A Massachusetts district court ruled the department's mass termination of TQP and SEED grants was arbitrary and capricious, vacating the directive nationwide. The practical effect on already-terminated funds remains unresolved.
Read the full story: Federal judge vacates Education Department directive that cut $600 million in teacher-prep grants
The California School Boards Association and the California Teachers Association filed separate lawsuits challenging the state's decision to withhold $3.9 billion from the constitutionally guaranteed school funding formula.
Read more: CSBA Sues California Over $3.9 Billion Proposition 98 Withholding in 2026-27 Budget
Gov. Newsom signed law replacing four-criteria local process with automatic reclassification based on ELPAC score. Research cited found half of unreclassified ELs already proficient and no academic benefit to extended status.
Read more: California’s AB 2555 makes single state test the sole bar for reclassifying nearly 1 million English learners
The law, signed March 18, 2026, directs the state board to publish a model AI policy by December 2026 and requires every local education agency to adopt a local AI policy before July 1, 2027. A USBE draft model policy and rule are now circulating for public review.
Read more: Utah HB 273 requires district AI policies with parent disclosure by July 2027
The state's first health education standards were approved by an administrative judge after an initial rejection, with an opt-out provision for parents.
Read more: Minnesota adopts first K-12 health education standards after OAH approval
Governor Joe Lombardo endorsed an emergency regulation freezing per-pupil funding at 2025 legislative enrollment levels to avert mid-year cuts at Clark County School District. The measure expires in late January 2027, just before the legislature convenes to consider permanent funding reforms.
Read more: Nevada governor's 120-day emergency funding freeze halts 577 CCSD staff displacements as enrollment drops 10,400
Bipartisan bill offers grants for secure storage containers and directs a two-year study on mobile device impacts, as 26 states have already enacted their own restrictions.
Read more: Federal 'Focus on Learning Act' creates $5M pilot program for phone-free schools, mandates Surgeon General study
The district eliminated 10 jobs at its Newcomer Academy after new multilingual learner enrollments fell from about 600 to fewer than 150 in a five-month period, while overall multilingual population stayed flat.
The proposed changes would require only Math 1 and Math 2, with students choosing two more courses from eight options aligned to post-graduation plans. The vote follows a review of over 5,700 survey responses showing declining teacher satisfaction and student outcomes in higher grades.
A September 2026 memo orders every Education Department grantee to submit a short written justification with each payment request. Education groups say it adds redundant paperwork; the agency points to a low flag rate at the Labor Department.
The law, signed March 18, 2026, directs the state board to publish a model AI policy by December 2026 and requires every local education agency to adopt a local AI policy before July 1, 2027. A USBE draft model policy and rule are now circulating for public review.
Bipartisan bill offers grants for secure storage containers and directs a two-year study on mobile device impacts, as 26 states have already enacted their own restrictions.
The revised Local Alternative Assessment guidelines, approved September 24, 2025, categorize subjects without SOL tests into mandatory and permissive categories, setting reporting and scoring standards while allowing division flexibility.
Act 123 overhauls the 1996 Charter Schools Act, requiring public transaction registers, management contract disclosures, and annual authorizer reviews, with early compliance data showing many schools have not yet posted required records.
The state's first health education standards were approved by an administrative judge after an initial rejection, with an opt-out provision for parents.
The state directive restricts Cincinnati Public Schools from counting pending levy revenue in its recovery plan, forcing the district to plot cuts to balance a projected $44.5 million shortfall. Failure could escalate to a state-appointed commission with power over the elected school board.
Governor Joe Lombardo endorsed an emergency regulation freezing per-pupil funding at 2025 legislative enrollment levels to avert mid-year cuts at Clark County School District. The measure expires in late January 2027, just before the legislature convenes to consider permanent funding reforms.
The California School Boards Association and the California Teachers Association filed separate lawsuits challenging the state's decision to withhold $3.9 billion from the constitutionally guaranteed school funding formula.
A late-September rescission package targets congressionally appropriated funds for migrant student programs under a method the GAO says is illegal and courts have not fully resolved.
A compromised credential without multi-factor authentication let a hacker steal personal data from the student information system used by more than 40 states, triggering state investigations, a Texas lawsuit, and a guilty plea in federal court.
