Policy & Legal: Page 7

  • A toddler is sitting on a carpet on the floor in a room playing with blocks and smiling. Other little kids are seen in the background.
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    Trump administration pauses Head Start immigration restrictions

    The temporary stop, part of a court-approved agreement, also covers dual enrollment, adult education and CTE programs.

    By • July 25, 2025
  • A young student raises their hand in a classroom while sitting at a desk and using a laptop.
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    Education Department issues AI priorities. But what if the agency closes?

    As the agency issues advice on using federal grants to advance school AI strategies, districts remain concerned about leadership on cybersecurity.

    By • July 25, 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
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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 potential school closures in St. Louis to ransom demands on schools, what did you learn from our recent stories?

    By • July 25, 2025
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    aluxum via Getty Images
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    Strong budgeting, revenue flexibility key to weathering K-12 financial storm, says Moody’s

    States are trying to offset the impact of reduced federal support, but their success is uncertain, according to a recent Moody’s Ratings report.

    By • July 25, 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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    Union seeks delay in Education Department RIFs

    AFGE Local 252 seeks to delay employees' Aug. 1 termination date, which they say is too soon under their bargaining agreement.

    By • July 24, 2025
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    Tennessee launches direct admissions pilot with student aid component

    The initiative aims to ease high schoolers’ paths to college by providing financial aid information and automatic acceptance to participating institutions.

    By Natalie Schwartz • July 24, 2025
  • A young student wearing a backpack and holding books enters a classroom. The student is shown from behind.
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    Trump’s withholding of Head Start funds violated the law, watchdog says

    HHS disputes the GAO's conclusion, and a Head Start advocacy group says recent disbursements are comparable to last year.

    By • July 23, 2025
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    Courtesy of Becket Law
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    What the Supreme Court’s parental opt-out ruling means for schools

    The high court’s decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor left many questions for districts to answer when setting their policies. 

    By • July 23, 2025
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    Judge pauses Mississippi’s DEI ban at public schools and colleges

    Accounts from educators and students fearing discussion of certain topics signal “possible widespread suppression of speech,” the judge wrote. 

    By Natalie Schwartz • July 23, 2025
  • A view of the St. Louis city skyline in Missouri.
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    St. Louis Public Schools to propose closing over half of its 68 schools

    The large-scale closures would be for 2026-27 and are based on declining enrollment and uncertainty about the future for families displaced by a tornado.

    By • July 22, 2025
  • A handful of students are facing a green chalkboard in a classroom. They have their hands raised ready to write on the chalkboard
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    Lawsuit adds pressure on Trump administration to release K-12 funds

    The Office of Management and Budget released after-school grants but is still reviewing the remaining funds to ensure alignment with Trump priorities.

    By • July 22, 2025
  • While wearing masks, a teacher speaks with a student in a school hallway in front of billboard that reads "welcome back."
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    John Moore via Getty Images
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    Did COVID have a lasting impact on public school enrollment?

    An enrollment decline in Massachusetts may signal broader post-pandemic trends nationwide, an Education Next study suggests.

    By • July 22, 2025
  • Young child looks out of window from a yellow school bus, which has the words Head Start printed on the side.
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    Mario Villafuerte via Getty Images
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    20 states sue over immigration restrictions for Head Start, other programs

    The lawsuit alleges the Trump administration policy change would lead to the "collapse of some of the nation’s most vital public programs."

    By • July 21, 2025
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    Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images
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    Week In Review: Education Department cuts move forward and principals convene in Seattle

    We’re rounding up last week’s news, from changes to federal oversight to a set of delayed Energy Department rules.

    By • July 21, 2025
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    Ransomware attacks in education jump 23% year over year

    Education was the fourth-most-targeted sector during the first half of 2025, according to a report from Comparitech.

    By Briana Mendez-Padilla • July 21, 2025
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    Trump administration to release frozen after-school, summer program funds

    The Office of Management and Budget said its review of those grants is complete but gave no timeline for the rest of the withheld funds.

    By • July 18, 2025
  • A district administrator stands at a podium that says "UNITED" while presenting on high-impact tutoring.
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    Anna Merod/K-12 Dive
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    UNITED '25

    How Portland Public Schools can afford to offer high-impact tutoring

    Oregon has been struggling with student literacy for years. The state’s largest public school district is tapping into a tutoring model to reverse that trend.

    By • July 18, 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 a major Supreme Court decision for the Education Department to new school shooting data, what did you learn from our recent stories?

    By • July 18, 2025
  • A U.S. senator speaks during a Congressional hearing.
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    Jemal Countess via Getty Images
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    10 GOP senators call on OMB to release frozen K-12 funds

    The senators said they don’t believe the over $6 billion in withheld funds are being used to fund “radical left-wing programs,” as OMB claims.

    By • July 17, 2025
  • A large modern government office building with a grid of square windows, in front, leafless trees line the sidewalk, and a bus stop with a shelter.
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    Alamy
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    Energy Department delays multiple rules after public pushback

    The proposals, quietly introduced in May, would have gone into effect for schools this week had critics failed to register their complaints.

    By • July 17, 2025
  • geothermal hvac system, Trane Technologies, North Shore school district
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    Courtesy of Trane Technologies
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    Chicago-area school district deploys geothermal system that’s a US first

    The dynamic closed-loop system uses groundwater to reject and absorb heat to provide year-round space conditioning for a 130-year-old elementary school, Trane Technologies says.

    By Brian Martucci • July 17, 2025
  • A presenter stands at a podium to the right of another speaker discussing holistic school safety practices.
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    Anna Merod/K-12 Dive
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    UNITED '25

    3 ways principals can help make schools safer

    School safety teams, training, and special education resources are key to improving response during a crisis, according to K-12 safety experts.

    By • July 16, 2025
  • Three young students are laying on their stomachs on the ground with an open book in front of them.
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    3rd graders flagged for retention make small but meaningful gains, study finds

    Research suggests interventions resulting from students being flagged for retention are more of a key driver of literacy gains than retention itself.

    By Briana Mendez-Padilla • July 16, 2025
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    Kara Arundel/K-12 Dive
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    CASE-CEC '25

    Special educators call for more school mental health supports

    Education Department data shows the ratio of psychologists to students is 1-to-1,065, much higher than the recommended 1-to-500.

    By • July 16, 2025
  • A presenter stands and talks in front of a principal who is sitting down during a conference session.
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    Anna Merod/K-12 Dive
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    UNITED '25

    This New Jersey district tackled chronic absenteeism despite COVID

    A 2018 partnership between Hamilton Township Public Schools and the Foundation for Educational Administration led to notable attendance gains.

    By • July 16, 2025