All articles tagged with #education policy
The Education Department says the Treasury Department will take over collecting on defaulted student loans as the first phase of a three-step plan to spin off key functions from the department; supporters say Treasury is better equipped to manage debt collection, but critics worry the change will confuse borrowers and signal broader dismantling of Education Department.
Portland Public Schools plans to close five to ten of its 74 elementary, K–8, middle, and alternative schools by the start of the 2027–28 school year, citing a 12% enrollment drop since 2018–19 and projections of further declines. A timeline calls for family engagement through spring, summer, and fall 2026, with Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong to present a recommendation to the school board by late fall 2026 and board approval by year’s end. Closures would be part of a broader effort to optimize resources and school communities, with decisions influenced by future housing patterns and facility concerns; officials note that savings are unlikely to be substantial unless staffing is reduced.
Parents are curbing home screen time while schools increasingly deploy iPads for kindergartners to games and videos (including YouTube during breaks), with districts claiming limited daily use even as families report growing classroom exposure—igniting a national debate over the role of tech in early education.
Virginia lawmakers passed a bill barring schools from teaching that the Jan. 6 riot was peaceful or that there was widespread fraud in the 2020 election, the first Democratic-led state to try to shape how such events are taught in schools.
In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court revived a lower-court injunction allowing some California parents to be informed if their child expresses gender identity at school, signaling the court’s view that parental rights—and religious liberty considerations—can constrain school privacy policies in this narrow, case-specific context. The ruling applies to the plaintiffs seeking religious exemptions and does not overturn California’s broader policies.
The Supreme Court temporarily blocked enforcement of California's policy that would bar educators from informing parents about a student's sexual orientation or gender identity without the student's consent, a win for parental rights and religious freedom as the case proceeds in lower courts; the decision featured a Barrett concurrence and a Kagan dissent and follows earlier injunctions in a dispute involving two Catholic families and LGBTQ issues in schools.
The Supreme Court blocked/paused a California school policy related to transgender students, delaying its enforcement as litigation over transgender rights in education proceeds.
The Supreme Court temporarily blocked California from applying policies that would prevent teachers from informing parents about a student’s transgender status, siding with religious parents who argued the policy infringed parental rights; California contends the policy does not prohibit disclosures and may require them in some cases while the challenge proceeds.
The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling, blocked California from enforcing rules that restrict when schools can notify parents about a student’s transgender status and require teachers to use pronouns aligned with students’ gender identities, letting a federal judge’s decision in favor of religiously opposed parents take effect. The decision rests on anticipated Free Exercise Clause and 14th Amendment parental-rights claims, with liberal justices dissenting; the case comes amid broader debates over parental involvement and LGBTQ rights in schools.
LA Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho’s job is in limbo after FBI searches of his home and district office as part of a secret criminal probe tied to the now-defunct AllHere startup. The school board met in an emergency session and did not decide Carvalho’s fate, planning to reconvene as investigators press on; the case also involves a consultant linked to AllHere, and comes amid ongoing governance and policy concerns despite the district’s post-pandemic gains.
The Education Department announced two interagency agreements with the State Department and HHS to streamline federal education activities, enhance reporting under Section 117 on foreign gifts, and bolster school safety and family engagement as part of returning education governance to the states, building on prior partnerships.
Proposed caps from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act would limit graduate loan borrowing to $100,000 and professional-degree borrowing to $200,000, a change Education Department officials say would curb tuition growth but critics warn it favors established medical schools over nontraditional programs like naturopathic, herbal, and other alternative therapies, potentially worsening healthcare workforce shortages; lawmakers and trade groups across health fields are lobbying to adjust the rules, while Kennedy’s health agenda faces opposition from conventional medical groups and some nursing advocates.
The Florida Senate passed the Teddy Bridgewater Act, which would allow high-school coaches to spend up to $15,000 of their own money on student-athletes for food, transportation, and recovery services; it still must clear the House and receive Gov. DeSantis's signature. Critics warn about accountability and booster-style influence; Bridgewater’s coaching history provides context for the proposal.
A UK study of nearly 5,000 youths found that higher academic pressure at age 15 predicts more depression and self-harm into the mid-20s, with each extra point of pressure raising the risk of depression by 25% and self-harm by 8% by age 16, and increasing the likelihood of ever attempting suicide by 16% by age 24; researchers urge schools to reduce high-stakes testing and implement whole-school, social-emotional learning strategies, while families are encouraged to support healthy routines and limit pressure.
The Trump administration dropped its appeal of a court ruling blocking its plan to withhold federal education funds from schools that refused to sign anti-DEI attestations, after a Maryland judge found the move procedurally faulty and potentially violative of free speech. The suit, brought by the AFT, the American Sociological Association, and a Eugene, Oregon school district, had halted the funding threat, but officials say there are other ways the administration may continue to push back on DEI programs.