A September 2026 ruling in Massachusetts strikes down the February 2025 DEI directive as unlawful, but leaves the fate of terminated teacher preparation grants unresolved pending further claims.
A proposed federal rule would target racial preferences in admissions, scholarships, and programs at private K-12 schools and colleges, citing Brown, Bob Jones, and SFFA.
The first federal lawsuit asserting that school gender-identity policies violate FERPA and PPRA could set a national precedent for parental-notification rules tied to education funding.
A September 2026 memo from Education Commissioner Henry Mack directs all districts to audit collections, remove sexually explicit materials without waiting for complaints, and cross-check other counties' removal lists within 90 days or face state funding penalties.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed a package of bills in 2025 and 2026 that impose time limits, crisis protocols, and bans on addictive features for minors, with key requirements taking effect by July 2027.
The Live Real Life campaign, backed by a Surgeon General's advisory, recommends bell-to-bell cellphone bans and computer labs over 1-to-1 devices, as the NTIA separately examines federal broadband's role in school screen use.
A coalition of states says the department is evading a December injunction by relabeling the cancellations, while the department says it has no finalized plan and the proper venue lies elsewhere.
A June 2026 DOJ memo and July Federal Register notice declare the Olmstead Guidance 'not enforceable.' IDEA transition requirements remain law, but advocates warn districts may lower expectations for independent living goals for students with disabilities.
The measure now heads to the Senate, where a broader counterpart bill has already cleared committee with bipartisan support.
The state replaces its Core 40 diploma with a single base credential plus six work-based learning seals. Implementation starts this fall amid concerns about rural placements, counselor ratios, and funding.
The Administration for Children and Families ended three grants after California refused to remove references to gender identity, citing federal statute. California may appeal.
The proposal would eliminate a staffing pathway for hard-to-fill roles in bilingual, special education, math and science. The Texas Legislature convenes in January 2027.
A Texas Tribune investigation finds the district has lost an estimated $190 million in state funding since June 2023, with New Education System campuses costing about $700,000 each in year one and enrollment dropping faster than at other schools.
The Texas Education Agency's proposed Chapter 71 rules create a structural difference in parental rights: open-enrollment charter schools may require a student to attend a full-time virtual or hybrid campus, but school districts must offer in-person instruction and cannot compel virtual enrollment.
New rule requires equal weight for AP, IB, OnRamps, and non-workforce dual credit but lower weight for workforce dual credit; public comment warns of impact on career pathways and class rank.
SB 1067 would require all public schools to assess K-2 students in math starting 2028-29 and provide interventions, mirroring the state's 2023 reading screening law. The governor has until September 30 to act.
Multiple Washington districts are cutting teaching and support positions for 2026-27 as enrollment drops 4 percent from the 2019 peak and state funding lags costs.
A federal appeals panel ruled 2-1 that Oklahoma's law against teaching eight race- or sex-based concepts as fact is not unconstitutionally vague, making Oklahoma the first state with such a law upheld at the appellate level.
A 2021 class action over Montana's unique constitutional promise of Native American education ends in twin settlements that add audits, tribal consultation requirements, and potential funding cuts.
Kelly Rogers steps down just as physical staff transfers begin, leaving the special education transition without a designated leader. Congress is weighing bills to block the move.
The law adds bullying as grounds for removal, permits removal after a single incident, removes time limits on in-school suspension, and expands expulsion authority to off-campus conduct. Districts are updating codes of conduct.
AB 2365 adds credential suspension or revocation as penalties for school administrators who fail to verify whether job applicants were reported for misconduct at previous employers. The bill follows a KQED-ProPublica investigation and is a scaled-back version of a proposed searchable database.
The AIB has recommended tweaks to the Blueprint each year since 2022. Now the state faces its largest budget gap in two decades, with Blueprint costs outpacing revenues.
Provisions folded into $34.4 billion state budget signed by Gov. Josh Stein take effect July 1, 2026, amid teacher shortages and declining enrollment in preparation programs.
Five major Jewish organizations released a six-point framework for K-12 schools on September 9, 2026, as previously released ADL data showed K-12 antisemitic incidents remained flat in 2025 even as overall incidents fell 33 percent.
