On March 3, 2025, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., published a policy statement in the Federal Register that rescinds the current policy (also known as the Richardson Waiver) of requiring new rules and regulations to be open to public comment before they…
On February 25, 2025, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) filed suit against the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) alleging that the agency’s recent guidance barring schools from considering race in any of their programs and policies or undertaking diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts is unconstitutional. In its suit, the…
Since the 1970s, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has monitored student performance in reading and math for students ages nine, 13 and 17. These assessments, known as The Nation’s Report Card, measure students’ educational progress over long periods to identify and monitor trends in academic performance. However, the…
On February 27, 2025 the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) opened an online submission tool to collect reports of discrimination based on race or sex in public K-12 schools. EndDEI.Ed.Gov is a public portal for parents, students, teachers and the general public to alert the agency of ”illegal discriminatory practices.”…
A February 17, 2025 U.S. Department of Education (USDE) $600 million cut in “divisive” teacher training grants will do great harm to partnerships that support the teacher pipeline. Despite teacher shortages across the country, the cost-cutting measures led by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), will significantly hamper efforts to…
On Tuesday, February 25, 2025, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Massachusetts’ Ludlow Public Schools did not infringe upon parents’ rights with a policy that required students’ consent to notify their parents if they preferred using a different name or pronouns at school. The decision in Foote…
On Monday, February 24, 2025. a federal judge said the Trump administration failed to explain why the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) needed “sweeping access” to the agency’s systems. The judge blocked the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) from allowing workers affiliated with DOGE, from accessing the agency’s sensitive student…
States will now be responsible for federal COVID-19 emergency payments before seeking reimbursement from the U.S. Department of Education, the agency said in updated guidance issued on February 19, 2025. However, shortly thereafter schools were informed that he deadline has now been extended for an extra 14 months — or…
On Thursday, February 20, 2025. Linda McMahon’s nomination for U.S. Secretary of Education advanced with the approval of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which voted 12-11 along party lines. McMahon previously appeared before the committee February 13th for a 2 ½ hour confirmation hearing where she spoke…
On February 14, 2025, the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Acting Assistant Secretary Craig Trainor sent a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) to colleges, universities, and Pre-K-12 schools informing them that they had two weeks to comply with a new U.S. Department of Education (USDE) requirement to…
