Search
Showing results for “Education Policy”
Jump to a topic
Public EducationThe modern public education system in the United States took shape during New England's Common School Movement in the 1830s and 1840s. Today, the system serves approximately 83% (45 million) of enrolled K-12 students across over 98,000 schools, with the remainder attending private or nondistrict public schools such as charters.
State governments determine curriculum and academic standards, while local school boards and districts typically manage implementation—selecting materials, pacing guides, and lesson structures. For the 2023-24 school year, spending on K-12 public education was around $17,700 per student, totaling roughly $880B. A combination of local property taxes, state revenue, and federal grants funds these expenses.
In 2023-24, 87% of school funding came from state and local sources. The US Department of Education, though providing only about 8%-10% of K-12 funding, shapes national education policy by distributing targeted grants, enforcing civil rights laws, and coordinating research.Explore Public Education
What we've found
One in seven US tax dollars is collected by local governmentsLocal governments collect about $886B each year to support education, infrastructure, and public health. Roughly three-quarters of this funding comes from property taxes, with the rest sourced from sales, excise, and income taxes. Institute of Taxation and Economic PolicyRead Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan Zuckerberg's $45B letter to their daughterAfter giving birth to their daughter, the Zuckerbergs launched the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative in 2015. The pair announced the charitable organization's creation in a letter addressed to their daughter. The Zuckerbergs pledged 99% of their earnings from Facebook over the course of their lives to advance education, cure disease, and transform public policy, something the letter says is a commitment to their daughter's future. The organization has since shifted its focus to artificial intelligence and science. Volatile chemical contamination can last in burn areas long after urban wildfiresLead, arsenic, asbestos, and other chemicals have been found trapped in smoke-exposed rugs, couches, pillows, and other furniture that appeared otherwise undamaged from the 2025 LA wildfires. The gradual release of these substances has produced dangerous indoor air concentrations and contributed to increased emergency room visits and abnormal blood tests. Science FridayHow a Philadelphia soup kitchen taught business students about ethical decision-makingAs the St. Francis Inn—a Philadelphia soup kitchen—struggled with decisions about moving its operations to serve more people, a management professor at St. Joseph's University realized his students might have been able to help. Business students used ethical decision-making frameworks to help the soup kitchen serve more people and attract more volunteers. The ConversationThe federal government sent roughly $1.1T to state and local governments in 2024Federal grants support a large portion of state and local budgets, funding Medicaid, infrastructure, education, and housing. In FY 2024, these transfers made up about 16% of total federal spending. USAFactsResearch suggests using AI for schoolwork may harm critical thinking skillsAn MIT study finds lower brain engagement in students who used ChatGPT, resulting in consistent underperformance in neural, linguistic and behavioral levels. AI users struggled to recall their own essays, while the brain-only group showed the highest neural connectivity and satisfaction. TIMEA collection of fascinating facts about the planet and its creaturesYou may have already heard that cheetahs are the fastest animals on land, but did you know that Savannah elephants are the strongest? This page on the World Wildlife Fund's UK website features a diverse range of articles on mammals, underwater creatures, birds, reptiles, insects, and landscapes. Discover captivating information about Earth and the creatures you share it with. WWFSchool integration is designed to improve student outcomesThis American Life follows a Missouri district’s court-ordered integration program that dramatically improved achievement gaps, revealing how desegregation remains an effective yet underused education reform. This American Life15 states offer school voucher programs, serving nearly 350,000 studentsVoucher programs direct public K–12 funding to families in the form of tuition grants for private schools and are typically targeted to low-income or special-needs students. Education WeekAfter public schools were integrated, segregation found a home in private schools The 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling banned segregation in public schools, but it didn’t eliminate the problem: Many white families moved to “segregation academies,” which were private schools founded to skirt the new law Southern Education FoundationSchool choice allows families to use public funds for private educationSome private school advocates support school choice, a broad policy that provides families with public money (sometimes called “vouchers”) to spend on private education, including religiously affiliated schools. Education WeekNew rules introduced in 2021 let college athletes profit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL)The NCAA’s 2021 policy shift allowed athletes to earn money through endorsements, sponsorships, and personal branding—transforming the college sports landscape and changing the dynamic of what it means to be a student-athlete. InvestopediaAsteroids were discovered by 18th-century planet huntersWhile looking for a planet between Mars and Jupiter to coincide with an apparent mathematical pattern in the distances of known planets from the sun, a group calling themselves the "Celestial Police" discovered multiple objects that fell into a new classification. European Space AgencyTitle IX compliance relies on a three-part testIn 1979, the Office for Civil Rights issued Title IX’s three-part test to evaluate whether schools offer nondiscriminatory athletic opportunities: proportionate participation, program expansion, or meeting women’s interests. The guidelines offer flexibility without quotas and include specific factors for each item. U.S. Department of EducationCheck out Variety's picks for the best cosplay of Comic-Con 2024Take a look at some of the best cosplay from Comic-Con 2024. Entries include a tiger-painted dog, Elphaba from "Wicked," and a man dressed as a slice of pizza. VarietyMore than 130 nations have enacted bans or restrictions on plastic itemsSeveral US states have enacted similar restrictions on plastic bags, straws, food containers, and other single-use plastics, while others have prohibited plastic bans. Despite this, California’s plastic bag ban cut usage by more than 70%, showing the potential of these policies. Solinatra
Try another search?