The district's 2025-26 shortfall grew more than five times the adopted $19 million deficit, driven by enrollment decline, falling property values, and a failed property sale. The board approved $205 million in cuts and plans to borrow $140 million in October.
The Oklahoma State Department of Education is ending a federal meal option that allowed schools with extended days to serve a third meal, citing compliance failures. Rural districts and more than 50 lawmakers say the change will leave children hungry.
A district-commissioned Year 1 evaluation of Philadelphia's K-8 EL Education curriculum found widespread concerns about phonics instruction, teacher preparedness, and support for struggling readers, while state test scores fell. The district has made adjustments; second-year results remain pending.
Internal slides show staff must follow parental objection on names and pronouns, while the public regulation still says students have the right to be addressed by their gender identity. The change follows a July 2026 enforcement action by the U.S. Education and Justice departments.
The state eliminated credentials with low employer demand, using labor market data to shrink the list. The new system takes full effect for the Class of 2030.
The Idaho State Board of Education approved a temporary rule establishing a formal process for schools to resolve disputes about a student's biological sex for athletic participation, effective immediately for the 2026-2027 school year.
Superintendent Chris Reykdal's request designates $1.2 billion as needed to meet the constitutional duty to fund basic education, as the K-12 share of state spending falls from its post-McCleary peak.
The Tennessee Department of Education proposes combining its federal ESSA and state letter grade systems, raising questions about how to balance growth, proficiency, and subgroup accountability.
A constitutional amendment on the November 2026 ballot would replace Minnesota's interest-and-dividend-only payout from the $2.3 billion Permanent School Fund with a 4.5 percent distribution. Minnesota is the only state with that restrictive model.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani's team is ending a T-Mobile data plan tied to a $330 million Chromebook program before the school year starts. Schools are being told to buy $10-per-student Verizon service instead.
Proposed amendments to N.J.A.C. 6A:10 would eliminate standalone Student Growth Objectives and shift toward a performance-based feedback model, with public testimony set for October 7.
The court found the legislature underfunded teacher salaries and skipped mandatory inflation adjustments, but reversed lower court mandates for one-to-one technology, nutrition services, and school resource officers. No compliance deadline was set.
The framework proposes escalating state intervention for struggling schools, including possible takeover, and a K-3 literacy system that could hold back students at the lowest reading level under strict conditions.
Initiative IL26-001 would re-enact the 2024 parental-rights law and remove anti-discrimination, bullying-complaint, and records-access provisions added by the Legislature in 2025.
The overhaul replaces four math-department content courses with four integrated courses blending content and pedagogy. A new Foundations of Mathematics Assessment is set to become consequential in 2029.
The LRSD Forward plan, released September 4, offers four options. The district has lost 21% of K-12 students since 2013 while reducing its number of schools by only 16%.
A two-year study finds that a revenue-neutral weighted formula would cause most districts and charters to lose money, while the 2026 state budget creates a work group to study the transition.
Nearly $1 billion in utility ratepayer funds intended for school air conditioning and plumbing upgrades will largely revert to utilities by December 2026 after a last-minute budget deal extended deadlines for existing projects but did not reopen the program for new applications.
Lawsuit revives a constitutional challenge rooted in a 1975 case and arrives as a RAND study and pending legislation target the same funding formula.
The district, built for 115,000 students, now serves roughly 70,000. Officials expect $25 million in annual savings from closures and conversions, with no teacher layoffs. A final vote is set for October 13.
Signed July 10, the law tweaks graduation metrics, adds an IEP diploma exemption, and drops more than a dozen reporting requirements.
The Texas Education Agency sent a compliance form to all 119 Educator Preparation Programs, extending K-12 instructional restrictions to higher education teacher training.
Partisan split on proposed changes that dropped terms like 'marginalized' leaves current standards in place; districts may adopt more rigorous local versions.
The board unanimously passed a resolution requiring the superintendent to present recommendations for at least $12 million in operating budget reductions. Options include school closures, a salary freeze, and program cuts.
Despite a $55 million deficit halved by improved state funding, the district eliminated hundreds of staff positions and elementary field trips, while Superintendent Misty Her received $513,725 in total compensation and a 5% raise.
