Leadership
Bipartisan House bill aims to stop outsourcing of some Education Department offices
The U.S. House of Representatives introduced a bipartisan bill on Wednesday (local time) aimed at preventing the transfer of four offices under the U.S. Department of Education—responsible for special education, postsecondary education, Indigenous education, and elementary and secondary education—to other federal agencies. The bill, co-sponsored by Representatives John Mannion (D-NY), Bobby Scott (D-VA), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), is a companion measure to a Senate bill awaiting a full vote. Currently, under the Trump administration, the Department of Education has signed 14 interagency agreements with six other federal agencies to transfer various K-12 and higher education responsibilities.
Only 2 large school districts are without fiscal ‘red flags,’ analysis finds
According to a Reason Foundation fiscal analysis of the 100 largest school districts nationwide, only Baltimore City Public Schools and Rutherford County Schools in Tennessee triggered no fiscal 'red flag' indicators. The analysis, based on fiscal year 2023 audit reports, covers eight indicators including debt ratios and per-pupil debt. Fort Bend Independent School District in Texas led with seven red flags, followed by Gwinnett County Board of Education in Georgia.
Our 2026-27 back-to-school playlist for K-12 leaders
As the 2026-27 school year approaches, K-12 Dive has compiled a playlist reflecting the emotional tone of the back-to-school season, blending classics with new tracks and including education-related wordplay, welcoming educators to share their choices via email or LinkedIn.
This Texas effort to prevent schools from ‘passing the trash’ could go nationwide
The U.S. Department of Justice's 'Safe Schools Initiative' recently achieved its first enforcement results in the Northern District of Texas: two educators were federally charged with concealing sexual offense records, and Forney Independent School District paid a $14,308 civil penalty and committed to corrective actions. The program, led by the Northern District of Texas U.S. Attorney's Office and involving multiple agencies including the FBI, has been promoted in North Texas and plans to expand to all U.S. judicial districts in the future.
3 ways states can support innovative high school principals
The National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) and MDRC jointly released a report identifying gaps in the preparation and support systems for innovative high school principals and proposing three state-level support strategies: strengthening preparation and licensure requirements, providing professional development and mentoring, and granting regulatory flexibility. The report highlights practical examples from North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Colorado.
Fires, floods and more: Severe weather impacts millions of students
The latest analysis by UndauntedK12 shows that over 9 million students in the U.S. experienced school closures, early dismissals, or delayed openings during the 2024-25 school year due to weather events such as wildfires, floods, and extreme heat. In California, approximately 70,500 students have already lost more than 740,000 instructional hours in the 2025-26 school year. Experts recommend that school districts use federal tax credits to upgrade facilities and reference NWEA research, which finds that each day of school closure due to a hurricane or wildfire results in an average loss of 3.6 days of instruction.