Category Archives: Back to school

New Policies, New mandates, Uncertainty and Chaos: Scanning the Back-To-School Headlines in the US for 25-26 (Part 2)

Posted on September 17, 2025 by T Hatch | Leave a comment

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

$5 Billion in Federal Funding for Nine K–12 Formula Grant Programs Hangs in the Balance Between White House and Senate Proposals, LPI

“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

The House meets to vote on the bill that would cut the U.S. Department of Education’s budget by 15% for fiscal year 2026. *Source: 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

Colorado state capitol rally in support of “The Green New Deal for Colorado Schools.” *Source: Emma Weber, 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

Decreasing immunization rates among kindergarteners, *Source: 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

“Posters are displayed in a Los Angeles Unified high school health education classroom in 2018. The Trump administration told 40 states to remove references to gender identity from a federally funded sex ed program and stripped California of its funding when it refused to do so.” Source: 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)

Supplies, Shortages, and Other Disruptions? Scanning the Back-to-School Headlines for 2024-25 (Part 2)

Posted on September 12, 2024 by T Hatch | 1 comment

What’s in the education news as the school year begins in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere? This week, in part 2 of IEN’s annual back-to-school scan, we share the headlines from across the US and around the world that touch on issues like the costs of supplies and other materials for parents as well as teachers; hot weather and other disruptions; shortages – particularly of bus drivers in the US; and a variety of other topics. In Part 3, we will gather together some of the many stories discussing cell phone bans, particularly in the US and Canada. Last week, Part 1 of this year’s scan provided an overview of some of the many election-related education stories that have appeared in the press as students return to school Politics, Policies, and Polarization: Scanning the 2024-25 Back-To-School Headlines in the US (Part 1).

Back-to-school headlines around the world

Clash between tech and textbooks as Canadians head back to school, CityNews

Back to school could mean back to the hot seat for Big Tech. Social media platforms TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat spent last school year embroiled in a lawsuit accusing them of disrupting learning, contributing to a mental health crisis among youth and leaving teachers to manage the fallout. When students return to class this September, experts say the clash between tech and textbooks will be reignited

French teachers wrangle with new reforms as children return to classroom, FRANCE24

Summer holidays end for school children in the south of the Netherlands, Dutch News

French teachers wrangle with new reforms as children return to classroom, FRANCE24

Ukrainian front-line students celebrate back-to-school despite ever-present air raid alarms, Local10

Ukrainian children return to school in underground shelter amid Russian bombardments, Firstpost

Thousands of Children Cut off from School by North Vietnam Floods, Cambodianess

Education Costs/Supplies

Thousands of children will struggle to return to school because of North Vietnam floods, CamNess

Back to school: Which of Europe’s ‘Big Five’ countries pays the most for school supplies?, Euronews

Although textbook prices vary from school to school, they add a substantial burden: €591,44 on average in Italy and €491.90 in Spain, the highest ever

Rising cost of living puts pressure on parents’ back-to-school finances in Germany, Euronews

Moroccan Families Break-the-Bank as Children Return Back-to-School, Morocco World News

Families with multiple children, in particular, are struggling to balance their budgets as they manage not only the cost of school supplies but also additional needs such as furniture and other essentials for their children.

Back-to-school spending averages $586 per student, Yahoo Finance

Educators Prepare Early, Spend Their Own Money for New School Year, Education Week

Shortages

Some districts are still struggling to hire teachers for the new year, Education Week

‘They have to have known’: Hawaii scrambles for solutions to bus driver shortage, Honolulu Civil Beat

Durham schools face second day of bus delays, district promises swift action, WRAL

Parents Scramble to Get Kids to School as Bus Shortage Hits St. Louis — Again, The 74

Back-to-School Issues Around the US

The School Year Is Off to a Hot Start—Again. What Districts Need to Know, Education Week

All-black outfits, hoodies, Crocs, cell phones and mirrors. Some students are returning to school with new bans in effect, CNN

What’s in: Nostalgic school supplies. What’s out: Leggings and cellphones, Axios

Top legal hurdles facing schools in 2024-25, K-12 Dive

Snuggles, pep talks and love notes: 10 ways to calm your kid’s back-to-school jitters, NPR

