Listen to the article 3 min

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback.

Most-clicked story of the week:

The portion of students with disabilities who learned in general education classes for much of their day increased in 42 states and the District of Columbia between the 2012-13 and 2023-24 school years,  according to a report released July 2 by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. 

The increase was fueled by a rise in students who spend at least 80% of their time learning alongside their peers who don't have disabilities.

Education policy in the states

• Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, a Republican, and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, urged state and local education leaders to look to their communities for help in improving student engagement and outcomes. The remarks — in which the two state leaders stressed the importance of listening to students, families, educators and communities — came during the opening session of the Education Commission of the States’ National Forum on Education Policy on July 8.
• New laws that recently took effect in Idaho, Maryland, Oklahoma and Virginia require their respective state education departments to develop artificial intelligence guidance for schools — and for their local school boards to adopt their own policies on safe and responsible use of the tech in alignment with that state guidance. Some 34 states and Puerto Rico had issued AI guidance for schools as of last October, according to AI for Education, a group that supports districts in developing AI policies. 

Federal policies present challenges

• A Center for American Progress analysis released July 7 finds the Republican-led One Big Beautiful Bill Act could soon render it more difficult for some students to access free school meals. The 1-year-old law made significant cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Medicaid — and those programs are factors considered in free school meal access under the Community Eligibility Provision. According to the Food Research & Action Center, about 4.7 million people have lost access to SNAP benefits since OBBBA took effect in July 2025, and an analysis from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities showed 700,000 fewer children across 12 states are getting SNAP assistance.
• A U.S. Department of Education proposed rule published in the Federal Register on June 25 would rescind regulations for the Equity Assistance Centers program, which the agency says would allow it to “explore other means” of delivering those services. The department is also considering transferring related services to the U.S. Department of Justice, according to the notice. The move comes despite a court order temporarily requiring the program's continuation in at least one region of the nation.

The latest from the Supreme Court

• The U.S. Supreme Court’s June 30 decision allowing the separation of athletics based on “biological sex” dealt a considerable blow to the transgender rights movement, which has sought inclusion for transgender students in K-12 schools in regards to sports participation and access to bathrooms and locker rooms. Those pleased with the decision say it is faithful to Title IX and protects cisgender girls’ and women in sports.
• The Supreme Court is once again being asked to consider the role of race in K-12 admissions policies, in a case appealed to the high court by a group representing mostly Asian American parents in Maryland’s Montgomery County Public Schools. If the justices take up the case, it could impact other high-profile challenges to race- or socioeconomic-conscious district policies in Boston, Philadelphia and New York.