Policy & Legal
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It’s been a year since the Covenant School mass shooting. What’s changed?
Tennessee GOP Gov. Bill Lee pushed lawmakers to consider gun reform, making the state ripe for change. But a year later, many efforts have failed.
By Naaz Modan • March 28, 2024 -
Students won’t be able to correct FAFSA forms until April
The notice from the U.S. Department of Education marks yet another delay in the fraught rollout of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
By Natalie Schwartz • March 27, 2024 -
Trendline
Equity in Education
From early learning to high school, the pandemic impacted equity at all levels of K-12, from persistent and widening achievement gaps to uneven access to school meals.
By K-12 Dive staff -
Washington becomes 7th state to require LGBTQ+ related instruction
Another seven states have banned discussion of LGBTQ+ topics in classrooms, illustrating the political divide on the curriculum issue.
By Anna Merod • March 27, 2024 -
How ESSER propelled improvements at school, district and state levels
From better lunchroom behaviors to statewide literacy initiatives, leaders share the benefits of COVID-19 aid and how they are sustaining that progress.
By Kara Arundel • March 27, 2024 -
Ed Dept: Districts should start now to improve 2024-25 attendance
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona wrote in a Dear Colleague letter that “there is still more work to do” to tackle chronic absenteeism.
By Naaz Modan • March 27, 2024 -
Teacher layoffs are growing — and won’t be going away anytime soon
When budget cuts loom, district leaders should avoid attrition and seniority-based policies in layoff strategies, a K-12 finance expert says.
By Anna Merod • March 26, 2024 -
Opinion
The dairy industry’s influence in Congress is harming students’ health
A pediatrician writes that the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act would circumvent dietary guidelines and increase saturated fat content in school meals.
By Yami Cazorla-Lancaster • March 25, 2024 -
How can districts ensure students have enough social-emotional support?
A CDC program director shares four key steps to build these supports into busy academic schedules.
By Naaz Modan • March 25, 2024 -
Test yourself on this week’s K-12 news
From state AI guidance to Supreme Court rulings impacting district leaders’ social media use, what did you learn from our recent stories?
By Anna Merod • March 22, 2024 -
Biden signs FY 24 budget for Education Department, other agencies
The bipartisan and bicameral agreement cuts Education Department funding by $500 million.
By Kara Arundel • Updated March 25, 2024 -
By the Numbers: The end of universal school meals hurt student meal participation
Student participation in school lunch dropped 6% between 2021-22 and 2022-23, after the pandemic-era policy expired, FRAC found.
By Anna Merod • March 22, 2024 -
Ed Department should ban federal funding for K-12 surveillance tech, civil rights groups say
The uptick in AI-driven school surveillance technologies is a “dangerous new chapter in the school-to-prison pipeline,” a coalition of 41 groups wrote.
By Anna Merod • March 21, 2024 -
Alabama governor signs law banning school DEI funding
The legislation, which will take effect Oct. 1, reflects a broader trend of state bills moving to limit or prohibit diversity programming in public education.
By Laura Spitalniak , Naaz Modan • March 20, 2024 -
DOE unveils $180M for energy efficiency, air quality upgrades in K-12 schools
The 2024 Renew America’s Schools Prize will provide school districts funding for new HVAC systems, building envelope and lighting projects, electric vehicles and renewable energy technologies.
By Joe Burns • March 20, 2024 -
Deep Dive
Special education advocates warn of ‘chilling effects’ from anti-DEI efforts
A researcher at the Heritage Foundation, however, says DEI rollbacks would benefit the special education community.
By Kara Arundel • March 20, 2024 -
What themes are emerging from state AI guidance?
States are focusing on how the tech will impact the workforce as they stress the need for AI literacy.
By Anna Merod • March 19, 2024 -
Data privacy, cybersecurity lead comments on COPPA Rule proposal
Some commenters called for more alignment of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
By Anna Merod • March 18, 2024 -
Supreme Court protects public officials’ free speech rights in social media rulings
The two cases could impact how school board members and district leaders navigate social media.
By Naaz Modan • March 18, 2024 -
POP QUIZ
Test yourself on this week’s K-12 news
From the ongoing wait to finalize Title IX rules to concerns of states’ underspending of ESSER funds, what did you learn from our recent stories?
By Anna Merod • March 15, 2024 -
Superintendent pay fails to keep pace with inflation
School districts' top leaders are making around $7,000 less than a decade ago when adjusted for inflation, according to a study from AASA.
By Naaz Modan • March 14, 2024 -
Education Department plans to ramp up transmission of FAFSA data to colleges
The agency also announced fixes to issues that prevented some students from completing the form, though it flagged several new glitches.
By Laura Spitalniak • March 14, 2024 -
STAFFED UP
Districts increasingly turn to 4-day school weeks to recruit, retain staff
About 2,100 schools across 900 districts have adopted four-day school weeks, as of the 2022-23 school year, said an Oregon State University researcher.
By Anna Merod • March 14, 2024 -
Anti-abortion curriculum measures proliferate in handful of states
Proposals would require students to watch a fetal development animation that has been questioned by state lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
By Naaz Modan • March 13, 2024 -
Florida ‘Don’t Say Gay’ settlement loosens LGBTQ+ restrictions in classrooms
The deal significantly limits the scope of the law in multiple areas that had concerned educators, students and parents for chilling speech and expression.
By Naaz Modan • March 13, 2024 -
Opinion
How might Parents’ Bills of Rights impact the future of collecting student-related data?
Three attorneys write that growing state legislative pushes create additional data privacy, collection and access obligations for schools.
By Sarah Hutchins, Laura Lashley and Will Barker • March 13, 2024