A according to federal data analyzed by The Advocacy Institute, a nonprofit that works to improve the lives of people with disabilities, the number of students with disabilities ages 3-21 who qualify for special education services in the U.S. rose 3.8% — or by 301,991 students — in 2024 when…
Although the recently passed fiscal year 2026 (FY26) budget for the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) did not ban the outsourcing of certain education programs to other federal agencies, it strongly condemned and discouraged the transfer of key programs out of the USDE. The bicameral and bipartisan statement said that…
The U.S. Department of Education (USDE) will continue to target diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in schools under Title VI despite a court block on its controversial February 14, 2025 anti-DEI Dear Colleague letter. That letter announced the USDE’s policy interpreting Title VI, which protects students from discrimination based…
New federal accessibility rules for web content and mobile apps will start being enforced as early as this April, but recent survey results from the National School Public Relations Association and Sogolytics show many school districts will not be ready to comply. In fact, only 14% of respondents say their…
On February 2, 2026 the FY26 education funding bill was finally signed into law. As a result, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) is now funded for fiscal year 2026. The compromise measure won final approval from the U.S. House by a 217-214 vote. The budget funds the USDE at…
Assistive technology (AT) in schools can run the gamut of low-tech tools like pencil grips and swivel chairs to high-tech ones like large mobile touch screens and voice recognition software. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires a student’s individualized education program (IEP) team to consider AT use, at…
Identical U.S. House and Senate legislation is drawing bipartisan support for attempts to modernize identifications for children with reading challenges, although some disability rights advocacy groups and education organizations caution the move could put struggling readers further behind. Specifically, the 21st Century Dyslexia Act proposes that IDEA definition of a…
Parents and advocates are expressing concern over the possibility of being confronted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents that are unfamiliar with their circumstances and lack training necessary to help them deal with children with disabilities. The families of disabled children, who already fear their kids shutting down, running…
On January 7, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) announced that Iowa became the first state approved for a waiver for certain federal education regulations that will allow the state to have greater decision-making in academic programming and fiscal management. The waiver allows the Iowa Department of Education to…
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has terminated several multimillion-dollar grants to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) following the association’s criticisms of the policies of the health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr. The funding cuts, which affect projects focused on issues including fetal alcohol spectrum disorders…
