States

Education news, analysis, and opinion about state education policy, officials, and advocacy.
  • State Superintendent Ryan Walters speaks to members of the State Board of Education during a meeting, Aug. 24, 2023, in Oklahoma City, Okla.
    State Superintendent Ryan Walters speaks to members of the State Board of Education during a meeting, Aug. 24, 2023, in Oklahoma City, Okla. Walters has submitted a request to the U.S. Department of Education seeking to consolidate its federal funds into a block grant, testing the legal bounds of Education Secretary Linda McMahon's waiver authority.
    Daniel Shular/Tulsa World via AP
    States Oklahoma Asks Trump for Sweeping Flexibility in How It Spends School Funding
    The request is one of several already made or in the works that will test the flexibility of the Trump administration.
    Brooke Schultz, March 26, 2025
    5 min read
    A large hand points the way as several figures follow the direction and fall off
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    States Opinion Trump Wants to Send Education 'Back to the States.' Are States Even Ready?
    The federal government has often led the way in reform, and only some states have shown the capacity to take over.
    Dale Chu, March 26, 2025
    6 min read
    President Donald Trump speaks before signing an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women's or girls' sporting events, in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington.
    President Donald Trump speaks at the White House on Feb. 5, 2025, before signing an executive order barring transgender female athletes from competing in women's or girls' sporting events. Two federal agencies have found Maine in violation of Title IX for its defiance of that executive order.
    Alex Brandon/AP
    States Trump Admin. Gives Maine 10 Days to Bar Trans Athletes—or Risk School Funding
    The finding of a Title IX violation is a test case of the president's use of federal funds as a cudgel for compliance with executive orders.
    Brooke Schultz, March 19, 2025
    6 min read
    Image of a boy with a blue backpack standing in front of the entrance to school.
    bodnarchuk/iStock/Getty
    States Tracker Which States Are Challenging Undocumented Students’ Right to Free Education?
    States are reviving efforts to challenge the 1982 Plyler v. Doe ruling that guarantees undocumented students a free, public education.
    1 min read
    Image of a magnifying glass over budget factor icons.
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    States Trump’s Cuts to Ed. Spending Will Hit Efforts to Improve Reading and Math. Here’s How
    The Ed. Dept. said federally funded centers were “forcing radical agendas.” State officials say they helped foster academic improvement.
    Sarah Schwartz, March 10, 2025
    7 min read
    Maine's Democratic Gov. Janet Mills delivers her State of the State address, Jan. 30, 2024, at the State House in Augusta, Maine.
    Maine Gov. Janet Mills delivers her State of the State address on Jan. 30, 2024, in Augusta, Maine. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found Maine had violated Title IX just four days after Mills told President Donald Trump that she would see him in court over the state's refusal to comply with an executive order seeking to bar transgender girls from girls' sports.
    Robert F. Bukaty/AP
    States Does Title IX Exclude Trans Girls? A State's Defiance of Trump Could Produce an Answer
    Maine is the subject of three federal probes after its governor told Trump, "we'll see you in court," over transgender athletes.
    Brooke Schultz, March 7, 2025
    7 min read
    Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt answers a question while taking part in a panel discussion during a Republican Governors Association conference, Nov. 16, 2022, in Orlando, Fla.
    Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt answers a question while taking part in a panel discussion during a Republican Governors Association conference, Nov. 16, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. The governor recently opposed a rule from the state's superintendent of public instruction requiring proof of citizenship in school enrollment.
    Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP
    States Proof of Legal Status to Enroll in an Oklahoma School? It's Complicated
    Public schools don’t track the number of undocumented students enrolled due to a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court decision.
    Ileana Najarro, February 28, 2025
    4 min read
    Bipartisan concept of parties joining together in action.
    Collage with iStock/Getty
    States Opinion Voters Have a Message for Lawmakers About Education: Stop the Blame
    Education policy can feel more partisan than ever, but there are a few things most voters agree on.
    Bob Wise & Javaid Siddiqi, February 20, 2025
    5 min read
    State Superintendent Ryan Walters speaks to members of the State Board of Education during a meeting, Aug. 24, 2023, in Oklahoma City, Okla.
    State Superintendent Ryan Walters speaks to members of the State Board of Education during a meeting, Aug. 24, 2023, in Oklahoma City, Okla. On Jan. 28, the state board unanimously approved a proposed rule to require schools to collect students' immigration status information.
    Daniel Shular/Tulsa World via AP
    States Oklahoma Takes Step to Require Parents to Provide Schools Proof of Citizenship
    Leaders in at least three states have made efforts to collect data on undocumented students, or outright ban them.
    Ileana Najarro, January 28, 2025
    4 min read
    The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
    Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
    States Opinion The Age of 'Adulthood' Varies by State. This Matters for Your Students
    States set different limits on when kids can do different things. What does this mean for education?
    Rick Hess, December 12, 2024
    8 min read
    Image of someone working on a calendar.
    Chainarong Prasertthai/iStock/Getty
    States Which States Require the Most—and Least—Instructional Time? Find Out
    There's no national policy dictating how much time students must attend classes each year. That leads to wide variation by state.
    Caitlynn Peetz & Francis Sheehan, December 9, 2024
    2 min read
    An empty classroom is shown at A.G. Hilliard Elementary School on Sept. 2, 2017, in Houston.
    An empty classroom is shown at A.G. Hilliard Elementary School on Sept. 2, 2017, in Houston. Texas's state school board has approved a curriculum with Bible-infused lessons, the latest of a wave of state policies challenging the church-state divide in schools.
    David J. Phillip/AP
    States More States Are Testing the Limits Around Religion in Public Schools
    A wave of state policies mixing public education and religion are challenging the church-state divide in public schools.
    Brooke Schultz, November 25, 2024
    4 min read
    Students arrive for classes at Taylor Allderdice High School in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh on Jan. 23, 2024.
    Students arrive for classes at Taylor Allderdice High School in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh on Jan. 23, 2024. As part of a recent court settlement, Pennsylvania will no longer require school districts to follow its set of guidelines that sought to confront racial and cultural biases in education.
    Gene J. Puskar/AP
    States A State Changed Anti-Bias Guidelines for Teachers After a Lawsuit. Will Others?
    The lawsuit filed by a conservative law firm took issue with state guidelines on examining biases and diversifying curriculum.
    Brooke Schultz, November 21, 2024
    5 min read
    Image of a board room.
    Collage by Laura Baker/Education Week (Images: DigitalVision Vectors; E+; iStock/Getty)
    States In Deep-Red Florida, Voters Reject Partisan School Board Races
    Florida voters rejected a constitutional amendment to make school board races partisan.
    Evie Blad, November 6, 2024
    2 min read
    N.C. State Superintendent democratic candidate Mo Green speaks during a debate with fellow candidate Michele Morrow at the Heart Institute at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C., on Sept. 24, 2024.
    Mo Green, the Democratic candidate for schools chief in North Carolina, speaks during a debate with GOP candidate Michele Morrow at the Heart Institute at East Carolina University in Greenville on Sept. 24. Green defeated Morrow.
    Scott Davis/The Daily Reflector via AP
    States Democrat Defeats a State Schools Chief Candidate Who Called for Public Executions
    A candidate's past calls for Democrats' executions thrust one of this year's four state superintendent races into the national spotlight.
    Alyson Klein, November 6, 2024
    3 min read