Policy & Legal: Page 13


  • AASA Executive Director David Schuler speaks on a convention hall stage during a keynote session.
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    Permission granted by AASA Conference Daily Online
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    Q&A // AASA '25

    AASA chief: Assessments need to reflect the world students live in now

    David Schuler shares his perspective on testing, misinformation and other challenges vexing school superintendents.

    By March 12, 2025
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    Techa Tungateja via Getty Images
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    After breach of school staff financial data, ransomware gang takes credit

    Carruth Compliance Consulting was targeted in a December 2024 data breach, which impacted over 110,000 school employees, according to Comparitech.

    By March 12, 2025
  • High school students are dropped off for school and begin walking into the building. Explore the Trendlineâž”
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    Stock Photo via Getty Images
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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
  • A person is photographed from the front and below. Only the person's head, neck and shoulders can be seen. They are in a room with wood paneling. Others are seated behind the person.
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    Win McNamee via Getty Images
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    Education Department announces massive layoffs, slashing nearly half its workforce

    The agency’s employee count will plummet from 4,133 when President Donald Trump was inaugurated to about 2,183.

    By Updated March 11, 2025
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    Kara Arundel/K-12 Dive
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    Republican lawmakers tout proposal for national private school choice

    Supporters say students need options beyond "failing schools," but opponents say improving public schools should be the priority.

    By March 11, 2025
  • Protestors stand in front of the Capitol holding protest signs
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    Courtesy of National Education Association
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    Trump’s Education Department changes could lead to systemic ‘chaos’

    Cuts to contracts, staff and civil rights probes might backfire, leading to less oversight and more mismanagement, education experts warn.

    By March 10, 2025
  • Jeb Bush is standing the center of a handful of people who have Jeb! stickers on their clothes. A large American flag is on the wall behind the people.
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    Expand access to education to help South Carolina children learn

    Jeb Bush writes that thousands of students "could finally afford the education of their dreams" with the state's proposed Education Scholarship Trust Fund.

    By Jeb Bush • March 10, 2025
  • A digital depiction of a red triangle sign with an exclamation point in the center with binary code in the background.
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    Stock Photo via Getty Images
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    82% of K-12 schools recently experienced a cyber incident

    Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting school networks through phishing and social engineering, a cybersecurity nonprofit reported.

    By March 10, 2025
  • Three professional women stand around a table in front of a convention hall, speaking to attendees.
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    Roger Riddell/K-12 Dive
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    AASA '25

    Misinformation is flooding school communities. Here are 3 strategies to combat it.

    Consistency, simplicity and thorough planning are essential to help stakeholders cut through the noise, panelists at AASA’s annual conference said.

    By March 7, 2025
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    Michael M. Santiago via Getty Images
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    Democratic AGs sue over cancellation of teacher grants

    The eight-state lawsuit says the Education Department’s elimination of $600 million in grants will contribute to the teacher shortage and harm students.

    By March 7, 2025
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    Photo illustration: Shaun Lucas/Industry Dive; Getty Images

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    POP QUIZ

    Test yourself on this week’s K-12 news

    From a lawsuit against the Education Department to an analysis of the types of books being banned, what did you learn from our recent stories?

    By March 7, 2025
  • President Donald Trump addresses reporters at the White House on March 6, 2025.
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    Alex Wong via Getty Images
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    ‘Stay of execution’: Where’s Trump’s order to shut down Education Department?

    While an executive order didn't come down as expected Thursday, the education community is bracing for more cuts to key department resources.

    By March 6, 2025
  • An adult is kneeling on the floor in front of a child. Both the adult and child are touching a toy with blocks and coils on the floor.
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    FatCamera via Getty Images
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    OCR opens probe of D.C.’s special education services

    The investigation will look into how the city is meeting the needs of students with disabilities, according to a Wednesday announcement.

