy and improve services.
These latest interagency agreements will put some programs under the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services transfer to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, while some of the Office for Civil Rights’ investigation and enforcement responsibilities will now be in the hands of the U.S. Department of Justice.
The number of school libraries Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland being renovated between July 2025 and August 2026. Roughly 26,000 students and 12,000 educators attend or work at the schools with newly redesigned spaces, which were completed through nonprofit and philanthropic partnerships.
In the workforce
- A recent Rand Corp. survey found the percentage of teachers who said they plan to leave their current teaching jobs dropped from 23% to 18% between the 2022-23 and 2025-26 school years. Despite that decline, burnout rates among educators increased from 54% in 2021 to 57% in 2026.
- Many commenters called for more federal investment in the early childhood program as they responded to a proposed rule to undo a federal Head Start regulation requiring alignment of teacher wages with public preschool teacher salaries. Supporters of removing the wage and benefit requirements, meanwhile, said Head Start providers need flexibility to set their own salary standards. Those opposed said mandatory competitive Head Start wages are essential to strengthen the workforce and offer high-quality instruction.
Policy & legal updates
- Indiana became the third state — behind Louisiana and Iowa — to receive a Returning Education to the States waiver from the U.S. Department of Education. The waiver, awarded June 16, will give the state more agency in prioritizing college and career readiness for its high schoolers, the department said.
- The U.S. Supreme Court on June 15 turned down a petition in E.D. v. Noblesville School District — the second free speech case against school districts to be declined in a week. The E.D. case revolved around Indiana high school administrators rejecting a student’s flyers for an anti-abortion school club’s meetings. The flyers featured images of students holding signs with sayings like “Defund Planned Parenthood.” The school’s principal stated in an email to E.D.’s mother that “a poster cannot contain any content that is political or that could disrupt the school environment,” according to court documents.
