Federal Education Laws Ballotpedia

Leo Migdal

-Dec 3, 2025, 5:28 AM

This is a list of acts enacted by the United States Congress pertaining to education in the United States. Many laws related to education are codified under Title 20 of the United States Code. This list does not include resolutions designating a specific day, week, or month in honor of an educational goal. 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. Use this page to browse bills in the U.S. Congress related to the subject Education, as determined by the Library of Congress. Narrow your focus by drilling down into 22 subcategories. Education has 22 sub-categories that you can use to track a more targeted set of legislation:

Subject areas of legislation are provided by the Library of Congress. GovTrack helps everyone learn about and track the activities of the United States Congress and the White House. Launched more than 20 years ago, we’re one of the oldest government transparency and accountability websites on the Internet. Education in the United States is governed by a complex framework of federal laws designed to ensure that every student receives a fair and equitable education. While education is primarily a state responsibility, several key federal laws play a crucial role in shaping educational policy, protecting students' rights, and ensuring that all children, regardless of background, have access to a... Understanding these laws is essential for educators, parents, and policymakers alike.

In this blog post, we will delve into the main federal laws that govern education in the U.S., including the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and the... We will explore their purposes, the protections they offer, and their implications for educational institutions. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is a significant piece of federal legislation that reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and replaces the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). ESSA, enacted in 2015, emphasizes state and local control while maintaining accountability standards to ensure all students receive a quality education. · Accountability and Standards: ESSA requires states to develop and implement standards in reading, math, and science that align with college and career readiness. States must also design accountability systems that measure student performance and identify schools that need improvement.

· State Flexibility: Unlike its predecessor, NCLB, ESSA grants states more flexibility in designing their educational programs. States can set their own goals for academic achievement and determine how to intervene in underperforming schools. Most of the education-related federal statutes are codified in Title 20 (Education) of the United States Code, some are codified in Title 42 (Public Health and Welfare). The U.S. Department of Education has a policy page that includes legislation, regulations, guidance, and other policy documents for topics from adult education to vocational education. For information on statutory research more generally, see the library's Statutory Research Tutorial and Legislative History Research Tutorial.

For an introduction to statutory research, see our Statutes Research Guide guide. The following is a list of sources for the full text of federal laws: Below is a list of some important federal statutes related to education law: If you want to investigate the legislative intent behind a piece of legislation, you will need to review some or all of the documents created during the process of enacting that piece of legislation. For many federal education laws, there are compiled legislative histories available through the library on a number of different platforms. A compiled legislative history will usually include all the bills, Congressional Record debates, committee reports and hearings that were generated in the legislative process.

For complete legislative history information, read our Legislative History Research Guide or work through our Legislative History Tutorial. Much of education law is actually conducted at the state level, so individual state statutory compilations or codes will include legislation on education topics for that jurisdiction. The following links highlight resources for finding 50 state statutory surveys.

Federal Education Laws Ballotpedia

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This Is A List Of Acts Enacted By The United

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· State Flexibility: Unlike Its Predecessor, NCLB, ESSA Grants States