These 4 trends are shaping the 2025-26 school year

From enrollment to AI, education leaders face a variety of obstacles and opportunities as students return to classrooms.

By Kara Arundel , Anna Merod , Naaz Modan , Roger Riddell • Aug. 28, 2025

Week In Review: OCR staffers to return amid changing Title IX enforcement

We’re rounding up last week’s news, from music education’s impact on literacy to the latest Education Department changes.

By Roger Riddell • Aug. 25, 2025

Explore the 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

Week In Review: Enrollment dips, immigration enforcement weigh on schools

We’re rounding up last week’s news, from renewed mascot debates to court battles impacting schools.

By Roger Riddell • Aug. 18, 2025

Week In Review: Enrollment concerns weigh on districts and Houston makes progress

We’re rounding up last week’s news, from school choice in special education to Atlanta’s plans to address empty seats.

By Roger Riddell • Aug. 11, 2025

Week In Review: AI, federal funding and ESEA waivers

We’re rounding up last week’s news, from guidance on “unlawful” DEI to how district leaders are navigating school closures.

By Roger Riddell • Aug. 4, 2025

Week In Review: Funding freezes, enrollment concerns and cyberthreats

We’re rounding up last week’s news, from lawsuits against the Trump administration to St. Louis’ proposed school cuts.

By Roger Riddell • July 28, 2025

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 Kara Arundel • July 25, 2025

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 Kara Arundel • July 23, 2025

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 Naaz Modan • July 21, 2025

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 Roger Riddell • July 21, 2025

Special educators are in short supply at all levels. A cohesive fix is needed, experts say.

From early education to postsecondary, schools face common recruitment and retention challenges — and solutions, CASE-CEC panelists say.

By Kara Arundel • July 18, 2025

Week in Review: School choice, reading gains and looming policy changes

We’re rounding up last week’s news, from the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” to a pair of transgender athletics cases headed to the Supreme Court.

By Roger Riddell • July 14, 2025

Test yourself on this week’s K-12 news

From the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” to notable achievement gains in young students, what did you learn from our recent stories?

By Roger Riddell • July 11, 2025

Youngest students see big reading gains post-COVID on DIBELS assessment

Kindergartners showed a 21-percentage-point increase in early reading performance between 2020-21 and 2024-25.

By Kara Arundel • July 9, 2025

Test yourself on this week’s K-12 news

From California’s lawsuit against the Justice Department to new research on children’s well-being, what did you learn from our recent stories?

By Anna Merod • June 13, 2025

Test yourself on this week’s K-12 news

From Linda McMahon’s FY 2026 budget hearing to the cost of chronic absenteeism, what did you learn from our recent stories?

By Anna Merod • May 23, 2025

Head Start from 1965 to today

We take a look back at the highs and lows of the federal preschool program’s 60 years of serving young children from low-income families.

By Kara Arundel • May 16, 2025

Head Start turns 60: Alumni reflect on lifelong impact of early learning

Three former students share how the preschool program benefited them, and how they’ve stayed connected to Head Start via careers in education.

By Kara Arundel • May 16, 2025

Test yourself on this week’s K-12 news

From proposed K-12 budget cuts to a push for new high school graduation requirements, what did you learn from our recent stories?

By Anna Merod • May 9, 2025

Pre-K teachers want to stay in jobs despite lower pay, longer hours

About 18% of pre-K teachers surveyed said they intended to leave their jobs by the end of the 2023-24 school year, compared with 22% of K-12 teachers.

By Kara Arundel • May 7, 2025

IDEA services for infants, toddlers brace for budget impacts

The Part C early intervention program is stable for now, but advocates and researchers are worried about potential cuts to Medicaid and appropriations.

By Kara Arundel • April 28, 2025

Head Start zeroed out in Trump’s preliminary budget plan

While some conservatives have called the early education program ineffective, supporters point to academic, social and economic benefits.

By Kara Arundel • April 17, 2025

Test yourself on this week’s K-12 news

From schools’ latest financial risks to the shuttering of some regional Offices of Head Start, what did you learn from our recent stories?

By Anna Merod • April 11, 2025

Tell us about your school district’s rising leaders

We want to hear about the leaders driving innovation in your schools for our fifth annual spotlight on assistant principals and district administrators.

By Roger Riddell • April 7, 2025

Head Start imperiled by HHS cutbacks, advocates say

The agency's overhaul has sparked concerns about access, affordability and safety for the program serving preschoolers from low-income families.

By Kara Arundel • April 4, 2025