State Policy

Read more about state laws, regulations, and programs that impact education
In this Oct. 5, 1980, file photo, Nancy Armstrong, a teacher at the Marshall elementary school in Harrisburg, Pa., assists her students in the use of computers to aid them in their studies. Today’s grandparents may have fond memories of the “good old days,” but history tells us that adults have worried about their kids’ fascination with new-fangled entertainment and technology since the days of dime novels, radio, the first comic books and rock n’ roll.
In this Oct. 5, 1980, file photo, Nancy Armstrong, a teacher at Marshall Elementary School in Harrisburg, Pa., assists her students in the use of computers to aid them in their learning. The debate about how much time students should spend using technology to learn has been around for decades, but is now heating up in Congress and state legislatures and creating some unlikely allies.
Paul Vathis/AP
Ed-Tech Policy Welcome to the 'Funky' Politics of the Tech in Schools Debate
The Trump administration is cheerleading AI in schools as GOP lawmakers crack down on ed tech.
Alyson Klein, April 20, 2026
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9 min read
Democratic Senator Raumesh Akbari hugs a young demonstrator as people gather to protest an immigration bill outside the Senate chamber at the state Capitol Thursday, in Nashville, Tenn. The bill would allow public school systems in Tennessee to require K-12 students without legal status in the country to pay tuition or face denial of enrollment, which is a challenge to the federal law requiring all children be provided a free public education regardless of legal immigration status.
Democratic state Sen. Raumesh Akbari hugs a young demonstrator as people protest an immigration bill outside the Senate chamber at the state Capitol on April 10, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. The legislation is part of a broader push in Tennessee to require schools to collect students’ immigration status, raising concerns among educators about trust, access, and compliance with federal law.
John Amis/AP
States 'Not Our Job': Principals Decry a Proposal to Track Student Immigration Status
A principals group has publicly opposed efforts to require schools to track immigration status.
Ileana Najarro, April 17, 2026
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5 min read
A teacher and rising kindergarten students at Vose Elementary in Beaverton during story time on April 16, 2026. Gov. Tina Kotek asked the State Board of Education on Thursday to prohibit school districts from using student-contact days as furlough days to balance budgets, in order to preserve instructional time.
Story time in a kindergarten class at Vose Elementary School in Beaverton, Ore., on April 16, 2026. Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has issued an executive order in hopes of blocking any further erosion of instructional time in a state that has one of the shortest school years in the country.
Mark Graves/The Oregonian via TNS
States A State With a Short School Year Wants to Stop the 'Bleeding' of Classroom Time
A new order aims to discourage districts from reducing instructional hours to fill budget gaps.
Mark Walsh, April 17, 2026
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4 min read
Conceptual art collage. Yellow apple, as gold, on white plate with money symbol engraved, against purple background. Textured effect. Concept of food pricing and consumer economy.
Anton Vierietin/iStock
Teaching Profession How Far Can You Stretch a Starting Teacher Salary? We Crunched the Numbers
Efforts to boost starting teacher salaries to $60,000 are underway. It may not be enough.
Elizabeth Heubeck, April 13, 2026
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2 min read
Illustration using a wedding cake in the foreground, and in the background is an image of Candice Bergen, who plays the role of a single parent on the television comedy series "Murphy Brown," relaxes on the set of her Emmy-winning show during a live broadcast of the CBS "This Morning" show, Sept. 21, 1992. Bergen's character will return to her TV news anchor job and will respond to Dan Quayle's remark about glamorizing single motherhood when the show resumes its new season. (Chris Martinez/AP)
Some states want schools to teach students that they have a better shot at success if they work, get married, and have a child—in that order. Debates about these "family values" have evolved and resurfaced over the years. One firestorm happened in 1992, when TV character Murphy Brown of the eponymous comedy series, played by Candice Bergen, became a single parent—a development criticized by then-Vice President Dan Quayle as an example of "glamorizing" single motherhood.
Illustration by Education Week via Chris Martinez/AP + Canva
Student Well-Being & Movement Then & Now Schools and 'Family Values': A Reboot of a Familiar Debate
The "success sequence" is the latest in a long line of proposals to have schools take up responsible decisionmaking.
Evie Blad, April 10, 2026
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5 min read
Illustration of a child with a backpack looking at game pieces and board from THE GAME OF LIFE.
Laura Baker/Education Week + iStock
States 'Success Sequence' Urges Marriage, Then Parenthood. These States Want Schools to Teach It
The decades-old concept is getting new attention, largely from Republican lawmakers.
Evie Blad, April 3, 2026
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6 min read
FILE - A Bible is seen on a chair in the House chamber in Washington, Jan. 6, 2023. The Bible will return to the shelves in a northern Utah school district that provoked an outcry after it banned them from middle and elementary schools. The Davis School District said in a statement on Tuesday, June 20, that its board had determined the sacred text was age-appropriate for all school libraries.
A Bible is seen on a chair in the House chamber in Washington, Jan. 6, 2023. Utah joins several other states that have moved to incorporate Christian teaching and text into the classroom.