    By March 6, 2025
  • Two children stand in the middle of the photo, holding signs that read "New Yorkers fight together" in English and in Spanish. They are standing outside on a street and adults are also present holding signs.
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    Stephanie Keith via Getty Images
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    State proposals threaten free public education for students lacking immigration status

    A bill in New Jersey takes direct aim at a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that says states can't deny school access based on a student’s immigration status.

    By March 6, 2025
  • A student is sitting on the floor in a school hallway with their back against a row of blue lockers and head in hands.
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    izusek via Getty Images
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    LGBTQ+ youth face higher rates of mental health challenges in South, Midwest

    A regional breakdown shows LGBTQ+ youth are more likely to struggle with mental health care access, discrimination and other challenges in these areas.

    By March 5, 2025
  • A display of LGBTQ+ books on a library shelf
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    Justin Sullivan/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    NEA, ACLU challenge Education Department’s DEI letter

    Despite the department's attempt to clarify the original directive, education and civil rights organizations are pushing forward with their lawsuits.

    By March 5, 2025
  • A young child gets a shot from a medical professional while another adult holds the child in their lap.
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    Jan Sonnenmair via Getty Images
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    Rise in measles has schools on alert

    Researchers point to vaccine skepticism as one explanation for an increase in measles cases.

    By March 5, 2025
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    Alfexe via Getty Images
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    Education Department sued over cuts to teacher training grants

    Three teacher preparation groups allege that the agency’s recent termination of three federal grant programs approved by Congress is unlawful.

    By Updated March 19, 2025
  • A teacher speaks to a classroom of students sitting at their desks.
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    SDI Productions via Getty Images
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    Education groups urge Congress to reinstate teacher workforce grants

    K-12 pipeline programs are already ending in some states due to the slashing of Education Department funds, says a letter from over 100 organizations.

    By March 4, 2025
  • 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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    John M. Chase via Getty Images
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    Trump administration clarifies stance on DEI in schools

    The agency seemed to curb its hardline stance and said schools' diversity, equity and inclusion efforts are not automatically on the chopping block.

    By March 3, 2025
  • A stack of books sits on a table in the foreground. In the background are rows of shelves of books in a room
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    Kenishirotie via Getty Images
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    Are schools ‘soft censoring’ books out of fear?

    Out of 4,218 unique book titles banned in the 2023-24 school year, around 36% featured characters of color, according to PEN America data.

    By March 3, 2025
  • A student with a backpack is shown from the side from the shoulders down, In their hands is a cellphone
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    FreshSplash via Getty Images
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    BY THE NUMBERS

    Half of young children own a cell phone or tablet

    Children ages 8 and younger had an average daily screen time of 2 hours and 27 minutes in 2024, Common Sense Media found.

    By March 3, 2025
  • a white sheet of paper shows lines of bubbled letters to mark answers for a test. A yellow pencil rests on the paper.
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    Garrett Aitken via Getty Images
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    How will cutting NAEP for 17-year-olds impact postsecondary readiness research?

    The canceled exam would have provided a post-pandemic update for its age group. But it was last administered in 2012, leaving a gap in data points.

    By Briana Mendez-Padilla • Feb. 28, 2025
  • An illustration of a student looking into an empty outline of a teacher in a classroom.
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    Illustration: Cathryn Virginia for Industry Dive

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    STAFFED UP

    Innovative K-12 staffing strategies are feeling the brunt of federal funding cuts

    Efforts to improve recruitment and retention and to diversify the workforce are being impacted by the Education Department’s grant cancellations.

    By Updated March 4, 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 this week’s K-12 news

    From the growing enrollment of special education students to a Supreme Court decision on the E-rate program, what did you learn from our recent stories?

    By Feb. 28, 2025
  • The side of a building with white stone and windows is shown. Letters on the building read: U.S. Department of Education
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    Kayla Bartkowski via Getty Images
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    Education Department launches anti-DEI portal

    The information collection tool is part of the Trump administration's effort to eliminate practices for diversity, equity and inclusion. 

    By Feb. 27, 2025