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July 20, 2025

The Washington, D.C., headquarters of the U.S. Department of Education shown in March. Win McNamee/Getty Images

Happy Sunday,

Cory and Sequoia here from the Education team to bring you up to speed on the week. You wouldn’t think the middle of July would be such a hot bed for education news, but we have a lot to cover!

First, let’s catch up on where we left off last week: school districts and legislators were pretty upset with the Trump administration after it notified states that it was withholding over $6 billion in previously approved federal education grants to schools. The announcement came one day before the July 1 deadline when those funds have traditionally been disbursed. So school districts – like those in Arizona that started this past week – were furious.

This past week, state attorneys general and two governors got involved. Twenty-four states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday to immediately release the funds.

"With no rhyme or reason, the Trump Administration abruptly froze billions of dollars in education funding just weeks before the start of the school year," California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, said at a news conference Monday.
You can read our full story here, and we’ll keep you updated as this lawsuit works its way through the courts.

The other big court case this week was out of Washington, where the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to stay an injunction on the mass firings at the Department of Education. The ruling allows about 1,400 employees to be officially laid off by the Trump administration in their efforts to close the department.
Monday's ruling is not the final word, as the case continues to work its way through the lower courts. But it deals a serious blow to the states and school districts who had filed suit and who worry that, without an injunction, much of the damage done to the department before a final ruling will be impossible to reverse.

In a press release, U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said: "While today's ruling is a significant win for students and families, it is a shame that the highest court in the land had to step in to allow President Trump to advance the reforms Americans elected him to deliver using the authorities granted to him by the U.S. Constitution."

You can read our full write up of the announcement here and listen to our thoughts on what may be next for the department here.

Among the things we’ll be watching, and reporting on, in the coming days and weeks are: Will the Education Department keep up with its mandated functions now that its workforce is cut in half? How are states and districts preparing for the dramatically changed landscape in the coming school year? What will the effects of all this be on the most underserved or vulnerable students? Let us know what you think we should keep an eye out for.

Until next week,
Sequoia Carrillo & Cory Turner

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In other news...

A quick shoutout to some upcoming news from one of our former College Podcast Challenge winners. As you might remember, Michael Vargas Arango took home the Grand Prize last year with a deeply personal, emotional podcast on what it’s like to live with a rare mental health condition.

Recently, he shared a new podcast with us — about how opening up about his schizoaffective disorder and sharing his story with a national audience has changed his life.

You’ll be able to hear the latest from Michael on Morning Edition next week. And, ’til then, in case you missed it — check out his original story. It’s a great read or listen to get you thinking… Find the full story here.

Congress has voted to eliminate federal funding for public media.

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And here's something to make you smile...

LA Johnson/NPR

First, when was the last time you thought about a recorder?

It's that small plastic instrument — looks kind of like a flute or clarinet — that's often the first instrument children learn to play in school. Or, at least, they used to.

A recent report found that the number of kids learning the recorder has declined over the years in schools in the United Kingdom. Teachers in the U.S. say the instrument's popularity has declined here, too, due to COVID-era restrictions and the rise of popular alternatives like the ukulele.

But at Parkside Elementary in Atlanta, the tradition is still going strong. In fact, when Parkside's band teacher, Phillip Edwards, tells his second-graders it's time to take out their recorders, the classroom buzzes with excitement. Read the story here.

As always, thank you for reading and listening!

- The NPR Education Team

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