Top 10 Stories

01

DOJ Ends Desegregation Oversight for Dozens of Districts

The Justice Department moved to end decades-old federal desegregation oversight for nearly 60 districts, most of them in the South. A K-12 Dive analysis found that about half of those areas are more segregated now than they were thirty years ago, raising civil-rights questions about lifting the orders where separation has deepened.

02  ·  Bright Spot

California Student Scores Rise for a Third Straight Year

New statewide data show California students gaining in all three tested subjects in 2025-26, with science up 3.3 points, English up 0.5, and math up 1.1. The four-year graduation rate reached 87.9%, its highest in a decade, and chronic absenteeism fell to 18.3%, down nearly twelve points from its pandemic peak.

03

New York Becomes the 31st State to Join National School Choice

Governor Kathy Hochul said New York will opt into the federal Education Freedom Tax Credit, the first nationwide school-choice program, which launches January 1, 2027. The move makes New York the 31st state to signal participation, a notable step for a large state a week after the proposed rules appeared.

04

Senate Democrats Accuse the Education Department of Frontloading Grants

Senators Patty Murray and Tammy Baldwin wrote Secretary McMahon charging the department with bundling multiyear grant money into lump sums and withholding roughly $630 million across about 35 programs. They argue the approach defies congressional intent and could set up cancellations later.

05

Education Research Agency Spent 99.5% of Expiring Funds Amid a Lawsuit

The Institute of Education Sciences told a federal judge it had committed 99.54% of its $768 million budget by late September while defending a lawsuit to force the spending. Experts say much of it went out as up-front funding of existing grants, concentrating money on fewer projects and limiting new research.

06

Five Colleges Form a New Accreditor

Merrimack, Benedictine, Mount Saint Vincent, Bellevue University, and Houston Christian became founding members of the National Association for Academic Excellence, a new nonprofit accreditor aimed at faith-based independent colleges and now seeking federal recognition. It signals real movement in the push to reshape accreditation.

07

School Leaders Warn That Ending E-Rate Would Hit Budgets

District leaders urged the FCC to preserve E-rate, warning that eliminating the program would shift broadband and infrastructure costs onto strained local budgets. Some commenters countered that it duplicates other funding, and the FCC’s pending decision could reshape how schools pay for connectivity.

08

Penn State Moves to Cut 47 Degree Programs

Penn State recommended eliminating 47 of its 403 associate and bachelor’s programs, about 1.1% of its undergraduates, after a multiyear review now headed to the Faculty Senate. It is a high-profile example of the program-cutting wave reshaping public higher education.

09

One in Three ACT Takers Retook the Exam and Raised Their Scores

An ACT analysis of the class of 2026 found that about a third of students tested at least twice, raising their composite scores an average of 1.1 points. With many states and districts paying for retakes, the finding bears on college access and accountability.

10

Schools Face an $80 Billion Building-Repair Gap

Building on a federal finding that about 3.5 million school days were lost to building problems, industry leaders point to roughly $80 billion in deferred maintenance and pitch performance-contracting models to fund repairs without paying upfront. The gap is a growing strain on district budgets.

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