As a New School Year Begins, Ensuring All Students Feel a Sense of Belonging, The 74

Learning and Love: A Lesson from Mr. Rogers for the Start of a New School Year, The 74

Alabama

No Crocs, hoodies, backpacks? Figuring out shifting Alabama school dress codes, AL.com

Massachusetts

Back to school, back to COVID safety. What to know about best health practices in classrooms, The Boston Globe

California

New laws impacting education go into effect as the school year begins, EdSource

Legislation going into effect this school year will bring changes to California campuses. One new law requires elementary schools to offer free menstrual products in some bathrooms and another requires that all students, beginning in first grade, learn about climate change.

Students heading back to school may have cell phones banned as more states pass laws limiting use, WSB-TV

Too many kids are going back to school this month without functioning A/C, Los Angeles Times

LAUSD students are back to school with street safety measures in place and a cell phone ban, CBS News

Local school districts announce schedule changes amid record temps in Southern California, KTLA 5

Chicago

Chicago Public Schools heads back to class amid extreme heat, Chalkbeat

Florida

New metal detectors delay students’ first day of school in one South Florida district, AP

Each of the district’s high schools was allocated at least two metal detectors to screen their students, with larger schools getting four, like Cypress Bay High School in suburban Weston, which has more than 4,700 students. But even at smaller schools, kids were stuck waiting — leaving students and parents with more than the usual first-day nerves.

Iowa

Nearly two weeks before school starts, Iowa districts are navigating the implementation of the 2023 education law, WeAreIowa

Michigan

Cellphone bans, free meals, student funding: What to know as Michigan heads back to school, Detroit Free Press

New York City

Literacy overhaul to ChatGPT: 5 NYC education issues we’re watching this school year, Chalkbeat

Elementary school teachers and students will continue to adjust to the city’s literacy curriculum mandate. Schools will still grapple with how best to meet the needs of the thousands of asylum-seeking and other migrant students who have entered the school system. And tensions fueled by the Israel-Hamas war could persist in school communities this year.

Thousands of NYC special ed students denied services days before school starts, New York Post

With high-fives and dance moves, NYC’s nearly 900,000 students return for first day of school, Chalkbeat

New Pencils, New Folders … and New Schools, The New York Times

Seattle

Seattle Public Schools students return as district prepares for a year of change, The Seattle Times

For some historical perspective on how the issues have evolved since the school closures of the COVID-19 pandemic, explore the back-to-school headlines from previous years:

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Posted in About K-12 International Education News, Back to school, Scan

Tagged Back to school, education, Educational Policy

Politics, Policies, and Polarization: Scanning the 2024-25 Back-To-School Headlines in the US (Part 1)

Posted on September 4, 2024 by T Hatch | 2 comments

As students in many parts of the northern hemisphere start a new school year, IEN begins our annual scan of the back-to-school headlines. This year, with the surge of interest in the presidential election since Kamala Harris became the democratic nominee, a number of news stories have focused on the election, the candidates, and their education policies. Harris’ choice of Tim Walz – a former teacher – to be her candidate for Vice-President contributed to a wave of stories about Walz and his record and even spawned stories about his wife Gwen Walz – also a former teacher – and other educators who are running for office. Several stories, most from Education Week, also explore whether and how teachers might try to address in their classrooms the election and the many controversial issues that divide and polarize Americans today. Part 1 of our 2024-25 Back-to-School scan pulls together some of these election-related stories. Next week’s scan will provide a round-up of stories about many of the other issues that are in the news in the education sources that we follow as classes resume.

For some historical perspective on how the issues have evolved since the school closures of the COVID-19 pandemic, explore the back-to-school headlines from previous years:

Policies, Platforms & Issues

Decision Guide: What happens to education under Trump v. Harris, U.S. News

From transgender student rights to ‘woke’ curriculum, Harris and Trump offer two starkly different views on the federal government’s role in education.

