Policy & Legal

  • Three high school students look at their cell phones outside of a school building.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Character.AI to ban teens from chatting with its AI companions

    The company’s change comes after experts have warned that AI social companion apps are dangerous for students’ mental well-being.

    By • Oct. 29, 2025
  • Calif. superior court, Alameda, Proposition 2, school facility funding disparities
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    California’s K-12 facility funding system unconstitutional, students, parents say in lawsuit

    As in complaints filed in other states, plaintiffs want the state to stop relying on local bond issues to trigger the release of matching funds to pay for unmet needs.

    By Robert Freedman • Oct. 29, 2025
  • High school students are dropped off for school and begin walking into the building. Explore the Trendline➔
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    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 close up of two hands holding each other
    Image attribution tooltip
    Kobus Louw via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Education Department ordered to reinstate mental health grants

    A school psychologists organization said the ruling is a "win" for families and educators. The department says it will appeal.

    By • Oct. 28, 2025
  • A student holds their phone while using a generative artificial intelligence app as they complete their homework.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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
    Image attribution tooltip
    Retrieved from Des Moines Public Schools.
    Image attribution tooltip

    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
  • Chairs and desks sit in rows in a school classroom as a teacher works in the background.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Scott Olson/Getty Images via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

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

    By • Oct. 24, 2025
  • Letter (Envelope) from USCIS on flag of USA background. Close up view.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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
    Image attribution tooltip
    Joe Raedle / Getty Images via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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
  • two groups of people are standing on a street facing each other. One side has posters and the other side is dressed in law enforcement uniforms.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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
  • Jobs banners at US Chamber of Commerce
    Image attribution tooltip
    Coast-to-Coast via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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 close up of hands shaking, with one person giving the other a rolled up diploma
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip
    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
  • A person is carrying a box while walking down the stairs in front of the outside of a federal building
    Image attribution tooltip
    Win McNamee via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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
  • Two young children are playing with toys on the floor
    Image attribution tooltip
    galina-kovalenko via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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
  • Tall buildings with body of water in the foreground.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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 single opened padlock glows red among rows of closed blue padlocks.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

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

    By • Oct. 17, 2025
  • 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

    Judge extends pause on layoffs of federal employees

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

    By • Updated 22 hours ago
  • teacher, hallway, school
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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
  • One person is seated at a desk while several adults and children are gathered around. A bust of Abraham Lincoln is in the foreground
    Image attribution tooltip
    Win McNamee via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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
  • A hand is holding a pencil that is shading in bubbles on a test sheet
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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
  • California Gov. Gavin Newsom
    Image attribution tooltip
    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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
  • Letter (Envelope) from USCIS on flag of USA background. Close up view.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    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