Policy & Legal

  • A handful of students walk in a row outside near a school building. They are each holding a cellphone and looking down at the cellphone.
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    Most school leaders report cellphone restrictions, widely seen as beneficial

    Students, teachers and principals view limiting devices as beneficial, but parents have concerns, research shows.

    By • Oct. 9, 2025
  • Kimberly Richey looks into the distance
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    Retrieved from U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education Labor and Pensions.
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    Richey confirmed to lead Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights

    Kimberly Richey, who also served in Trump’s first term, steps into the role as the office faces a significant backlog and a halved workforce.

    By • Oct. 8, 2025
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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
  • A person is standing at a podium speaking into a microphone. Another person can be seen sitting to the side of the speaker listening.
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    Octavio Jones via Getty Images
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    How school boards reflect their constituencies — and where they don’t

    Board members have more positive views of their districts and are more critical of charter schools, a Fordham Institute and Wallace Foundation report says.

    By • Oct. 8, 2025
  • Signage reading "boys" and "girls" outside of a restroom
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    Appeals court refuses to block Trump’s Title IX funding change

    The order deals a setback to a Virginia district that’s one of the first to push back on the administration’s strategy.

    By • Oct. 7, 2025
  • Students sit on the floor of a classroom holding books
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    Retrieved from K-12 Dive.
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    Maryland district gets few opt-out requests after Supreme Court mandate

    Curriculum opt-outs were requested on behalf of fewer than 1% of almost 150,000 students attending Montgomery County Public Schools.

    By • Oct. 7, 2025
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    Fly View Productions via Getty Images
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    BY THE NUMBERS

    How are states approaching K-12 open enrollment?

    Best practices for open enrollment in public schools include transparent district reporting, the Reason Foundation says.

    By • Oct. 7, 2025
  • An adult man sits on the edge of a desk in front of a high school classroom as he teaches math from a whiteboard.
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    skynesher via Getty Images
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    H-1B visa lawsuit alleges $100K fee will worsen teacher shortages

    School systems in several states cited in the suit say the fee would create unsustainable costs and hinder hiring ability.

    By • Oct. 6, 2025
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    Stock via Getty Images
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    What school leaders should expect in the 2025-26 Supreme Court term

    An expanding shadow docket and an increase in First Amendment disputes could see more cases join the lone K-12 item this term.

    By • Oct. 6, 2025
  • The U.S. Capitol stands in the distance as morning traffic moves along North Capitol Street Northwest on October 01, 2025 in Washington, DC. The government shut down early Wednesday after Congress failed to reach a funding deal.
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    Chip Somodevilla / Staff via Getty Images
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    Week In Review: Mental health grants return and FCC rolls back E-rate expansion

    We’re rounding up last week’s news, from the government shutdown’s impact on schools to differentiated teacher compensation.

    By • Oct. 6, 2025
  • A book titled "One Of A Kind, Like Me" sits on a bookshelf in California
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    Justin Sullivan / Staff via Getty Images
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    Book bans becoming the new norm for districts, report says

    Four years since book bans proliferated, the movement’s spread to the federal level is creating “unprecedented” pressure for districts, PEN America says.

    By • Oct. 3, 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 the return of previously canceled federal school grants to an FCC vote on the E-rate program, what did you learn from our recent stories?

    By • Oct. 3, 2025
  • Three separate elevated highways lead to the Houston skyline in the background.
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    The image by Famartin is licensed under CC BY 4.0
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    Houston ISD lays off, reassigns hundreds of teachers

    The move follows district estimates earlier this year that predicted an enrollment drop of about 8,000 students.

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

    ‘Death by 1,000 cuts’: Districts, states challenge Education Department civil rights enforcement

    The agency and its funding recipients usually collaborate to resolve civil rights complaints. However, that’s changing under the Trump administration.

    By • Oct. 2, 2025
  • Trump signs H-1B executive order in Oval Office
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    Andrew Harnik via Getty Images
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    Hiring foreign teachers? What to look out for as Trump targets H-1B visas

    A $100,000 fee and a DHS proposed rule may make it more difficult for districts to hire teachers from other countries to address shortages.

    By • Oct. 2, 2025
  • People are in the foreground looking toward the setting sun in the horizon and the Washington Monument.
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    Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images
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    How the federal government shutdown affects K-12

    Grant-making activities and OCR investigations will cease during the shutdown, but school systems will still be able to draw down most funds.

    By • Oct. 1, 2025
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    The image by Massimo Catarinella is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
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    A growing number of state bills target sex education, report says

    Of more than 650 state-level bills on the topic, nearly a quarter sought to pare back or remove access, a SIECUS report found.

    By Ed Finkel • Oct. 1, 2025
  • Conference attendees listen to a session in a convention center meeting room.
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    kasto80 via Getty Images
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    The top K-12 conferences to attend in 2026

    Whether you’re looking to brush up on leadership best practices, school policy or the latest ed tech innovations, these events are a great place to start.

    By K-12 Dive staff • Oct. 1, 2025
  • The outside of the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C. is shown on a close day. People are walking on the sidewalk in front of the building.
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    John M. Chase via Getty Images
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    Education Department can cut half of OCR staff for now, appeals court rules

    The order comes as the agency was complying with a prior court order to return laid-off Office for Civil Rights staffers back to work.

    By • Sept. 30, 2025
  • A yellow school bus is parked outside. A handful of students wearing rain jackets and backpacks are getting on the bus.
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    Getty Images
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    FCC removes school bus Wi-Fi, hotspots from E-rate

    The Federal Communications Commission vote reverses a Biden administration expansion of federal discounts for internet services for schools and libraries.

    By • Updated Sept. 30, 2025
  • Chairs and desks sit in rows in a school classroom as a teacher works in the background.
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    Civil rights commissioners mixed on special educator shortage solutions

    One member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights questioned whether there was enough information to call the shortage a crisis.

    By , • Sept. 30, 2025
  • An adult and a young student stand in front of the classroom near a green chalkboard. Students seated at desk are facing them with their backs to the camera.
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    BY THE NUMBERS

    Only 18 states differentiate compensation for special education teachers

    And just eight differentiate pay for English learner instructors, despite the challenge of recruiting and retaining in these high-need fields, NCTQ said.

    By • Sept. 30, 2025
  • Tweed Courthouse New York City Department of Education headquarters
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    The image by Ron Coleman is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
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    Court revives White former NYC district administrator’s bias case over allegedly racist DEI training

    Federal courts have increasingly been asked to weigh the legality of diversity, equity and inclusion training amid a broader backlash against DEI programs.

    By Ryan Golden • Sept. 29, 2025
  • A student sitting at a desk in a classroom as their hands over their face.
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    Education Department brings back mental health grants

    The agency issued new priorities for the funding after having canceled the grants for not aligning with Trump administration priorities.

    By • Sept. 29, 2025
  • A backlit silhouette of a student wearing a cap and gown
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    Dan Kitwood via Getty Images
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    Week In Review: Unprepared graduates and superintendent stress

    We’re rounding up last week’s news, from literacy for students with disabilities to our fifth annual roundup of Rising Leaders.

    By • Sept. 29, 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 an urgent call by school nurses to high schoolers’ readiness for the workforce, what did you learn from our recent stories?

    By • Sept. 26, 2025