Every week our newsroom monitors the news for the top stories in education from a variety of sources ranging from the mainstream media to blogs and other analysis, and compile them for you. Here’s the latest in education:

Texas governor to sign largest US school voucher law, marking conservative shift 

Reuters

Texas Governor Greg Abbott will sign a law granting all 5.3 million public school students eligibility for state-funded vouchers to attend private schools, marking a major shift in U.S. education policy. The $1 billion program, set to begin in 2026, is part of a broader conservative push for universal school choice. Advocates argue it empowers parents, while critics warn it will drain public school funding and favor wealthier families. Despite added public school funding proposals, Texas ranks 47th in per-student spending. The move has drawn strong support from Trump and conservative groups, calling it a pivotal moment in education reform. 

Trump administration offers colleges a ‘handshake’ on foreign funding probes 

Politico

The Trump Administration has issued an Executive Order that is targeting colleges and universities over allegations of receiving funding from foreign countries, such as China and Qatar. If the colleges and universities do not comply with the order, President Trump has threatened that he will revoke access to federal grants at these particular schools in question. The intent of this particular Executive Order is to ensure compliance and that these colleges and universities are as transparent as possible with their financial disclosures. The Treasury Department will assist the Department of Education with these efforts and audits are available if needed for the investigations.

Recap: Supreme Court has heated exchange in blockbuster religious charter school case

USA Today

The Supreme Court is hearing arguments on approving the first religious-charter school in the country. In 2023, the Oklahoma charter school board and the diocese of Tulsa sought to establish St. Isidore of Seville, a virtual Catholic Charter School. The charter school board’s contract with St. Isidore allows for free expression of religious beliefs based on the First Amendment. The state charter school program in Oklahoma works with private organizations in order to expand education to more students. The Conservative majority on the Supreme Court appears to be sympathetic to the arguments that the school board is making, asking not to be excluded from the charter school program due to their religious beliefs and to have freedom of religious expression under the U.S. Constitution. 

Trump Wants to Gut Head Start. He’s Already Begun

 Recently the Trump administration proposed a program that would get rid of federal funding for the “Head Start” program. If this funding gets removed, over 800,000 low income students would suffer and potentially lose their access to early education schools. Five out of ten HHS regional offices that supported the head start program, have closed recently. This has led to a lack of designated contracts, funding, and compliance orders. Experts fear that dismantling Head Start will cause educational inequality gaps to grow and will create a huge burden on K-12 schools. 

Arizona Autism Charter School Founder Tapped as DOE Special Education Chief 

The 74

Diana Diaz-Harrison, founder of Arizona Autism Charter Schools, has been appointed deputy assistant secretary for special education. A parent of an autistic child, she aims to expand school choice for special needs families. Her schools use Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), a widely endorsed but controversial autism therapy criticized for potential harm and weak independent evidence. Her appointment comes amid troubling federal shifts under President Trump, including cuts to special education oversight and a proposed autism registry. Advocates fear regression in disability rights, while Diaz-Harrison plans to promote her charter model nationally despite growing concerns from autistic adults about ABA’s lasting effects. 

Harvard revamps DEI office amid pressure from Trump administration

The Hill

Harvard University is creating a new roadmap for the campus DEI office, given the pressure from the Trump Administration in order to curb back DEI policies and practices. The new office will be called the Office of Community and Campus Life, a shift that will help students with campus culture and with fostering a sense of community at the school. In recent weeks, the university has sued the Trump Administration for cutting federal funding that the school relies on for research and educational programs. The funding cuts totaled $2 billion for not following the orders of the Trump Administration but Harvard has pushed back and argued that President Trump is trying to control what is taught in classrooms. The fight is far from over and could end up at the Supreme Court in a challenge over free speech and presidential power. 

Trump admin stops grant funding for school mental health 

NPR

The Trump administration is halting $1 billion in federal grants meant to fund school mental health professionals, citing violations of civil rights laws tied to diversity practices. These grants, part of the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act passed after the Uvalde shooting, helped schools hire counselors and social workers nationwide. Educators like Oregon Superintendent Derek Fialkiewicz say the funding transformed student support, but now face layoffs. Critics argue the cuts are politically motivated and misrepresent the grants’ evidence-based intent. The Department of Education claims some programs prioritized race over merit, but recipients insist their hiring remained fair and focused on student well-being. 

Math Study Shows Difficulty in Motivating Teachers to Change Behaviors 

The 74

A large study led by Angela Duckworth tested whether behavioral email nudges could increase teacher use of Zearn Math, an online platform, and improve student outcomes. Over 140,000 teachers received various prompts, including celebrity endorsements and data updates. While the best-performing messages increased student progress by up to 5%, overall effects were modest—averaging only a 1.9% improvement. Surprisingly, simpler, data-focused reminders outperformed flashier interventions. Despite reaching millions of students, the impact was far smaller than expected, highlighting the complexity of changing teacher behavior and the urgent need for more robust strategies to address declining U.S. math achievement post-pandemic.

Two-Thirds of K-12 Teachers Satisfied With Their Workplace

A recent study shows that 66% of K-12 teachers have reported that they are satisfied with their workplace environment, especially in wealthier school districts. Compared to the national average of being “extremely satisfied” teachers have reported 12% lower. Their drivers of satisfaction include pay and workload, with 85% report being satisfied with workload while only 75% report being satisfied by overall pay. In order to keep teachers satisfied in their careers schools need to prioritize their support, make fair compensation and create an endearment where teachers are pushed to do their best.