Author: BelieveAgain

More than a year after signaling major changes to federal programs for students with disabilities, the Trump administration continues to weigh shifting pieces of the U.S. Department of Education’s special education office to the departments of Labor or Health and Human Services, Education Secretary Linda McMahon said Tuesday.“Currently we are still evaluating where those programs would best be located,” McMahon testified during a Senate appropriations subcommittee hearing Tuesday to review the Trump administration’s fiscal 2027 budget proposal. “We have not made that determination yet.”The same is true, McMahon said, for whether and where to move the Impact Aid program, which…

Years ago, college was held up as the ultimate destination for every K-12 student. These days, policymakers in both parties are quick to say that preparing students for the workforce is every bit as important as getting them ready for college.In response to the Trump administration’s pledge for greater flexibility on K-12 policy, states are putting the idea that career and technical education is on par with college to the test—literally.Alabama is seeking a waiver from the Every Student Succeeds Act that would require all students to take both the ACT college entrance exam (which the Yellowhammer State already uses…

Education savings accounts, tax-credit scholarships, vouchers, charter schools, home schooling, tutoring, course choice, dual enrollment, and microschools are transforming K–12. In “Talking Choice,” Ashley Berner and I try to make sense of the shifting landscape. Ashley directs Johns Hopkins’ Institute for Education Policy and is a leading authority on “educational pluralism.” Whatever your take on educational choice, we seek to foster a more constructive conversation about what it means for students, families, and educators. Today, we discuss the politics and policy of the new Federal Scholarship Tax Credit, adopted by Congress as part of last summer’s One Big Beautiful Bill…

The man who authorities say tried to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner with guns and knives was charged Monday with the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump as federal authorities suggested an attack that disrupted one of Washington’s glitziest events had been planned for at least several weeks.Cole Tomas Allen appeared in court Monday to face federal charges after the chaotic encounter Saturday that resulted in shots being fired, Trump being hurried off the stage unharmed and guests ducking for cover underneath their tables. He was ordered to remain jailed pending additional court hearings, and faces up to…

This story has been updated with reporting from Education Week staff.Social media posts that appear to match the California man arrested Saturday in the shooting at the White House correspondents’ dinner show he is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer.A May 2025 profile photo of Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, Calif., seems to match the appearance of the man in a photo of the alleged attacker being taken into custody that was posted after the incident by President Donald Trump. The photo, posted to the social networking site LinkedIn, shows him in a cap and gown after…

The U.S. Department of Education took roughly $1 billion Congress appropriated for specific education programs during the first months of President Donald Trump’s second term and either spent it differently than how lawmakers intended or hasn’t spent it at all, the agency acknowledged in recently published budget documents. That figure includes more than $700 million the agency says it shifted from one funding stream to another, and another $300 million expiring in five months for education research the administration hasn’t spent.Congress in March 2025 belatedly approved spending for fiscal year 2025, which ran from Sept. 30, 2024, to Oct. 1,…

Lawmakers in Washington state and Oregon have codified federal protections for homeless students into state law, and other states are considering similar measures as advocates flag concerns that President Donald Trump’s administration might cut funding for the program or fail to enforce it.The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act requires schools to identify students experiencing homelessness, appoint liaisons to serve them, address barriers to their enrollment and achievement, and transport them to attend their school of origin—even if they move outside of attendance boundaries.“These states want to ensure that no matter what happens at the federal level, basic access to education would…

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is out of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet, the White House said Monday, after multiple allegations of abusing her position’s power, including having an affair with a subordinate and drinking alcohol on the job.Chavez-DeRemer is the third Trump Cabinet member to leave her post after Trump fired his embattled Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in March and ousted Attorney General Pam Bondi earlier this month.In a statement posted on social media, Chavez-DeRemer praised Trump and wrote, “I am proud that we made significant progress in advancing President Trump’s mission to bridge the gap between business and labor…

Despite ongoing efforts to transition federal education programs to other agencies, billions of federal dollars for K-12 schools will continue to flow through the U.S. Department of Education’s grant portal this summer, the nation’s top K-12 official told states last week.Programs like Title I aid for disadvantaged students and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act for special education allocate funds for school districts, but by law the money flows first to states in two batches: one on July 1 and another three months later.Kirsten Baesler, the assistant secretary of elementary and secondary education, told state education chiefs on April 17…

Texas can require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public schools, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday, handing a significant legal victory for conservatives who have long sought to incorporate more religion into classrooms.The 9-8 decision by the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld the law, delivering a boost to backers of similar laws in Arkansas and Louisiana. Opponents have argued that posting the Ten Commandments in classrooms amounts to government endorsement of religion and risks pressuring students, while supporters say the displays reflect the nation’s historical foundations.Writing for the majority opinion, the conservative-leaning appeals…