Articles On Education Policy And Reform Govfacts Org

Teacher unions occupy a unique space in American public policy. They function as both professional associations advocating for teaching standards… The Trump Administration has managed a comprehensive effort in 2025 to dramatically reduce the size and influence of the U.S.… The United States has no single national education system. Instead, 50 distinct state systems operate with different priorities, funding mechanisms,… One of the primary reasons for founding America's public education system was to prepare young people for active participation in…

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the cornerstone of U.S. federal education law dedicated to serving children with… Achieving effective educational reform requires collaboration among policymakers, educators, and communities. It also requires something more: Practical strategies for implementing change. First, a bit of background. In the United States, educational reform focuses on updating outdated curricula, improving teacher training and support, addressing funding inequalities, and integrating technology to make learning more relevant and accessible.

The overall goal of these changes is to create a more equitable, effective, and future-oriented education system. Today’s economy demands real life skills like critical thinking, digital literacy, and problem-solving abilities. This emphasis makes traditional curricula outdated. Reform efforts have emphasized STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) to address these needs. Additionally, project-based learning has gained popularity as a way to engage students and encourage deeper understanding.1 Teachers are at the forefront of reform but often face challenges related to pay, resources, and professional development.

Studies indicate that well-supported teachers lead to better student outcomes, and that teacher training remains essential for effective reform.2 Disparities in school funding and resources persist, often correlating with race and socioeconomic status. Schools in wealthier areas typically have access to more resources than those in low-income areas. This inequality can be addressed by funding formulas that allocate resources based on need rather than locality. Amid Donald Trump’s campaign to dismantle the Department of Education, a recent report from one of its most respected agencies, the National Assessment of Educational Progress, revealed that more than a third of the... The finding was the latest sign of crisis in the nation’s elementary and secondary schools.

There are many others. While high school grade point averages and graduation rates are climbing, the testing company ACT reports that only one in five high school graduates is prepared to pass introductory college courses—the lowest level in... Student absenteeism has skyrocketed; a quarter of California’s ninth graders were absent an average of 40 school days in 2023-24. A majority of those who do show up say they aren’t being challenged, according to a 2024 Gallup/Walton Family Foundation poll. But Republicans and Democrats have largely abandoned the hard work of improving the performance of the nation’s 100,000 charter and traditional public schools that educate 90 percent of America’s students. Beyond attacking the Education Department (and, in the process, sending a message that the nation devalues education) and opposing diversity, equity, and inclusion in schools and colleges, Republicans have prioritized giving families taxpayers’ money...

In the past four years, more than a dozen red states have passed laws allowing any student—regardless of need—to use public funding to subsidize their private, religious, or, in some cases, homeschool education. A lot of the money has gone to affluent families with kids already in private schools. Last year, these “universal” choice programs cost taxpayers $4 billion. The irony is that if the president wanted to help the less-well-educated, working-class voters who helped return him to office, he would also pursue public school reform since public schools are the only educational... But that’s not the president’s plan. Expect the administration to back bills circulating in Congress to fund up to $10 billion in federal private school “scholarships” for families with incomes as high as $450,000.

Democrats, meanwhile, have been largely silent on student achievement. Heavily influenced by the nation’s teacher unions, they rail against the “privatization” of education but back few steps to strengthen public schooling. Often, they reject the academic rigor that parents tell pollsters they want. In taking up the mantle of social justice, for example, many progressives have gone beyond reasonable demands that the breadth of the nation’s peoples and experiences be reflected in school curricula and that teachers... In November, teacher unions spent $10 million on a successful ballot campaign to end statewide graduation exams, a cornerstone of Massachusetts’ education improvements over two decades. The president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association claimed that the tests mostly measured the impact of structural racism on students.

The Department of Education (Education Department, ED) is a cabinet-level executive branch agency responsible for overseeing education policy and administering funding for programs and individuals. The department's functions include supporting state and local education systems, promoting educational equity for all students, and providing grants and loans to higher education institutions and students. It was established in 1980 after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was reorganized into separate entities. The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent executive branch agency responsible for supporting science and engineering nationwide for the purpose of scientific progress, advancement of national health and welfare, and national security. The agency fulfills this objective primarily through making grants, funding approximately 25% of all federally supported research conducted by US colleges and universities. It was established in 1950.

The Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) is a subdivision of the US Department of Education responsible for administering and overseeing programs that prepare individuals for postsecondary education and the workforce. OCTAE focuses on improving career and technical education, adult education, and literacy, ensuring that all students and adults have the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in a global economy. It was established in 1966. The Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) is a subdivision of the US Department of Education responsible for promoting and ensuring access to quality postsecondary education. The agency administers programs that support higher education institutions, provide financial assistance to students, and promote innovation and improvement in postsecondary education. It also works to ensure equal access to education and to foster educational excellence throughout the nation.

It was established in 1980. The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) is a subdivision of the US Department of Education responsible for providing rigorous and relevant evidence on which to ground education practice and policy and sharing this information... The agency conducts research, evaluates programs, and collects and analyzes education statistics to improve the quality of education in the United States. It was established in 2002. Laws and policy related to children in preschool, elementary school, middle school, and high school. Laws and policy related to higher education and higher education institutions.

Learn about laws enacted to counter discrimination of all types in the educational environment. Laws such as The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) were created to protect the rights of students with disabilities. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) provides certain rights for parents regarding their children’s education records. The United States has no single national education system. Instead, 50 distinct state systems operate with different priorities, funding mechanisms, and success measures. This arrangement stems from the U.S.

Constitution, which grants states primary authority over public education. The Education Commission of the States was formed in 1965 to help states navigate their responsibilities and serve as a strategic consortium for policymakers. Its creation responded to growing federal influence, strengthening state capacity to lead on education policy. For years, the No Child Left Behind Act imposed prescriptive federal mandates requiring states to meet nationally defined accountability standards. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015 marked a shift, returning substantial authority to states. ESSA dismantled many rigid requirements and let state leaders design their own systems for measuring school performance, identifying struggling schools, and setting educational goals.

This renewed state control amplified existing differences. States now diverge on nearly every major policy aspect. They use vastly different funding models, creating wide resource disparities. They’ve built unique accountability systems reflecting specific values, measuring everything from college readiness to chronic absenteeism. States take widely varied approaches to academic standards, school choice, teacher workforce policies, and what is taught in the classroom. School finance methods determine resources available to students and reflect fundamental decisions about equity and local control.

Investment in a child’s education varies dramatically by zip code. In December 2015, Congress passed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), returning power back to the states for the creation of their education accountability systems. ESSA replaced the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2002. It requires states to develop new plans demonstrating how they would identify and support their schools, but it gives states significant flexibility in the creation of those plans and their accountability systems. ESSA also eliminated the federal mandate of requiring states to have a teacher evaluation system, although states could choose to continue or refine their teacher evaluation systems if they wanted. Although ESSA shifted authority over most education policy decisions from federal to state, it preserved requirements for various features to be present in each state’s accountability system, which are outlined below.

Despite giving states more control, ESSA requires certain features to be present in each state’s accountability system. It requires each state to have a minimum of four indicators for elementary, middle and high school. For all schools, the state must include indicators for student proficiency on state tests in math and reading, English language proficiency, and at least one indicator of school quality or student success (such as... Elementary and middle schools are required to include another statewide academic indicator that could be broken out by subgroup, and high schools must include four-year graduation rates. Additionally, each state’s accountability system needs to include long-term goals, such as the percentage of growth in third-grade reading for African American students, measured by annual indicators. States are required to report annually on the progress made in each of their schools.

ESSA requires that states adopt challenging academic standards in reading, math and science and demonstrate that they are aligned with college entrance requirements. States are required to assess students annually in math and reading in grades 3-8 and once in grades 9-12. They also have to assess students annually in science at least once in grades 3-5, 6-9 and 10-12. States are required to have a 95% participation rate for each school and each student group, although they have discretion over how to address schools that did not meet this benchmark for participation. Additionally, states are permitted to administer an alternate assessment for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, which could not exceed 1% of the assessed student population. States may allow districts to use a nationally recognized high school test in place of the statewide test; however, if a district chose to utilize this flexibility, it must use the same test in...

To be considered “nationally recognized,” the test had to be given in multiple states, be recognized by institutions of higher education for the purposes of entrance or placement into courses in postsecondary education or... ESSA also includes various requirements to support ELL and Native American students. States must administer a single statewide English language proficiency assessment to all ELL students in grades K-12. Consistent with the requirement that states must make every effort to make native language assessments available for all languages present “to a significant extent” in a state, the regulations require that states define what... The regulations permit states to administer assessments in a Native American language to students enrolled in a Native American language school or program in any subject until the students are in high school, regardless... At the end of last year, my colleague Ilana Ovental and I took a deep look into the media coverage of education during the pandemic.

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