Policy
This coverage will look at how public leaders establish new policies in a range of crucial areas of government – health, education, public safety, for example – and how these policies impact people’s lives through better services, effective regulations and new programs. This will include stories examining how state and local government approaches policymaking around emerging areas, including artificial intelligence.
During the pandemic, California released about 15,000 prisoners early. About a third ended up back in prison by the start of this year.
A bill passed by the state Senate would allow the state attorney general to freeze sales and property tax revenues if a city or county passes laws that don’t conform with state policies.
States are anxiously awaiting potential cuts from Congress. In the meantime, their costs are already rising even as enrollment has decreased.
More than half of the funding from National Science Foundation grants canceled by the Department of Government Efficiency was meant to further STEM education.
Education savings account programs are encountering some legislative and judicial setbacks. Policymakers should work to keep these programs from being chipped away.
A growing number of state leaders want the federal government to forbid the use of food stamps to buy sodas and candy. It’s not a new idea, but the current administration has signaled its support.
Only five states have seen eighth grade reading scores go up since the pandemic. A look at two Tennessee districts show how they’ve achieved improvement.
What happened in a Milwaukee courthouse is an escalation of the Trump administration’s assault on the rule of law. And it won’t keep us safer.
A new law allows for removing elementary school children from a classroom, and then assessing the causes of the problematic behavior. Schools may need funding for more counselors to do so, however.
New legislation would shield officers from prosecution for acts taken in the line of duty. Critics say no one should be unaccountable.
Homeschooling first boomed nationwide in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the trend has had staying power. The number of homeschool students in Minnesota has jumped about 18% since the 2022-23 school year.
The billion-dollar voucher plan will take effect at the start of the 2026-27 school year.
Republicans are three times as likely as Democrats to believe the false claim that measles vaccines contribute to autism and far more likely to believe the vaccine is worse than the disease.
The new laws will make it easier for long-term inmates to apply for parole and for ex-inmates to expunge their criminal records after serving time.
These programs align with core American values. Democrats shouldn’t be the only ones defending them.
More than 1.1 million college students from other countries inject billions of dollars into local economies and support hundreds of thousands of jobs. Losing them over fears of federal immigration policies would be a blow for cities and towns across the country.
Several governors and legislatures are looking to ban SNAP recipients from using their food stamps to pay for candy and soda.
The federal Department of Education maintains an open access database of more than 2 million documents dating back to the 1960s. It will cease operating Wednesday due to DOGE cuts.
The Texas House has approved a $1 billion school voucher program. It’s the latest victory for a school choice movement that’s been on a roll in state legislatures.
With bipartisan support, the legislature has passed one of the nation's most expansive bills offering protection to abuse survivors convicted or accused of a crime connected to their abuse. Other states may follow.
Legislators have agreed to a plan to lift the cap and want to spend $870 million more on special education programs.
Congress and some red states are pushing for work requirements but most recipients already work. Medicaid and other state programs typically don’t offer job assistance or training.
The Washington state district didn’t just make students put phones away. They increased field trips and extracurricular activities, bringing chronic absenteeism down among participants by 13 percent.
Proposals to cut Medicaid will not only end coverage for millions but undermine the health-care system as a whole.
Universities and colleges have historically not done well at enrolling Hispanic students. Now their continued success may depend on it.
Diverting young people who commit low-level offenses to community support programs can help them avoid incarceration down the line. Girls in particular may benefit from these tactics.
Cities and states battling the measles outbreak feel undermined by federal health spending cuts.
Cubans have been granted special status since the Cold War. That's suddenly changed, leading to a sense of betrayal among a staunchly Republican group.
The New Hampshire legislature is considering dozens of policies aimed at making housing more affordable, a priority for first-year Gov. Kelly Ayotte. Some policies are gaining bipartisan support, but debates over local control still rage.
Devastated by fire, then shut down by COVID-19, the school district in Paradise, Calif., has emerged as a leader in keeping homeless students in classrooms.
Head Start programs run on slim margins that are now threatened by Trump administration cuts, including the closure of five of the 10 regional offices that administer them.
