The Latest

  • U.S. flag flies above the Department of Justice building
    Image attribution tooltip
    Kevin Dietsch via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    DOJ targets teacher diversity efforts in lawsuit against Minnesota schools

    The lawsuit challenges the district’s agreement with its teachers union, which includes diversity efforts such as recruiting and retaining Black men.

  • a young student with ponytails has their back to the camera and is facing a wall of shelves with multicolor books
    Image attribution tooltip
    Olha Romaniuk via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Week in Review: Book ban litigation and students’ online privacy protections

    We’re rounding up last week’s news, from OCR employees’ return-to-work to the impact of summer school participation.

  • U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Andrew Harnik via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Trump calls for federal policy framework preempting state AI laws

    The move comes as Big Tech pushes back against local AI regulation while pouring billions into building out AI infrastructure and deploying new products.

  • Linda McMahon arrives to the U.S. Department of Education's building in Washington, D.C., for her first day in office.
    Image attribution tooltip
    US Department of Education. (2025). "03042025 SLM First day in the Office-3" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
    Image attribution tooltip

    Education Department distributes more than $208M in new mental health grants

    The new funds come after the agency controversially revoked up to $1 billion under the same programs from recipients that incorporated DEI efforts.

  • A teacher sits at a desk while virtually instructing students through a laptop. The teacher is in an empty classroom with rows of chairs flipped upside down on top of students' desks.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Jon Cherry via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    School reopenings after pandemic linked to decreased mental health challenges

    District leaders should weigh infection risk and the need for socialization and other school resources in closure decisions during future crises, a study says.

  • The top of the U.S. Capitol Building's dome is pictured on a cloudy day.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Win McNamee via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    House subcommittee advances 18 bills to protect minors online

    Two of the key proposals, KOSA and COPPA 2.0, will move forward to the House Energy and Commerce Committee for a vote.

  • Four students are laying on their stomachs outside on the grass. They are looking at a book in front of them.
    Image attribution tooltip
    FatCamera via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Summer school boosts math — but not reading — achievement, NWEA finds

    The analysis says summer school literacy instruction shouldn't be abandoned, but “more work is needed” to identify effective program approaches.

  • A person in a police uniform stands on a landing above people walking on the ground below who are not in focus.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    Opinion

    School violence: An educator’s painful and promising 50-year perspective

    Though there’s no quick fix for school violence, educators can work to prevent it by keeping in mind “5 B’s,” a crisis intervention expert writes.

  • A poster of the "Trump Gold Card" is seen as President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House on September 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Andrew Harnik via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    H-1B visa applicants will now have their social media scrutinized

    The move is the latest measure from President Donald Trump’s administration to make the immigration process more stringent.

  • A photo illustration of a circle encompassing a question mark, pencil, and scantron test.
    Image attribution tooltip

    Photo illustration: Shaun Lucas/Industry Dive; Getty Images

    Image attribution tooltip
    POP QUIZ

    Test yourself on the past week’s K-12 news

    From data on summer school impacts to the Supreme Court denying an education-related case, what did you learn from our recent stories?

  • Image of a librarian's hands as she sorts through a pile of children's books that are out of focus.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Supreme Court turns down book ban case

    The case would have been the first on book bans to be heard in over four decades and is part of a cascade of similar lawsuits.

  • two students are low to the ground looking at vegetation. The student closest to the camera holds a magnifying glass, a notebook and pencil.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    The scientific method: It’s not just for science anymore

    The same exercises in logic and reason can extend to assignments in the social sciences, humanities and more.

  • A young student raises their hand in a classroom while sitting at a desk and using a laptop.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    BY THE NUMBERS

    Most states still don’t tie AI literacy and computer science together

    Only four states currently focus on AI in their computer science standards, according to new research from Code.org and CSforALL.

  • A drawing on a chalkboard depicting the female and male signs for public bathrooms.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    DOJ joins Loudoun County transgender student inclusion lawsuit

    The case involves two Christian high school boys who were suspended after complaining about a transgender student in their locker room.

  • FAFSA form
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Education Department adds ‘lower earnings’ warning to FAFSA

    The agency will warn students when they’ve indicated interest in a college whose graduates have relatively low incomes.

  • A person walks in front of the exterior of the headquarters for the U.S. Department of Education.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Win McNamee via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    OCR staff told to temporarily return to work

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

    Updated Dec. 8, 2025
  • An ICE officer in uniform
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    70% of high school principals say ICE is taking a toll on their schools

    School responses to heightened fear in immigrant communities vary from staff training to creating plans in case federal agents come knocking.

  • A parent crosses the street while holding her child's hand.
    Image attribution tooltip
    John Moore via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    What would happen if undocumented children couldn’t attend public schools?

    Undoing a Supreme Court decision that ensures all children can access a free public education could have serious consequences, a Fwd.us report said.

  • A child's hand is seen moving a colorful block to a peg wooden board.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Vanessa Nunes via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    STUDY HALL

    Here’s what to know about the federal early learning Head Start program

    Head Start, which serves nearly 800,000 children ages birth through 5, is the "launchpad for future leaders and strong communities," says NHSA.

  • Four black graduation caps are being held up in the air by four hands.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Week in Review: Superintendents’ job satisfaction and the status of education degrees

    We’re rounding up last week’s news, from a major ed tech data security settlement to the latest on a federal school voucher program.

  • Rep. Kevin Kiley speaks into a microphone behind a podium in Congress
    Image attribution tooltip
    Retrieved from House Committee on Education & Workforce.
    Image attribution tooltip

    Do federal privacy laws require schools to protect — or reveal — students’ LGBTQ+ identity?

    At a House hearing, lawmakers were divided on how FERPA and PPRA apply, as the Trump administration has used them to crack down on schools and districts protecting these students.

  • A person stands in the doorway of a classroom with their back to the camera. Another person is seen in the classroom.
    Image attribution tooltip
    John Moore via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Most superintendents satisfied with job, despite the stress and demands

    Nearly 6 in 10 plan to stay in the superintendency over the next five years, an increase from 2010, according to AASA's mid-decade survey of district leaders.

  • Students with backpacks and an adult are walking toward the side of a yellow school bus. The bus doors are open and students are going inside the bus.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Some districts reverse school closures despite declining enrollment

    While closures can be “deeply painful,” keeping schools open can mean fewer student resources or even a state takeover, an education professor said.

  • A close-up view of students holding cellphones while at school.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    House subcommittee debates best way to protect children online

    Lawmakers are calling for urgency on the issue, having introduced 19 bills to safeguard minors on the internet and social media.

  • A flag from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security hangs outside the ICE headquarters in Washington, D.C.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Alex Wong via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Districts report enrollment drops amid heightened immigration enforcement

    A larger-than-expected dip in Los Angeles reflects "the realities our immigrant families are facing," Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said.