Category: News

Federal Judge Vacates USDE Anti-DEI Directive That  Resulted in PD Grant Cuts (September 22, 2026)

A federal judge ruled the Education Department directive and its cancellation of hundreds of millions in funds for teacher training programs was unlawful.

As reported by K-12 Dive, on September 17, 2026 a federal judge ruled that the U.S. Department of Education’s (USDE) anti-diversity, equity and inclusion directive and its cancellation of hundreds of millions in funds for teacher training programs was unlawful. The final court order was issued as part of a lawsuit from eight states challenging the grant cuts and comes over a year after the USDE abruptly cut over 100 grants from the Teacher Quality Partnership Program and the Supporting Effective Educator Development Grant program because those programs trained teachers using “divisive ideologies.”

Issued in February 2025, the Trump administration “Eliminating Discrimination and Fraud in Department Grant Awards” directive, which was used to justify the cancellation of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal teacher training grants, was found to be arbitrary, capricious and in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act.

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.

APA: Measure Ed Tech by More than Screen Time (September 17, 2026)

The American Psychological Association (APA) recommends that ed tech policies in school settings should not solely focus on screen time. Rather, policymakers should examine what students are doing on screens, what activities technology may be replacing, and whether it helps or hinders learning, APA said in a recent report. 

Other factors that measure ed tech’s impacts on learning and development — beyond the number of minutes students spend looking at a screen — include what students watch or what technology they use, whether another screen is on in the background, whether adults use devices during everyday routines, and the reason for technology use, APA said.

Separate from ed tech more broadly, APA advises that generative artificial intelligence tools should be approached in schools with additional caution and age-appropriate guardrails. Research suggests when students use AI, there may be instances when they produce more accurate and complete work, but may struggle to solve similar problems from an assignment on their own, the report said. 

As school districts weigh bans and limits on screen time and AI in classrooms nationwide, the APA report said that those decisions should be “firmly grounded in rigorous scientific evidence rather than marketing promises.”

For more from K-12 Dive, click here.

Court Filing: USDE is Withholding Important Documents During Discovery Process (September 17, 2026)

A September 14, 2026 filing as part of New York v. McMahon claims that the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) is withholding over 1,000 documents related to how the reductions-in-force (RIFs) of employees were planned and carried out.

Led by New York, more than 20 states and the District of Columbia sued the USDE on March 11, 2025 in the wake of the layoffs.

The September 14, 2026 court motion by the plaintiffs claims that the USDE is withholding approximately 1,072 of the identified 1,212 documents they have sought in the discovery process and they are asking the court to compel the USDE to produce those documents. Thus far, the USDE has continued to withhold hundreds of documents, averring that the internal agency documents are “privileged.” One particular document, titled “RIF Brief,” was dated five days prior to the layoffs on March 11, 2025.

For more details from K-12 Dive, click here.

Bureau of Special Education Fiscal Training 2026 (September 17, 2026)

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) oversees states’ compliance with federal special education statutes, regulations, and requirements. As part of its compliance monitoring process, OSEP includes a fiscal verification review that focuses on key federal areas such as the use of funds for Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS), Maintenance of Effort (MOE), and the general use of federal funds under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part B (IDEA-B).

To support local educational agencies in understanding both federal requirements and related state processes, the Pennsylvania Department of Education is providing training for special education directors and business administrators. This training will address topics including IDEA-B, Contingency Funding, Act 16, Maintenance of Effort, Data Collection, and the Approved Private School Electronic Management System (APSEM).

Participation in this training is required for all school districts, charter schools and intermediate units. Given the focus on IDEA-B fiscal reporting and data verification, PDE strongly recommends that both the special education director and business administrator attend. If a district, charter school or intermediate unit contracts its business services, the contracted business representative should also attend.

This year, there will be nine training options. We are offering Beginner training for new or newer admin and Advanced training for returning admin. Please register for one of the following:

In-Person Sessions:

Live Virtual Sessions:

  • Online (Live via Zoom) – , 2026 | 9:00 – 11:00 AM (Beginner) 1:00 – 3:00 PM (Advanced)

Self-Paced Option: 

Registration and session information is available at the PaTTAN Events webpage.

Any questions about registration should be directed to Sharon Kennedy, PaTTAN, 717-901-2265 or skennedy@pattan.net. Any other questions regarding the fiscal training should be directed to Marcia Wilson, PDE Division of Analysis & Financial Reporting, at 717-736-7266 or marciawils@pa.gov.

PA, as Part of Coalition, Secures Settlement Blocking Trump Administration from Future Efforts to Dismantle AmeriCorps (September 14, 2026)

On September 11, 2026, Governor Josh Shapiro announced that, as part of a coalition of 23 attorneys general and two governors, Pennsylvania has secured a settlement that stops the Trump Administration from dismantling AmeriCorps without warning in the future. AMeriCorps receives critical funding Pennsylvania relies on each year to respond to natural disasters, teach our children, and support our seniors.

The deal resolves a lawsuit brought by Governor Shapiro and a multi-state coalition in response to the Trump Administration’s repeated attempts to gut the nation’s volunteer service programs. On behalf of Pennsylvania, Governor Shapiro sued the federal government over their unconstitutional decision to abruptly dismantle AmeriCorps funding, and as a result of the lawsuit, the Trump Administration was forced to reinstate nearly $400 million in terminated AmeriCorps programs and agreed to release over $184 million in funds owed to service programs across the country, including Pennsylvania. The settlement protects the funding and participants of those programs for Fiscal Year 2026 as well.

The current AmeriCorps programs in Pennsylvania have already made substantial contributions across the Commonwealth and are the driving force behind dozens of community services. In fact, 209 schools have benefited from direct AmeriCorps support, including tutoring, mentoring, and 40,146 children and youth received supportive services.

AmeriCorps supports national and state community service programs by funding and placing volunteers in local and national organizations that address critical community needs. Organizations rely on support from AmeriCorps to recruit, place, and supervise AmeriCorps members nationwide. 

Operating under the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I), PennSERVE is the grantmaking partner of AmeriCorps in the Commonwealth and operates as Pennsylvania’s state service commission. PennSERVE distributes around $16 million annually in federal money from AmeriCorps to 28 vital programs including the Boys and Girls Club, City Year, and Teach for America, among others. 

Under the terms of the settlement, AmeriCorps states that it does not anticipate that, during Fiscal Year 2026, it will terminate grants en masse as it did in Spring 2025, conduct reductions in force of union employees beyond certain previously planned cuts, or dismiss AmeriCorps service members en masse. Should AmeriCorps take any of those actions, or make a material change to its delivery of volunteer services, it must provide the coalition states with written notice at least 30 days in advance and identify the legal authority under which it is taking the action.

The settlement pauses the litigation through February 1, 2027, at which point the coalition will voluntarily dismiss the case without prejudice, provided AmeriCorps has complied with its commitments. Should the coalition determine that AmeriCorps has not complied, it may move the court to lift the stay and resume litigation. The coalition also retains the right to challenge other unlawful conduct by AmeriCorps, whether through an amended complaint during the stay or a new action during or after the stay. 

The coalition initiated the litigation in April 2025, after the Trump Administration moved to eliminate nearly 90 percent of AmeriCorps’ workforce, cancel its contracts, and close $400 million worth of AmeriCorps-supported programs.

The settlement, co-led by the attorneys general of Maryland, California, Colorado, and Delaware, is joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Hawaiʻi, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin, and the governor of Kentucky.