Author: BelieveAgain

In May, when Education Week Opinion invited Jim Blew and Roberto Rodriguez to have a conversation on video, the goal was for them to share their perspectives on the future of the U.S. Department of Education—and its value (or lack thereof) to the K-12 field. Education advocates but political opposites, Blew, a Republican, and Rodriguez, a Democrat, have worked in the field of K-12 education for most of their careers.They also each held the same position—assistant secretary for planning, evaluation, and policy development—at the Education Department under different administrations: Blew under Secretary Betsy DeVos during President Donald Trump’s first administration…

Billions of federal education dollars the Trump administration withheld for much of July have started flowing, helping to stabilize planning and programming in school districts nationwide as the new academic year ramps up.But despite the jubilation that accompanied the funding restoration, many education leaders say damage from the unexpected delays can’t be easily undone—and trust can’t easily be rebuilt.In Butte County, Calif., dozens of tutors who work with the children of seasonal migrant workers lost their jobs and may not come back. In Sunnyside, Ariz., after-school programs that serve low-income students will start weeks later than planned. In rural Slate…

A federal judge has blocked—in four districts for now—an Arkansas law requiring classroom displays of the Ten Commandments, ruling that the measure likely violates the U.S. Constitution and is inconsistent with a 1980 U.S. Supreme Court decision.The law known as Act 573, which Arkansas lawmakers passed in April, is similar to measures adopted in 2024 by Louisiana and this year by Texas. All generally require displays in every classroom of a version of the Ten Commandments drawn from the King James version of the Bible.U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks said the Arkansas measure is “nearly identical” to the Kentucky…

Congress’ passage of the first federal school voucher program means every state will have to decide in the coming years whether to participate—including those that already have expansive private school choice programs and others that have resisted the push to set aside public funds for private schools.Education Week reached out to the governors’ offices in all 50 states, plus the mayor’s office in the District of Columbia, to ask about their plans for opting in to the new program. Most that responded said governors are still reviewing the program before formally deciding, with Republicans more enthusiastic about the prospect. Only…

Even as the Trump administration boosts federal funding for charter schools, three states are unlikely to seek the money. Why?The answer is simple: The three states—Nebraska, South Dakota, and Vermont—do not allow charter schools. That is the case even though charter schools have continued to expand across the country, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. In 2023, Montana joined the District of Columbia and 45 other states in the charter school ranks. This April, North Dakota became the 47th state to pass a charter authorization law. Even with these developments, experts are unsure if charters will take off…

Yesterday, Penny Schwinn, the former Tennessee schools chief, withdrew her nomination to be Linda McMahon’s number two at the U.S. Department of Education. The news was a shock, given that Schwinn had earned the Senate education committee’s nod in June, got an enthusiastic endorsement from President Trump back in January, and has been active in the department’s business while awaiting confirmation. Yet, facing a coordinated MAGA pressure campaign that threatened her confirmation, she finally hung it up. (She will still serve as a salaried strategic adviser to McMahon).Many have asked what’s going on. They wonder why a Republican Senate that’s…

It’s the middle of a hot summer, both in temperature and political intensity. Many high school students are happy to take a break from their studies. But for several hundred students visiting the nation’s capital in July, few things feel more urgent than learning to fight for civil rights and push back against President Donald Trump’s conservative agenda.The students were attending one of three separate sessions this month of the American Civil Liberties Union’s National Advocacy Institute, a weeklong immersion into discussions of presidential power, immigration, racial justice, and transgender rights, among other issues.“I’m here because I see that we’re…

Penny Schwinn is withdrawing from consideration to serve in the No. 2 position at the U.S. Department of Education.The decision, announced in a Thursday webinar on education funding and policy, comes as the former Tennessee education commissioner’s nomination has stalled after a U.S. Senate committee sent it to the full chamber for approval in late June. There was concern that she would not clear the necessary votes in the Senate, after her record and past comments on battles regarding gender and race in classrooms alienated some conservative lawmakers.“It’s been her choice. She secured the votes that would have been necessary…

Key U.S. senators from both parties on Thursday decisively rejected virtually all the Trump administration’s proposals to slash K-12 education investments—and pushed back against its efforts to shrink the Department of Education and move its functions to other agencies.Fourteen Republicans and twelve Democrats voted on July 31 to advance a federal budget bill for education, labor, and health to a full floor vote, tentatively slated for September. Two Democrats and one Republican voted against the measure.The bill and its accompanying Senate committee report spell out modest increases over current funding levels for key education programs like Title I for low-income…

An Oklahoma sheriff’s office Monday opened an investigation over reports that images of nude women were displayed on the state school superintendent’s office television during a meeting with education board members.Top Oklahoma lawmakers have sought answers over accounts given by two State Board of Education members, who said they saw the images during a meeting in Ryan Walters‘s office Thursday. Another board member, Chris Van Denhende, said he was not in a position to see the television but that “something was on the screen that should not have been,” based on Walters’ reaction.The investigation is in the early stages, said…