Policy & Legal

  • A person walks in front of the exterior of the headquarters for the U.S. Department of Education.
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    Judge halts mass firings of federal employees — for now

    Here's a timeline tracing the Trump administration's efforts to slash half of the U.S. Education Department's workforce.

    By • Oct. 15, 2025
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    Teachers are struggling with work-life balance, but there are ways to help

    Educators report they’re more likely to face job intrusion and job flexibility issues than adults working in other sectors, according to a Rand Corp. survey.

    By • Oct. 15, 2025
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    Trendline

    Top 5 stories from K-12 Dive

    K-12 Dive has gathered some a selection of our best coverage from 2025 so far as a one-stop resource on the trends to watch in the months ahead.

    By K-12 Dive staff
  • One person is seated at a desk while several adults and children are gathered around. A bust of Abraham Lincoln is in the foreground
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    Win McNamee via Getty Images
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    What to know about the Education Department’s latest round of RIFs

    Education experts warn of potential disruptions to the oversight of civil rights protections and funding reimbursements due to severe staff reductions.

    By • Oct. 15, 2025
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    Disability groups urge against assessment and accountability waivers

    Allowing the waivers could lower expectations for students with disabilities, they told the U.S. Education Department.

    By • Oct. 14, 2025
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    California high schoolers to gain automatic offers to Cal State under new law

    A pilot version of the program proactively offered thousands of students acceptance into the public university system.

    By Ben Unglesbee • Updated Oct. 14, 2025
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    Week In Review: H-1B visa concerns continue

    We’re rounding up last week’s news, from a Supreme Court ruling resulting in very few curriculum opt-outs to gaps in students’ life skills.

    By • Oct. 13, 2025
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    Inside North Carolina’s direct admissions program

    A statewide initiative is offering high school students proactive admission to dozens of public and private colleges, following a pilot last year.

    By Danielle McLean • Oct. 13, 2025
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    Retrieved from U.S. Department of Education/Flickr.
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    RIFs rip through federal Office of Special Education Programs

    With OSEP reportedly decimated, one special education expert asks: How can IDEA "possibly function"?

    By • Oct. 12, 2025
  • Fresh fruit and other food items are in a case accessible to students at a school cafeteria.
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    California takes ultra-processed foods off the school menu

    Schools must begin phasing out these foods in mid-2029, and vendors will be prohibited from offering them in mid-2032.

    By • Oct. 10, 2025
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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 large district’s mass teacher layoffs to new data on book bans in schools, what did you learn from our recent stories?

    By • Oct. 10, 2025
  • Elementary school students work on laptops in a computer lab.
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    Risks from AI use are growing alongside its popularity in schools

    Greater school use increases the likelihood of data breaches, bullying and other issues, a Center for Democracy and Technology survey said.

    By • Oct. 10, 2025
  • President Donald Trump sits in the Oval Office of the White House on Sept. 25, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
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    Andrew Harnik via Getty Images
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    As Trump imposes hefty H-1B visa fee, how many districts rely on them?

    Over 500 districts hired educators from overseas under the program during fiscal year 2025, according to a new NEA analysis.

    By • Oct. 9, 2025
  • A handful of students walk in a row outside near a school building. They are each holding a cellphone and looking down at the cellphone.
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    Most school leaders report cellphone restrictions, widely seen as beneficial

    Students, teachers and principals view limiting devices as beneficial, but parents have concerns, research shows.

    By • Oct. 9, 2025
  • Kimberly Richey looks into the distance
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    Retrieved from U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education Labor and Pensions.
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    Richey confirmed to lead Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights

    Kimberly Richey, who also served in Trump’s first term, steps into the role as the office faces a significant backlog and a halved workforce.

    By • Oct. 8, 2025
  • A person is standing at a podium speaking into a microphone. Another person can be seen sitting to the side of the speaker listening.
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    Octavio Jones via Getty Images
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    How school boards reflect their constituencies — and where they don’t

    Board members have more positive views of their districts and are more critical of charter schools, a Fordham Institute and Wallace Foundation report says.

    By • Oct. 8, 2025
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    Appeals court refuses to block Trump’s Title IX funding change

    The order deals a setback to a Virginia district that’s one of the first to push back on the administration’s strategy.

    By • Oct. 7, 2025
  • Students sit on the floor of a classroom holding books
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    Retrieved from K-12 Dive.
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    Maryland district gets few opt-out requests after Supreme Court mandate

    Curriculum opt-outs were requested on behalf of fewer than 1% of almost 150,000 students attending Montgomery County Public Schools.

    By • Oct. 7, 2025
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    Fly View Productions via Getty Images
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    BY THE NUMBERS

    How are states approaching K-12 open enrollment?

    Best practices for open enrollment in public schools include transparent district reporting, the Reason Foundation says.

    By • Oct. 7, 2025
  • An adult man sits on the edge of a desk in front of a high school classroom as he teaches math from a whiteboard.
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    skynesher via Getty Images
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    H-1B visa lawsuit alleges $100K fee will worsen teacher shortages

    School systems in several states cited in the suit say the fee would create unsustainable costs and hinder hiring ability.

    By • Oct. 6, 2025
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    Stock via Getty Images
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    What school leaders should expect in the 2025-26 Supreme Court term

    An expanding shadow docket and an increase in First Amendment disputes could see more cases join the lone K-12 item this term.

    By • Oct. 6, 2025
  • The U.S. Capitol stands in the distance as morning traffic moves along North Capitol Street Northwest on October 01, 2025 in Washington, DC. The government shut down early Wednesday after Congress failed to reach a funding deal.
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    Chip Somodevilla / Staff via Getty Images
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    Week In Review: Mental health grants return and FCC rolls back E-rate expansion

    We’re rounding up last week’s news, from the government shutdown’s impact on schools to differentiated teacher compensation.

    By • Oct. 6, 2025
  • A book titled "One Of A Kind, Like Me" sits on a bookshelf in California
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    Justin Sullivan / Staff via Getty Images
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    Book bans becoming the new norm for districts, report says

    Four years since book bans proliferated, the movement’s spread to the federal level is creating “unprecedented” pressure for districts, PEN America says.

    By • Oct. 3, 2025
  • A photo illustration of a circle encompassing a question mark, pencil, and scantron test.
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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 the return of previously canceled federal school grants to an FCC vote on the E-rate program, what did you learn from our recent stories?

    By • Oct. 3, 2025
  • Three separate elevated highways lead to the Houston skyline in the background.
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    The image by Famartin is licensed under CC BY 4.0
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    Houston ISD lays off, reassigns hundreds of teachers

    The move follows district estimates earlier this year that predicted an enrollment drop of about 8,000 students.

    By • Oct. 3, 2025
  • Linda McMahon arrives to the U.S. Department of Education's building in Washington, D.C., for her first day in office.
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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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    Deep Dive

    ‘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.

    By • Oct. 2, 2025