Superintendent Lisa Sayles-Adams proposed three plans that would close or merge 15–16 buildings, reassign thousands of students, and yield modest utility savings of up to $705,000 annually.
The first of five unpaid days for all employees took place September 21 as part of a plan to close a $58.6 million deficit. Columbus and Cleveland have used position eliminations and school closures instead.
The law, signed June 18, replaces state-directed redistricting with a district-led merger process. CESAs are forming now, with merger committees required to start meeting by October 15.
A federal lawsuit challenges the repeal of a parental opt-out from school-issued internet-connected devices, alleging violations of constitutional rights. The district disputes the claims.
The state board approved a financial operations takeover of Marlboro County School District, citing delayed audits, enrollment decline, and a procurement investigation.
Barre Unified Union School District began the 2026-27 school year without a voter-approved budget after two rejections, operating under Vermont's 87% borrowing authority while a third vote approaches.
Facing a 32 percent enrollment drop, three consecutive high-risk financial ratings, and a missing audit, the district lost local board authority in May 2018. The takeover led to consolidation and later to a legislative rewrite of state intervention law.
The Education Professional Standards Board approved revisions to certification grade bands, shifting elementary to K-6, middle to 4-9, and secondary to 7-12, and adding secondary general science and computer science pathways. Student teaching rules also gain flexibility.
The district cut 80 jobs and froze pay, but its forecast shows a $2 million shortfall. If the state declares fiscal emergency, a commission could assume board powers.
A seven-member financial oversight committee identified fiscal year 2023 as a breaking point for Iowa City Community School District, which has cut 23 teaching positions and faces an October 7 hearing before the state School Budget Review Committee.
The agreement bars AI training on student data, bans companion chatbots, and requires human oversight; districts can opt in starting November 1.
The nation's second-largest school district imposed a moratorium on student access to generative AI tools, affecting 378,000 students. The move was disclosed at a committee meeting without a board vote, as the district studies how to regulate the technology.
AB 1159 prohibits companies from using identifiable student information to train generative AI and broadens California's school privacy laws to cover higher education, closing a loophole that let general platforms escape regulation.
New York City Public Schools has confirmed a one-year moratorium on student-facing generative AI for preschool through middle school, affecting nearly 600,000 students, while high schoolers will have limited access for AI literacy and pilot programs.
New South Wales will cap daily individual device use from 15 minutes for the youngest students to half of subject time for seniors, part of a push toward pen-and-paper learning after Australia's worst PISA results.
The spring 2026 announcement positions the district as the first major U.S. city to aim for all high school graduates to be proficient in AI, but the program is not yet a formal graduation requirement.
Final advisory report filed June 2026 proposes AI and digital literacy module within career-planning framework; legislative action still needed before any class graduates under new standards.
State crackdown leads to co-op's disbandment; programs face Sept. 4 deadline to find new authorizers as only 3 of 44 gain state approval.
The new federal tax credit scholarship program under P.L. 119-21 allows donations to fund K-12 expenses including public school services. With Treasury rules pending, a national nonprofit and some districts are setting up scholarship organizations to participate.
U.S. 15-year-olds' reading scores fell 14 points on the 2025 PISA, matching a broad OECD decline, while math and science held steady.
The data collection includes new fields on nonbinary students, but the numbers were replaced with a suppression code, citing President Trump's executive order. The release is the first without a First Look Report in over a decade.
The National Assessment Governing Board voted May 15 to update the civics framework for the first time in 30 years, while the 2028 test will allow state-by-state comparisons for the first time.
The Arizona Department of Education reset cut scores after a field test with 600 native English speakers found nearly half failed. The statewide reclassification rate jumped from 12% to 26%.
The American Psychological Association's inaugural report synthesizes evidence that rising classroom temperatures impair cognition and recommends heat thresholds, monitoring, and a shift in scheduling.
Texas regraded brief typed answers on reading exams, finding 1.7% of reviewed responses deserved more credit. The error rate affected accountability ratings for 11 schools and districts.
Just 38.2% of third-graders scored proficient in ELA, the lowest in the exam's history. The state has passed major literacy and dyslexia laws, but officials say their effects are not yet in the test scores.
State review flags statistical patterns at 37 charter and 15 traditional public schools spanning at least 16 counties. Schools must respond by September 18.
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