On July 22, 2026, special education professionals and advocates warned that moving special education functions out of the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) would be detrimental to students with disabilities. Citing the likelihood that the move would cause disparities in services across the states and reduce accountability measures, along with…
On July 17, 2026, a federal judge ruled in favor of a coalition of 21 attorneys general and three governors who sued over the Trump administration’s approach to grant terminations. According to the lawsuit, since the Trump administration began its second term, it has terminated billions of dollars in federal…
On a monthly basis the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) receives on average nearly 300 requests for data under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). However, under the Trump administration the USDE has only responded to about 3% of those requests. and staffing issues have been a major hurdle. For…
On July 15, 2026, the U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee approved 10 Republican-led bills that are the first steps in eventually closing the U.S. Department of Education (USDE). The bills would codify several interagency agreements the USDE already has in place that move core education-related functions, but not the…
At a recent session at the National Association of Elementary School Principals’ National School Leaders Conference, attendees heard how choosing the right incentives to motivate students can make or break efforts to combat chronic absenteeism. For example, the use of perfect attendance awards is unrealistic and can be punitive for…
In a July 13, 2026 letter to federal legislators, 13 former federal officials who were responsible for overseeing special education implementation in states and districts urged Congress to reject the U.S. Department of Education’s (USDE) plans to move programs serving students with disabilities to another federal agency. The letter’s authors…
On July 10, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) issued a Dear Colleague letter to states and school districts reminding them of their responsibilities to protect students rather than engage in the practice, which it called “a troubling and recurring pattern in schools” nationwide. In addition, on the same…
On July 10, 2026, the attorneys general of 15 states filed a lawsuit alleging the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) is seeking to terminate “some or all” of $1 billion in mental health grants despite a permanent block preventing the USDE from doing so in a case brought last year…
Despite a court order temporarily requiring its continuation in at least one region of the nation, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) is trying another avenue to close Equity Assistance Centers nationwide after the Trump administration’s previous failed attempts. According to a notice posted in the federal register on June…
According to a July 5, 2026 announcement that many missed due to the holiday weekend, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) is planning to make changes to a federal rule that requires states and districts to measure racial disparities in special education. Known as the Equity in IDEA regulation, the…
