The Education Trust

Things are about to get a lot harder for students with disabilities and those seeking justice.

The Trump administration just announced they’re moving the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and the Office to the Department of Justice and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services to the Department of Health and Human Services —yet another effort in dismantling the Department.

This reckless decision will only create confusion for states, districts, and families, and put critical civil rights protections at risk.

Students with disabilities, Black and Latino students, multilingual learners, students from low-income backgrounds, and students in rural communities will face the greatest consequences.

Education is a civil right. The federal government has a responsibility to protect it—full stop.

Read our full statement: https://bit.ly/4fQ5Qli

While a teacher transforms classrooms, a principal shapes the conditions for the entire school. A new Learning Policy Institute white paper, commissioned by The Wallace Foundation, examines how investing in effective principals can help policymakers and education leaders tackle today’s school crises.

The Principal Effect How Investing in School Leaders Is Key to Solving Today’s Major K-12 Challenges This report shows how principals are essential to addressing critical issues such as teacher retention and student absenteeism and provides a road map...

📌 New Statement from EdTrust on the U.S. Dept. Of Ed Approving Indiana’s ESSA Waiver Request

“The Department of Education will allow Indiana to rewrite its accountability system in a way that will mask student performance and move millions of dollars in dedicated funding away from students who need it most. The Department is also breaking its own vow to America’s families not to ‘approve waivers that weaken transparency, blur performance data, or make it harder for parents to see how schools are truly serving students.’ In fact, the Department is letting Indiana do all three.

“Simply put, the changes to Indiana’s accountability and school improvement system are egregious:

📌Schools are incentivized to inflate student grades and performance.

📌Reading and math are de-emphasized.

📌Multilingual learners are pushed aside.

“We have already seen several states follow the lead of Iowa, which received a much more limited waiver. Indiana’s waiver presents a much clearer danger, both to more than a million Hoosier students and the millions of students from other states, whose leaders now know the Department of Education is ready to abandon accountability and civil rights laws in the name of ‘returning education to the states.’”

Read the full statement below:

Approval of Indiana Waiver Abandons Federal K-12 Education Law Statement from EdTrust President and CEO Denise Forte

On June 15, 1982, the Court’s decision in Plyler v. Doe affirmed that children cannot be denied access to a public education based on their immigration status. For more than four decades, the ruling has helped ensure that students across the country have the opportunity to learn, regardless of where they were born.

Today, those protections are facing renewed challenges. Lawmakers in Tennessee , Texas, and several other states have introduced legislation aimed at limiting educational access for undocumented students or collecting immigration-status information in schools.

At EdTrust, we believe every child deserves access to a high-quality public education. When students are welcomed into classrooms, communities are stronger, opportunities expand, and our future as a nation is brighter.

Forty-four years later, the principle behind Plyler v. Doe remains as important as ever: education should be available to every child.

Have you heard about what the Trump administration is calling “patriotic education”? Well, let’s call it what it really is: erasing the contributions and honest history of people of color in the U.S. This isn’t American—it’s authoritarianism.

Something to keep in mind as we celebrate Juneteenth on Friday, as well as America’s 250th anniversary.

Watch this explainer video to learn more about the damage being done.

Tell us: How should America be remembered?



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Accurate History vs Patriotic Education About: EdTrust is committed to advancing policies and practices to ...

🎉 Celebrating 30 years of impact, advocacy, and opportunity! 🎉

Our 30th Anniversary Gala was a night to remember, filled with inspiration, connection, laughter, and plenty of dancing.

For three decades, EdTrust has worked alongside students, families, educators, advocates, and partners to advance educational opportunity and ensure every student has the chance to succeed. This celebration honored not only how far we’ve come, but also the work that still lies ahead.

Thank you to everyone who joined us, supported us, and helped make this milestone so special.

💙 Here’s to 30 years of impact and to building an even brighter future for students!

Check out our Celebration:

Happy 30th Anniversary EdTrust! ✨ 30 years of impact. 30 years of advocacy. 30 years of fighting fo...

Students are facing a future with more choices than ever before. College. Apprenticeships. Workforce training.

But having more pathways doesn’t automatically create more opportunity.

To help students thrive, we must ensure they have access to the guidance, information, and support needed to navigate their options with confidence.

Read EdTrust’s latest op-ed to learn more: https://bit.ly/3S8GF3q

Have you tuned into the new episode of edUnplugged yet?

In this episode, we tackle the hot-button topic of AI in classrooms. With AI ramping up, EdTrust is questioning how we can integrate AI into classrooms that is safe, effective, and prepares students for the future of AI?

🎧Tune in to the podcast to find out! Now streaming on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music.

AI, Access, and the Educational Divide Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping education and the...

🎓 FEEL GOOD FRIDAY 🎓

This week, we're celebrating the power of student voice.

What started as a bold idea from students at a Maryland high school turned into a viral movement and ultimately led to Michelle Obama delivering their graduation address.

Stories like this remind us why student leadership matters. When young people are encouraged to dream big, organize, and advocate for themselves and their communities, extraordinary things can happen.

Congratulations to the graduates and to the students who showed what's possible when determination meets collective action. 💙

Check out their story: https://edtru.st/4omiNW0

Congrats to the Class of 2026!

EdTrust continues to voice our opposition to the new Federal Voucher Tax Credit. Yesterday’s preview of the Department of Treasury’s guidelines indicates that states may have little to no authority to regulate how scholarship tax credit funds are used.

Here’s what EdTrust has to say:

“The majority of our school leaders and educators in public systems want to make sure that what they’re doing is actually benefiting kids. This program is not set up that way.” — Augustus Mays, VP of partnerships and engagement

Read more on K-12 Dive 🔗 https://edtru.st/4em1Gis

Treasury previews guidance for first federal school choice program As the formal rulemaking process moves forward, the scholarship tax credit program that launches in 2027 continues to draw both opposition and support.