Federal Appeals Court Upholds Block on Louisiana Ten Commandments Display Law
A federal appeals court on Friday unanimously upheld a lower court’s injunction blocking Louisiana’s law requiring a display of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom—a decision that may be consequential now that other states have adopted similar laws.
“If the posted copies of the Ten Commandments are to have any effect at all, it will be to induce the schoolchildren to read, meditate upon, perhaps to venerate and obey, the Commandments,” said a unanimous three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, in New Orleans. “This is not a permissible state objective under the Establishment Clause,” the provision of the First Amendment that forbids any government establishment of religion.
The Trump Budget for K-12 Schools: 5 Key Takeaways
The Trump administration has capped off an agonizing and tumultuous period of funding instability for K-12 schools with a budget proposing to eliminate dozens of longstanding funding streams and slash billions of dollars in education investments.
The administration is aiming to eliminate roughly $7 billion in funding for K-12 schools in its budget for fiscal 2026, which starts Oct. 1. Much of it is currently geared toward supporting special student populations including English learners, migrants, students experiencing homelessness, Native students, and students in rural schools.
Teachers concerned about student literacy rates and want better support
An Illinois policy analysis found that already low 3rd grade reading proficiency rates were even lower among low-income students — and warned that low literacy rates contribute to low academic success and lower earning potential.
Literacy also influences health outcomes. A 2022 study found that strong general literacy supports health literacy, which is essential for understanding medical conditions, following care plans, and navigating the shift to adult healthcare.
Judge blocks Trump from shutting down Department of Education
A federal judge in Massachusetts on Thursday issued an injunction to block President Donald Trump from shutting down the Department of Education and is requiring fired employees to be reinstated.
Note: This story will be updated with future developments.
U.S. District Judge Myong Joun delivered a major blow to Linda McMahon’s efforts to “put herself out of a job” by eliminating the agency.
“The record abundantly reveals that Defendants’ true intention is to effectively dismantle the Department without an authorizing statute,” Joun wrote, adding that “the Department cannot be shut down without Congress’s approval.”
Joun added that the injunction is necessary because “the supporting declarations of former Department employees, educational institutions, unions, and educators paint a stark picture of the irreparable harm that will result from financial uncertainty and delay, impeded access to vital knowledge on which students and educators rely, and loss of essential services for America’s most vulnerable student populations.”
Trump’s FY26 budget would slash more than $4.5B from K-12
President Donald Trump on Friday delivered a federal budget that would slash more than $4.5 billion in K-12 funding for fiscal year 2026. In total, cuts to the Education Department would amount to $12 billion, or 15% of its current funding.
The deep cuts would hit programs meant to ensure equitable access to education for underserved students and to protect their civil rights. And though maintained at current funding levels, Title I and special education programs would be reorganized into separate single grants aimed at letting states spend the money as they see fit.
How tariff uncertainties are already impacting school purchasing
As uncertainty and concern intensifies over President Donald Trump’s tariff policies, school administrators are beginning to see signs of notable price increases on everything from laptops to paper products.
Back in November, when the newly elected Trump said he would impose a 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico and an additional 10% tariff on China, schools could only speculate how that would impact their budgets. Since then, he has bandied about, proposed and withdrawn, and in fact imposed varying degrees of tariffs on nations as a means to combat drug trafficking and illegal immigration and strengthen domestic manufacturing.
Preschool Enrollment, Spending Hit Record Highs, but Access and Quality Gaps Persist
Although the 2023-24 school year saw historic gains for early childhood education, the national landscape for preschool remains uncertain. The National Institute for Early Education Research(NIEER) has released its 2024 State of Preschool Yearbook, which for the past 22 years has provided a comprehensive, vital portrait of American preschool education. Its analysis shows that state-funded preschool programs nationwide have not only recovered from COVID-19’s devastating impacts, but reached a record high in both enrollment and spending during the 2023-24 school year.
McMahon Says Schools With ‘Gender Plans’ Could Be Violating Federal Privacy Law
The U.S. Department of Education is using the primary federal law governing student privacy to investigate two state education departments over policies concerning how schools disclose changes to students’ gender identities to their parents.
It’s a fresh attempt by the Trump administration to threaten federal school funding for states and school districts that flout the president’s agenda concerning transgender students.
And those two state agency investigations—of the California and Maine education departments—could just be the start, according to a letter Education Secretary Linda McMahon sent to district leaders on Friday
How will Education Department cuts impact special education?
A swell of parents, advocates, educators and Democratic politicians are sounding alarms that the dramatic downsizing of the U.S. Department of Education will chip away at civil rights protections for students with disabilities and even negatively impact their classroom supports.
In just the past two months, the Education Department under the Trump administration has laid off half of its 4,133-person workforce, paused federal funding, eliminated diversity, equity and inclusion programs, canceled research and teacher preparation grants, and promoted private school choice.
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Schools across the country are grappling with what to do about cell phones and other devices that are often distracting in classrooms and harming social and emotional learning of kids.
A meta-analysis across 14 countries determined that cell phone use in schools negatively impacts educational outcomes including test scores and GPA, according to Fairplay for Kids.
Recent studies also show a strong correlation between the increased use of smartphones and social media with increased rates of depression, anxiety, loneliness and suicidal ideation in young people.
On March 24, a coalition of more than 75 groups and child experts signed a letter calling on all schools to implement a phone-free policy. This includes the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association with almost 5 million members combined, as well as Jonathan Haidt, social psychologist and author of “The Anxious Generation.”