Battling Absenteeism: The Effective Use of Attendance Incentives is Important
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…
Former Federal Officials Send Letter to Congress Opposing USDE’s Special Ed. Interagency Agreement
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…
USDE DCL Addresses Schools “Passing the Trash”
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…
15 States File a Lawsuit Challenging USDE MH Grant Cancellations
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…
USDE to Make Changes in Measuring Racial Disparities in Special Ed.
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…
GAO Report: More Students with Disabilities Are Learning in General Ed. Classrooms
According to a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released July 2, 2026, between the 2012-13 and 2023-24 school years 42 states and the District of Columbia increased the share of students with disabilities in general education classes. The number of students with disabilities spending some of their school day…
Additions to the USDE’s ‘Professional Degree’ List Still Exclude Education
Education graduate degree programs remain excluded from the U.S. Department of Education’s (USDE) “professional” designation, despite the agency recently adding more programs to the list. In fact, on June 29, 2026, the USDE added nursing, physical therapy, athletic training. and occupational therapy to the list, which doubles the federal student…
Education Groups Sue USDE and OMB for Access to Nearly $2B in Funds Linked to Special Ed.
On June 30, 2026, a coalition of disability and education organizations sued the the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) and the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) over its withholding of almost $2B in USDE funds that were appropriated by Congress for education research, data collection, program evaluation,…
Court Temporarily Blocks USDE Regs That Exclude Graduate Ed. Degrees from Consideration as ‘Professional’ Degrees
On June 24, 2026, a federal court temporarily blocked the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) from applying new regulations significantly restricting which graduate degrees count as “professional.” The designation allows students pursuing such degrees to take out up to $200,000 in federal student loans — double the amount permitted for…