Policy & Legal

  • The outside of the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C. is shown on a close day. People are walking on the sidewalk in front of the building.
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    Education Department urged to broaden ‘professional’ student definition

    The agency’s proposed rule would limit graduate students in education from being able to borrow no more than $100,000 in federal student loans.

    By Ben Unglesbee , • March 6, 2026
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    Retrieved from U.S. Department of Education/Flickr on March 05, 2026
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    Special education advocates warn against future program transfers

    They worry that moving IDEA services out of the Education Department would diminish oversight for civil rights and accountability.

    By • March 6, 2026
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    Trendline

    Top 5 stories from K-12 Dive

    K-12 Dive has gathered some a selection of our best coverage as a one-stop resource on the trends to watch in the months ahead.

    By K-12 Dive staff
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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 U.S. Supreme Court decision to school closures in one of the nation’s largest districts, what did you learn from our recent stories?

    By • March 6, 2026
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    Justin Sullivan / Staff via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    How should HR handle politics in the workplace?

    When an employee’s political expression interferes with business operations, HR must know how to proceed, writes David Urban, senior counsel at Liebert Cassidy Whitmore.

    By David Urban • March 5, 2026
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    Michael Loccisano via Getty Images
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    GAO: Data is unreliable from COVID maintenance of equity provision

    The analysis into how the provision for federal pandemic emergency aid was implemented in states and districts offers lessons for future grant oversight.

    By • March 5, 2026
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    Win McNamee via Getty Images
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    Key federal education data collections under review in IES overhaul

    An internal document recommended "six big shifts" for the Institute for Education Sciences, which was gutted by layoffs a year ago.

    By • March 4, 2026
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    Courtesy of Thomas More Society
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    Supreme Court deals blow to school policies protecting student LGBTQ+ identities

    The lawsuit out of California was filed by teachers and parents who said such policies violate their First and 14th Amendment rights.

    By • March 3, 2026
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    Retrieved from U.S. Department of Education/Flickr on March 02, 2026
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    Q&A

    McMahon: Education Department shutdown is still the goal

    One year into the job, the education secretary is setting her sights on improving literacy and expanding school choice. 

    By • March 3, 2026
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    States weigh limits, outright bans on ed tech in schools

    Momentum appears to be growing against any screen time in schools as states like Tennessee and Kansas propose prohibiting ed tech for grades K-5.

    By • March 3, 2026
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    Retrieved from Library of Congress.
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    Education Department loses appeal on mental health grant cancellation

    The decision kept a lower court’s injunction in place, meaning the agency has to make new decisions on discontinued grants. 

    By • March 2, 2026
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Students feel safer in school when their concerns are heard, YouthTruth finds

    Survey findings reveal gaps between staff and student safety perceptions and the need to include student voice in preparedness.

    By • March 2, 2026
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    Getty Images
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    Week In Review: The special education population is on the rise

    We’re rounding up last week’s news, from new interagency agreements to the State of the Union.

    By • March 2, 2026
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    Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    House hearing stresses that AI teacher training is a must

    Lawmakers expressed bipartisan interest in a larger federal role in support for AI professional development during a recent subcommittee hearing.

    By • Feb. 27, 2026
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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 new interagency agreements to student mental health supports, what did you learn from our recent stories?

    By • Feb. 27, 2026
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    Illustration: Cathryn Virginia for Industry Dive

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    STAFFED UP

    Teachers struggle to afford housing. What are districts doing about it?

    To help recruit and retain staff, more districts are stepping in to give them a break on rent — and even a leg up on home ownership.

    By • Feb. 27, 2026
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    Courtesy of Becket
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    District must pay $1.5M in Maryland opt-out case

    The settlement in Mahmoud v. Taylor, which also includes court-enforced compliance, comes after the Supreme Court ruled in parents' favor last year.

    By • Feb. 26, 2026
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    Roger Riddell/K-12 Dive/K-12 Dive
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    Q&A // NASP '26

    Cardona: Student mental health cannot be a ‘red or blue’ issue

    From the student suicide rate to consequences of misusing artificial intelligence, the former education secretary says the need for supports is urgent.

    By • Feb. 26, 2026
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    Douglas Rissing via Getty Images
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    The Education Department’s 9 interagency agreements: What is going where

    In moves to downsize, the department is sending some K-12 and higher education programming to other agencies like Labor and Health and Human Services.

    By • Feb. 25, 2026
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    Andrew Harnik via Getty Images
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    Trump touts ‘we ended DEI in America’ in State of the Union

    In a speech noted for its length, the president touched on DEI, AI and transgender policies, but not on a broader education agenda.

    By • Feb. 25, 2026
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    Getty Images
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    Districts, parents sue Wisconsin Legislature over K-12 funding formula

    Plaintiffs say failure to keep up with inflation has led to program and staff cuts at the cost of providing all children "a sound basic education."

    By • Feb. 25, 2026
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    eranicle via Getty Images
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    DOJ: ‘Shocking overuse’ of restraint, seclusion in Missouri district

    A two-year probe finds more than 300 students were secluded almost 4,000 times and nearly 150 students were restrained 777 times.

    By • Feb. 24, 2026
  • An adult is in a classroom and is sitting at a table holding the letter "O" and curving their mouth into an O. A young student is in front of the adult with their back to the camera.
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    FatCamera via Getty Images
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    Special education enrollment keeps growing. These 3 graphics show how.

    Autism, developmental delay and multiple disabilities marked the fastest growing IDEA disability categories between 2023 and 2024.

    By • Feb. 24, 2026
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    Mike Simons / Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Appeals court voids Louisiana Ten Commandments injunction

    The law can move forward after a federal appeals court said a decision without the context of actual text displays would be "guessing.”

    By • Feb. 23, 2026
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    Heather Diehl via Getty Images
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    Deep Dive

    Congress green-lights education interagency agreements — with reservations

    The Education Department has nine such agreements with other agencies, including the departments of Labor and Health and Human Services.

    By • Feb. 23, 2026
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    Brett Carlsen via Getty Images
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    Week In Review: Humanizing the superintendency, and lost instruction due to winter weather

    We’re rounding up last week’s news, from the end of a 60-year-old desegregation case to a Texas district's proposal to close 12 schools.

    By • Feb. 23, 2026