This second part of IEN’s annual scan of the back-to-school stories brings together some of the headlines that focused on the effects of a flurry of executive orders and policy changes from Washington. The first part of the scan shared stories from outside the US, and, next week, we’ll review some of the other back-to-school headlines in the national and local press in the US.
For back-to school headlines from Fall 24: Politics, Policies, and Polarization: Scanning the 2024-25 Back-To-School Headlines in the US (Part 1); Supplies, Shortages, and Other Disruptions? Scanning the Back-to-School Headlines for 2024-25 (Part 2); Banning Cell Phones Around the World? Scanning the Back-to-School Headlines for 2024-25 (Part 3); Fall 23: Crises and Concerns: Scanning the Back-to-School Headlines (Part 1), (Part 2), (Part 3). Fall 22: Hope and trepidation: Scanning the back-to-school headlines in 2022 (Part 1), (Part 2) , (Part 3); Fall 21: Going back to school has never been quite like this (Part 1), (Part 2), (Part 3); Fall 20: What does it look like to go back to school? It’s different all around the world…; Fall 19: Headlines around the world: Back to school 2019 edition.
Tracking Trump: His actions on education, The Hechinger Report
Introducing the Trump K-12 education litigation tracker, Brookings
As Students Return to School, Educators Grapple With Chaos From Washington, The74
“As 47 million students return to school in the coming weeks, district leaders say they’re experiencing an uncertainty they haven’t felt since the pandemic. It’s “the amount of information that’s coming to you all at once,” said Jeremy Vidito of the Detroit schools. He laid out a litany of hardships, including figuring out “what’s true, what’s not. Emergency orders. Budget cuts.” But this time, the federal government is the source of the unease, as the Trump administration seeks to reduce more spending.” — The74
Funding
Your Guide to the Evolving Federal Budget and What It Means for Schools, Education Week
State Funding for Schools Is a Mess This Year, Too. Here’s Why, Education Week
“The Trump administration’s budget request for FY 2026 would cut overall education funding by nearly 16% compared to current funding levels” — LPI
House panel approves 26% cut to Title I funding for FY26, K-12 Dive
House Lawmakers Endorse Some—But Not All—of Trump’s Education Cuts, Education Week
Trump administration cancels dozens more grants, hitting civics, art, and higher ed, Education Week
Trump shifts millions of dollars to HBCUs and tribal schools amid deep education cuts, USA Today
Trump administration boosts HBCU funding after cutting grants for Hispanic-serving colleges, CNN
Trump Department of Education rolls out latest step to expand school choice nationwide, Fox News
“Department of Education sends guidance on private school kids obtaining federally-funded benefits, including one-on-one tutoring, counseling,” Fox News
Half of the states won’t comply with Trump’s push to defund schools over DEI, The74
Nation’s Report Card at risk, researchers say, The Hechinger Report
“While the Trump administration has vowed to preserve NAEP, it has overseen major cuts to staff who work on it and the elimination of more than a dozen tests” — Hechinger Report
How At-Risk Federal Data Is Being Rescued and Preserved, New America
Trump Admin. Wants to Scale Back Data Collection on Career and Technical Programs, Education Week
“The Trump administration wants to roll back rules for collecting data on state career and technical education programs instituted in the final days of the Biden administration and align the largest federal CTE program with the president’s first-day executive order making it federal policy to recognize only two sexes.” — Education Week
How Schools Will Feel the Federal Funding Cuts to Libraries and Museums, Education Week
Trump administration axes federal Blue Ribbon program that recognized high-achieving schools, Chalkbeat
FCC proposal would disconnect school bus Wi-Fi, hotspots from E-rate coverage, K-12 Dive
Students, schools race to save clean energy projects in face of Trump deadline, The Hechinger Report
Most—But Not All—Imperiled Federal Grants for Special Education Will Continue, Education Week
“The U.S. Department of Education says it wants projects aligned with Trump administration priorities.” — Education Week
Trump Canceled Millions for Special Education Teacher Training. What’s Next?, Education Week
Health
Schools prepare for the worst as RFK Jr. reshapes the vaccine landscape, The Hill
Confusion as Kids Head Back to School and RFK Jr. Calls the Shots on Vaccines, The74
Childhood Vaccinations Are Down. Schools Are Bracing for Outbreaks, Education Week
Schools brace for federal changes to lunch, The Hill
Trump law will cut food stamps for 2.4 million people as work rules widen, The Guardian
Civil Rights
How the Education Department is using civil rights laws to bring schools to heel, NPR
Trump’s Civil Rights Agenda Comes for Public Schools, Education Next
See Which Schools Trump’s Education Department Is Investigating and Why, Education Week
Some State Leaders Cheer as Trump’s Ed. Dept. Investigates Their Schools, Education Week
Schools Sue Trump, But It’s Getting Harder for Them to Recoup Money, Education Week
Trump administration targets race-focused school programs, The New York Times
“The Trump administration has launched investigations into school districts in Chicago and Evanston over programs aimed at supporting Black students, saying that efforts such as hiring Black teachers, expanding Black history and antiracism training may violate civil rights law. Supporters say the initiatives address systemic inequities and improve student outcomes, while critics warn they could be dismantled in court battles likely to reach the Supreme Court.” — NYT
Programs for vision and hearing loss harmed by Trump’s anti-diversity push, ProPublica
40 states could lose federal funds for sex ed if they keep gender identity in curriculum, ChalkBeat
Ed. Dept. Will Release New Guidance on School Prayer, Trump Says, Education Week
Trump administration rolls back pivotal guidance about educational rights of English learners, Chalkbeat
For mixed status families, deportation fears cast shadow over new academic year, NPR
Next Week: Supplies, Support, Lunch and Fear: Scanning the National and Local Back-To-School Headlines in the US for 25-26 (Part 3)
International Education News 