Harris-Walz and Trump-Vance tickets offer radically different visions of public education, EdSource

Education Policy: How Harris and Trump Differ on K-12, Higher Education and More, ABC News

4 Takeaways on What VP Picks Vance and Walz Mean for the Race to Come, PBS Newshour

Education Debates You’ll Likely Hear About in the Election, Explained, Education Week

Public education reform missing from 2024 presidential platforms, Axios

What education could look like under Trump and Vance, Hechinger Report

Trump’s Agenda47 on education: Abolish teacher tenure, universal school choice, patriotism, USA Today

Trump’s VP Pick: What We Know About JD Vance’s Record on Education, Education Week

Vance vs. Pence: How Trump’s VP picks compare on education,Thomas B. Fordham Institute

What Would Happen to K-12 in a 2nd Trump Term? A Detailed Policy Agenda Offers Clues, Education Week

The Great Project 2025 Freakout, Rick Hess, Education Week

Trump Vows Historic Cuts to Education Department in Second Term, Washington Examiner

Why ending the U.S. Department of Education is so alluring to the GOP — and so difficult, Chalkbeat

Republicans’ missing policy issue: Education, Thomas B. Fordham Institute

At Moms for Liberty National Summit, Trump Hardly Mentions Education, Education Week

Harris Could Set Democrats’ K-12 Agenda: By Reviving Ideas from 2020, The74

Where Does Kamala Harris Stand on Education? Inside the 2024 Democratic Platform, Education Week

What We Know About Kamala Harris’ Education Record, Education Week

Veep, Candidate, brat: Kamala Harris Fires Up Gen Z on Social Media, The74

 Kamala Harris’s presidential race is taking on a life of its own on social media, particularly with Gen Z followers, who are responding to her perceived energy and authenticity with viral videos of her dancing, laughing and recounting her mother’s lessons.

Kamala Harris’ Potential VP Picks: Where They Stand on Education, Education Week

What education could look like under Harris and Walz, Hechinger Report

The Education Issue Americans Agree on That’s Not Good News for Teaching, Education Week

Long a Stranger to the Spotlight, Child Tax Credit Earns Embrace of Both Parties, The74

 A technocrat’s dream, the Child Tax Credit isn’t a subject you’d expect would receive much attention in the middle of a heated presidential race. But both the Harris and Trump campaigns have recently embraced proposals to expand the program, which offers relief to parents of kids under 17 years old. Democrats and Republicans both see the credit’s political appeal, but depending on the election outcome, neither party may hold enough power to enact its vision.

Millions of campaign dollars aimed at tilting school voucher battle are flowing into state races, AP

The Future of Property Taxes Is on Ballots This Fall. Why It Matters for Schools, Education Week

What Role Should the Federal Government Play in Education Policy? NEPC

Educators/Candidates

Harris chooses Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a former educator, as running mate, K-12 Dive

A Teacher in the White House: What Harris-Walz Could Mean for Education, Education Week

Tim Walz is Kamala Harris’ running mate. Here’s what he’s done for education in Minnesota, Chalkbeat)

Tim Walz, a Former Teacher, Is Kamala Harris’ Running Mate

The Freshman: How Tim Walz Went From the Classroom to Congress (from 2007), Education Week

Tim Walz was a high school teacher and football coach from southern Minnesota. He had no political experience whatsoever, but he didn’t like the choices being made on Capitol Hill, and struggled to explain them to his social studies students. So Walz made a decision: He would run for Congress as a Democrat.

8 Things to Know About Tim Walz, the Democratic Ticket’s Top Teacher, The74

Harris Pick Tim Walz Would Be First K-12 Teacher Since Lyndon Johnson to be VP, The74

How Teaching Shaped Tim Walz’ Politics, The Nation

‘Coaching and Politics’: What Coaches See in Tim Walz’s VP Candidacy, Education Week

Gwen Walz, wife of Harris’s VP pick Tim Walz, is also a longtime teacher, Washington Post

Tim Walz’s wife Gwen, a former teacher, is a ‘champion’ of college behind bars, USA Today

Are Educators a Natural Fit for Public Office? These Candidates Think So, EdSurge

Tim Walz isn’t the only former educator running for elected office this year. In fact, a number of current teachers and school leaders will be on the ballot in November.

Jan. 6 Protester, Former Supe Vie to Lead North Carolina’s Schools, The74