Policy & Legal

  • Members of Forsyth County Board of Education sit during a school board meeting
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    Retrieved from Forsyth County Schools on May 22, 2023
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    Ed Dept cracks down on book removal process by Georgia district

    In a settlement considered one of the first of its kind, OCR says the district's process discriminated against students based on both sex and race.

    By • May 22, 2023
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    Stock Photo via Getty Images
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    Several states look to roll back letter grading systems for schools

    Most recently, the Michigan Legislature passed a bill eliminating statewide A-F grades for ranking public schools.

    By • May 22, 2023
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    Michael Loccisano via Getty Images
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    Trendline

    English Learners

    From early learning to high school, the pandemic impacted equity at all levels of K-12, from persistent and widening achievement gaps to uneven access to school meals.

    By K-12 Dive staff
  • A teacher sits alone at her desk in an empty classroom as she prepares for students to return to its nigh-forgotten desks following COVID-19 closures.
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    George Frey via Getty Images
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    NAEP board votes to postpone 2026 exam one year

    The board says delaying administration of the federal assessment to 2027 will put the test back on a track that doesn’t coincide with federal elections.

    By • May 19, 2023
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    Maksym Kapliuk via Getty Images
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    Can update ease Medicaid billing for special education services?

    The Education Department and HHS announced a revised guide and a parental consent proposal to eliminate reimbursement barriers.

    By • May 19, 2023
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    Scott Olson / Staff via Getty Images
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    DeSantis signs expansion of ‘Don’t Say Gay’ to grade 8

    The Florida governor approved a slew of bills Wednesday that opponents say will directly harm LGBTQ+ youth.

    By • May 19, 2023
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    Photo illustration: Shaun Lucas/Industry Dive; Getty Images

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    Pop Quiz: Test yourself on this week’s K-12 news

    From new research on pandemic learning loss to a major publisher joining a book ban lawsuit, what did you learn from our stories the week of May 15?

    By • May 19, 2023
  • A school cafeteria worker serves a student food on their tray while waiting in line.
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    Stock Photo via Getty Images
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    Public feedback split on USDA’s stricter school nutrition proposal

    More than 136,000 comments expressed a mix of support and concern over changes that would reduce sugar and sodium while increasing whole grains.

    By • May 18, 2023
  • A close-up shot of hands in prayer, featuring a multiethnic group of people.
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    AJ_Watt via Getty Images
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    Education Department updates guidance on school prayer

    The guidance comes almost a year after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a high school football coach’s public prayer on the 50-yard line.

    By • May 18, 2023
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    cglade via Getty Images
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    Major publisher joins book ban lawsuit against Florida school district

    The lawsuit, which includes publishing giant Penguin Random House among its plaintiffs, is the first of its kind against a school district.

    By • May 17, 2023
  • Group of students eating lunch in school cafeteria.
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    Stock Photo via Getty Images
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    School food prices soar by nearly 300%, consumer price index shows

    A School Nutrition Association survey had already revealed concerns over food costs in January, with almost all school nutrition directors citing rising prices.

    By • May 17, 2023
  • Adult sits at a desk with a microphone. The adult is looking straight ahead and has one hand up in a a pointing motion. Several people are sitting behind the adult in rows of chairs.
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    Screenshot: House Education and Workforce/YouTube

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    Cardona defends Ed Dept policies, budget request in House grilling

    GOP lawmakers took issue with transgender rights and raising the debt ceiling. Democrats want more resources for underserved students.

    By • May 17, 2023
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    Stock Photo via Getty Images
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    Public weighs in on Title IX athletics rule with more than 150K comments

    The proposal has elicited concern from both ends of the political spectrum over both the inclusion and exclusion of transgender students.

    By • May 16, 2023
  • President Joe Biden speaks at podium.
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    Drew Angerer via Getty Images
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    School safety a key focus as White House ‘maximizes’ Bipartisan Safer Communities Act

    President Joe Biden announced 13 new actions for implementing the law, including over $1 billion to help high-need districts apply for funding.

    By • May 16, 2023
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    Stock Photo via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    School foodservice programs deserve better than Beltway ‘experts’

    Rep. Virginia Foxx and Sen. John Boozman write that school nutrition professionals should hold the decision-making power on the contents of school meals.

    By Virginia Foxx and John Boozman • May 15, 2023
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    drnadig via Getty Images
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    Senators probe Education Dept FY 24 spending plan

    Senators raised Title I, IDEA, CTE, rural schools as priority areas. A House plan, however, promises to make severe across-the-board agency cuts.

    By • May 12, 2023
  • 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 this week’s K-12 news

    From new data on the cost of housing for educators to school construction challenges, what did you learn from our stories the week of May 8?

    By • May 12, 2023
  • The assistant principal of Long Branch Elementary School greets students as they walk off the school bus in Arlington, Virginia.
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    Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images
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    As national COVID-19 emergency ends, a look back on the virus’ impact on schools

    These are the key events that shifted how schools operated throughout the health crisis over the last three years.

    By , • May 11, 2023
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    What does the end of Title 42 mean for schools?

    Local officials and the federal government aim to provide resources to schools to support newcomer students who are English learners.

    By • May 11, 2023
  • U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona sits in front of a group with his hand raised at the Orlando LGBTQ+ Center
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    Retrieved from U.S. Department of Education on September 19, 2022
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    Education Department: Colleges should place more Federal Work-Study students in K-12 support roles

    Within two years, institutions should try to use at least 15% of work-study funding to employ students in community service activities, the agency said.

    By Jeremy Bauer-Wolf • May 11, 2023
  • Students sit in desks in a classroom facing a backboard and a teacher who is handing out papers.
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    Daniel de la Hoz via Getty Images
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    Housing is increasingly unaffordable for teachers in many metropolitan areas

    Rental costs can range from 47% of a teacher’s salary in San Francisco to 17% in Wichita, Kansas, according to a NCTQ analysis.

    By • May 11, 2023
  • A U.S. flag hangs in the foreground of a classroom that sits empty with five visible, forlorn desks touched only by cascading rays of sunlight cutting through the dim room.
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    John Moore via Getty Images
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    Survey: Despite partisan divide on curriculum, most agree decisions should fall on school districts

    Overall, 42% of adult U.S. citizens surveyed by YouGov said a parent should try to change school curriculum if they disagree with certain materials.

    By • May 10, 2023
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    Permission granted by Martin Romine
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    Deep Dive

    K-12 anticipates a summer of school construction

    As schools plan for a surge of ESSER-supported upgrades over summer break, many administrators remain concerned about spending deadlines.

    By • May 10, 2023
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    tatyana_tomsickova via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    Unlocking opportunity: Evidence-based literacy investment is the key to our children’s future

    North Carolina’s ed chief and a former governor of West Virginia write that schools must embrace the science of reading to combat NAEP declines.

    By Bob Wise and Catherine Truitt • May 10, 2023
  • Rows of empty desks and blue chairs fill a high school classroom
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    Lincoln Beddoe via Getty Images
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    With chronic absenteeism on the upswing, how can schools tackle attendance issues?

    Experts estimate chronic absenteeism rates have doubled since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and a new FutureEd report offers over two dozen remedies.

    By • May 10, 2023
  • A student wearing a face mask sits on the steps in a school building staring ahead as other students walk around.
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    Stock Photo via Getty Images
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    Students’ mental health a greater hindrance to learning since pandemic

    Some 48% of secondary students reported that mental health impeded learning in 2022-23 compared to 39% in spring 2020, a YouthTruth survey found.

    By • May 9, 2023