Author: BelieveAgain

A federal appeals court on Tuesday threw out a preliminary injunction that had blocked the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, from accessing sensitive individual records at the U.S. Department of Education and two other federal agencies.A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit in Richmond, Va., ruled 2-1 to vacate an injunction issued in February by a federal district judge. The order had barred DOGE access of data at the Education Department, the Treasury Department, and the Office of Personnel Management.The lawsuit, filed by the American Federation of Teachers along with other unions…

More than 1 of every 10 charter schools in the country operate in rural areas, and their numbers could rise. Two states—Montana and North Dakota—recently passed laws to authorize charters and the two have the second- and fourth-highest percentages of rural schools in the country, respectively. “I think it’s just so important that our rural kids get to have choice as well,” said Jennifer Ketring, the executive director of the Pacific Community Charter School in rural Point Arena, Calif. With increased federal funding for charter schools under the Trump administration, new state charter school laws, and growing parent support for…

President Donald Trump is resurrecting what he’s calling the “wonderful tradition” of the Presidential Fitness Test, through which a new generation of students will—if the new test resembles the old—compete in their schools and nationally to earn recognition for their prowess in pushups, pullups, and the mile run, among other athletic feats.The test, which draws its lineage back to President Dwight D. Eisenhower in the 1950s but was phased out in 2013, is part of a broader focus from the president on athletics and fitness in recent months. It’s also part of a long history of presidential involvement in, and…

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…