Andrew Harnik/AP
Social Studies Another State Is Requiring Students to Study the Bible in School
In Utah, schools will teach Biblical passages that are “cited or alluded to in founding documents."
Sarah Schwartz, April 2, 2026
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3 min read
Bryan Najera holds a sign during a House Education K-12 subcommittee meeting Tuesday, March 11, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn.
Bryan Najera holds a sign during a House Education K-12 subcommittee meeting Tuesday, March 11, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. Tennessee lawmakers are debating amended legislation, originally introduced last year, to collect students' immigration information.
George Walker IV/AP
States A State Gets Closer to Challenging Undocumented Students' Free Access to School
Lawmakers are debating legislation that would require schools to collect immigration information.
Ileana Najarro, March 27, 2026
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4 min read
A display indicating a detected weapon is pictured on an Evolv weapons detection system in New York City.
A display indicating a detected weapon is pictured on an Evolv AI weapons detection system in New York City, on March 28, 2024. Lawmakers in Georgia are weighing a bill that would require all public schools to have weapons-detection systems or metal detectors at building entrances. While supporters say the systems make schools safer, critics say the technology has limitations.
Barry Williams/New York Daily News via TNS
School Climate & Safety States Push AI Weapons Detection as Part of School Safety
Three states are considering whether to require weapons-detection systems at school entrances.
Evie Blad, March 26, 2026
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5 min read
West De Pere High School is committed to sustainability and environmental stewardship, focusing on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing environmental literacy through facility upgrades such as LED lighting, motion sensors and advanced HVAC systems. To further explore energy, students have opportunities to explore alternative energy, including participation in the annual Wisconsin Public Service Solar Olympics Challenge. Going the extra mile, West De Pere hosts recycling drives that successfully collected 117 pounds of batteries and Christmas lights last year alone. The school's physical education program fosters a deep appreciation for the natural world, offering diverse activities like biking, fishing, and archery that emphasize physical health and lifelong skills. Additionally, West De Pere's involvement in the Farm to Table program highlights the importance of local produce, complemented by a school greenhouse that enhances hands-on learning. Through these initiatives, West De Pere High School is empowering students to become proactive stewards of the environment and advocates for sustainability in their communities.
West De Pere High School in De Pere, Wis., was a 2025 honoree in the state's Green and Healthy Schools Wisconsin program. The state expanded that recognition program honoring schools' sustainability work after the U.S. Department of Education ended its Green Ribbon Schools program last year.
Courtesy of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
States Q&A This State Stepped In When the Feds Stopped Honoring Schools' Environmental Work
The Trump administration last year ended the Green Ribbon Schools recognition program.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, March 19, 2026
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4 min read
New military recruits take the Oath of Office during a swearing in ceremony at a Salute to Service event at an NFL football game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Jacksonville.
New military recruits take the Oath of Office during a swearing-in ceremony on Nov. 10, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. States' education plans call for tracking students paths from the classroom to college, career, or the military, but they've struggled to access enlistment data from the U.S. Department of Defense. Through a new agreement, five states will pilot a data-sharing process with the Pentagon with hopes to expand to additional states.
Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP
States What Happens to Students Who Join the Military? A New Effort Aims to Find Out
A pilot will allow states to use Pentagon data to track students from the classroom to the military.
Evie Blad, March 18, 2026
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3 min read
Wall clock and calendar with the number of days and clock close up.
iStock/Getty
Student Absenteeism What Happens When a Shorter School Calendar Meets Chronic Absenteeism?
Short academic years hinder efforts to catch up students, study finds.
Sarah D. Sparks, March 17, 2026
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4 min read
Democratic Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek speaks at a news conference in Portland, Ore., on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, after Republican President Donald Trump said he would send troops to the city.
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, a Democrat, speaks at a news conference in Portland, Ore., on Sept. 27, 2025. Kotek and three other Democratic governors initially said their states wouldn't participate in the first federal private school choice program. Now, three of those governors, including Kotek, are reconsidering their stances and say they haven't made up their minds.
Claire Rush/AP
School Choice & Charters They Said No to the Federal School Choice Program. Now, 3 Dems Are Reconsidering
Advocacy to get Democratic states to participate has ramped up both locally and nationally.
Matthew Stone, March 4, 2026
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4 min read
US NEWS TEXAS SCHOOL VOUCHERS DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT DA
Kelly Hancock, Texas' acting state comptroller, speaks alongside Gov. Greg Abbott in Richland Hills, Texas, on May 17, 2022, when Hancock was a state senator. Hancock has excluded Islamic schools from Texas' new, $1 billion private school choice program, which he now oversees, according to a new lawsuit.
Elias Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News via TNS
School Choice & Charters The Nation's Largest School Choice Program Excludes Muslim Schools, Lawsuit Says
The largest state to allow public funds for private schooling faces its first legal challenge.
Jennifer Vilcarino, March 3, 2026
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4 min read