Policy & Legal: Page 2

  • A student holds their phone while using a generative artificial intelligence app as they complete their homework.
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    Students express hope — and fear — over classroom AI use

    Students said in a Project Tomorrow survey that they’re optimistic about the potential benefits of AI in their learning, but more school guidance is needed.

    By • Oct. 28, 2025
  • Ian Roberts stands against a blue backdrop with his arms crossed, smiling
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    Retrieved from Des Moines Public Schools.
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    Audits, lawsuit ensue after ICE arrest of Iowa superintendent

    The flurry of activity includes a review of the state's licensing and background check procedures, as well as an audit of Iowa's Des Moines Public Schools.

    By • Oct. 27, 2025
  • High school students are dropped off for school and begin walking into the building. Explore the Trendline➔
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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
  • Chairs and desks sit in rows in a school classroom as a teacher works in the background.
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    Week In Review: Districts feel the impacts of federal policy shifts

    We’re rounding up last week’s news, from a post-COVID decline in students taking the SAT and ACT to a potential federal shakeup for special education programs.

    By • Oct. 27, 2025
  • Federal law enforcement agents in uniform with masks covering their faces ride an armored vehicle through demonstrators during a protest outside an immigrant processing and detention center.
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    Scott Olson/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Educators push for virtual schooling in response to ICE raids

    Chicago joins New York and Los Angeles districts in exploring remote options to ensure students and parents are safe amid the federal immigration crackdown.

    By • Oct. 24, 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 trends in education degrees to the PowerSchool hacker’s sentencing, what did you learn from our recent stories?

    By • Oct. 24, 2025
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    Feds launch site for employers to pay controversial H-1B fee, clarify exemptions

    The update answers some of employers’ questions, but the future of President Donald Trump’s restrictions on new skilled-worker visas is still uncertain.

    By Ryan Golden • Oct. 23, 2025
  • A mother and child crouch in front of a makeshift Charlie Kirk memorial
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    Joe Raedle / Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Districts sued for firing employees over posts about Kirk shooting

    A handful of lawsuits have emerged from educators who criticized conservative activist Charlie Kirk on social media after his death.

    By • Oct. 22, 2025
  • Four people are standing in a room behind a table. One person is pointing while the others are clapping.
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    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
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    Education Department ‘exploring’ ways to move special education elsewhere

    While no official plan is in place yet, it's Education Secretary Linda McMahon's goal to shut down the department, said an agency spokesperson.

    By • Oct. 21, 2025
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    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
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    How states can tackle absenteeism among worried immigrant families

    Affirming students' rights to attend school and creating a welcoming school climate can help increase attendance for this population, EdTrust said.

    By • Oct. 21, 2025
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    BY THE NUMBERS

    Where are tomorrow’s teachers? Education degrees drop over 2 decades.

    Declines came in both bachelor's and master's degrees awarded between 2003-04 and 2022-23, an AACTE analysis of federal data shows.

    By • Updated Oct. 22, 2025
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    Coast-to-Coast via Getty Images
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    US Chamber sues White House to block ‘plainly unlawful’ H-1B visa fee

    The organization alleged President Donald Trump’s proclamation would harm businesses, and it asked a district court to enjoin the $100,000 payment requirement.

    By Ryan Golden • Oct. 20, 2025
  • A person is carrying a box while walking down the stairs in front of the outside of a federal building
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    Win McNamee via Getty Images
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    Week In Review: RIFs issued to further gut Education Department

    We’re rounding up last week’s news, from fallout of the PowerSchool data breach to modest math gains for some grade levels.

    By • Oct. 20, 2025
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    galina-kovalenko via Getty Images
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    Head Start advocates warn shutdown will harm early learning programs

    If the federal government doesn’t reopen by Nov. 1, services for more than 65,000 low-income children are in jeopardy, Head Start supporters say.

    By • Oct. 20, 2025
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    New York City sues Education Department over Title IX funds

    The department cut funds for a magnet school program meant to help with desegregation, which it said is no longer in the government’s “best interest.”

    By • Oct. 17, 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 more Education Department layoffs to new data on student pandemic recovery, what did you learn from our recent stories?

    By • Oct. 17, 2025
  • A single opened padlock glows red among rows of closed blue padlocks.
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    PowerSchool hacker sentenced. What can schools take away from the incident?

    Realizing that you "can't put the genie back in the bottle," districts are rethinking data retention and more, a cybersecurity expert said.

    By • Oct. 17, 2025
  • A person walks in front of the exterior of the headquarters for the U.S. Department of Education.
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    Win McNamee via Getty Images
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    Temporary budget deal nullifies Education Department RIFs

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

    By • Updated Nov. 13, 2025
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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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    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
  • California Gov. Gavin Newsom
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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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    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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    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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    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
  • A person is facing the camera and looking at two students, whose backs are toward the camera
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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