U.S. Ed's new FIPSE Special Projects grant offers $167M for higher ed innovation—including $50M for AI in education and support for state-led talent marketplaces linking Learning & Employment Records + Credential Registries. Apps due Dec 3.https://bit.ly/4nN4E2g

Visiting the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, today, is a reminder that America once built greatness by expanding higher education. Today’s assaults on universities risk undoing that legacy. We should be investing in, not dismantling our postsecondary institutions: bit.ly/4nXwitR

New from the U.S. Department of Education: Proposed priority highlights credential registries as part of talent marketplaces—linking students, employers & educators with transparent, skills-based pathways to in-demand careers. Comments open until 10/27. bit.ly/42Ppu9r

On Sept. 30, the FCC will vote on items that would make school bus Wi-Fi and off-campus hotspots ineligible for E-Rate support. This decision could widen the #HomeworkGap. FCC Open Meeting Agenda: bit.ly/3IDXpes @cosnweb.bsky.social

The Institute of Education Sciences is asking for public input on how to modernize its research, data, & evaluation work. RFI hits the Federal Register tomorrow. Comments due Oct 15. bit.ly/46Oumhz

Coming up at 10:00AM EDT: Senate HELP Committee hearing on "The State of K-12 Education." Witnesses: Dr. Eric Hanushek, Dr. Martin West, Dr. Katie Jenner, Dr. Scott Muri & Dr. Rebecca Winthrop. Watch it live here: bit.ly/4n9BR8Dhttps...

New Ed-Flex guidance: States can apply for authority to waive select federal requirements, giving districts more options to use ESEA and Perkins funds to meet student needs. Learn more bit.ly/4mmFWVM

Strong leadership from @SETDA & @CoSN on the future of E-rate and the Universal Service Fund. Their joint comments to the bipartisan #USF Working Group underscore why secure broadband access is essential for every student. Read more: bit.ly/48hVMNW

Congress is moving forward with very different FY26 education funding bills. Cuts in the House bill could compound harm from recent Medicaid & SNAP reductions. The stakes for vulnerable students couldn’t be higher. Read more: bit.ly/45ZYnuu

I had a chance to talk with EdWeek's Alyson Klein about public schools' and cybersecurity. Like other parts of the digital divide, the K-12 cybersecurity challenge is one that’s addressed better if the federal government’s trying to fill gaps, yet the Trump Admin is stepping back. bit.ly/4noc2Bo

The White House AI Task Force met with business & education leaders to spotlight commitments on preparing students for an AI future. In my recap, I ask: will AI empower all learners or deepen America’s digital divide? Read more → bit.ly/46lwnBw

CoSN’s 2025 State Cybersecurity Legislation Report shows states stepping up for schools as federal support shrinks. The paper highlights thoughtful state strategies: centralized governance, insurance, workforce, education integration & AI/privacy oversight.

House Labor H markup tomorrow: Bill cuts overall ED funding by 15%. Title I faces $5.2B cut; Pell stays level; small boosts for IDEA, CTE, Impact Aid, & charters. Sharp contrast from Senate bill approved in July. bit.ly/3JGKMzp

Can the new AI Action Plan be a lever for state and local education and workforce innovation? Explore key takeaways and considerations here.https://bit.ly/3H1b2DB

New AI guidance from the U.S. Department of Ed notes that schools can use federal funds for AI-powered tutoring, instructional tools & college advising, & more. bit.ly/46p9s9c

🚨URGENT: $6.9B in FY25 Dept of Ed funding—including $1.38B for digital learning—is frozen by Trump Admin. Schools face cuts. Act now: Tell Congress to demand release of these critical funds - cosn.quorum.us/campaign/132... #EdFunding #DigitalEquity @keithkrueger.bsky.social @regleichty.bsky.social

400+ school district leaders just signed an @CoSN petition urging Congress & the Trump Admin to restore K–12 cybersecurity funding. Cuts to CISA & edtech leadership leave schools vulnerable to attacks. Time to act. Read more here: bit.ly/4lSDVRo

Thanks @CoSN for leading this effort to force the administration to release these lawfully appropriated K-12 funds. Readers can help by clicking here: cosn.quorum.us/campaign/132.

The Trump Admin recently froze $6B+ in ed $$, only weeks before school starts. Today, 26 states filed a lawsuit challenging the action & congress is also pushing back. What’s at stake? Teacher training, after-school programs, digital learning, and the rule of law. Read more: bit.ly/3ItyCJJ

With the Senate’s confirmation of Olivia Trusty, Chairman Carr now holds a 2–1 FCC majority. That may open the door to E-rate policy shifts, incl. potential changes to the eligible services list. At the same time, a pending Supreme Court decision could require other program changes. bit.ly/3SXvVCc

I appreciated the opportunity to speak with EdSource about the urgent need to protect students with disabilities as federal proposals threaten key civil rights and oversight. We can’t afford a loss of expertise or accountability. Our job is to keep the system working. edsource.org/2025/federal...

Some government roles may be invisible—but they’re far from expendable. In this LinkedIn article, I examine how recent staff cuts at USED are quietly weakening student privacy protections and undermining essential agency functions. Read more here: bit.ly/3S9jNxx

NEW FORESIGHT REPORT: The Supreme Court's Loper Bright decision upended decades of agency deference—and could reshape how federal data privacy laws like FERPA & COPPA are enforced. Read our team's exploration of the possible ed and kids' privacy implications here. bit.ly/4kjgYpB

The FTC recently took action against Workado for false claims about its AI detection tool. School leaders: Don’t take AI marketing at face value—insist on independent validation. Read more: bit.ly/3GNCtk7

Ed leaders: A major tax bill heading to markup tomorrow in the House Ways and Means Committee includes sweeping provisions that affect early childhood, K–12, and higher education. I break down what you need to know in this short summary: bit.ly/3H4pWIR

Foresight’s team is on Capitol Hill today to help SkillsUSA celebrate 60 years of serving students!

Trump admin drops a sweeping set of new education & workforce executive orders today—more policy “wish list” than immediate change. Focus areas include AI education, accreditation, HBCUs, apprenticeships, discipline policy, and civil rights enforcement. Link: bit.ly/4itltg4

The FTC published its final changes to the COPPA Rule in today's Federal Register—the first update since 2013. New definitions, stronger safeguards for children's personal data, and updates for the digital age are now on the books. Effective June 23, 2025. bit.ly/4juW9aL #privacy #COPPA

Congress is looking at AI in schools—and student data is at the center. Lawmakers & experts raised alarms about privacy, online safety & ransomware. With cuts to the Office of Ed Tech staff and other U.S. Ed personnel, who sets the guardrails? Watch the hearing here: bit.ly/3E4As1M#edtech

On 3/21, President Trump announced plans to move oversight of special education to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. As an education policy lawyer, I’ve been getting a lot of questions from policy leaders and families such as: Can he actually do that? Read more here: bit.ly/41OHW27

Today, CoSN CEO @keithkrueger.bsky.social & other advocates rallied on Capitol Hill for broadband access in education, healthcare, rural areas & high-need communities - bit.ly/4hKLyHb #DefendERate #ProtectUSF #BroadbandForAll @agomezfcc.bsky.social

SCOTUS will hear oral arguments tom. (3/26 @ 10 AM EDT) in a major case on the limits of Congressional power over federal agencies. At stake: the FCC's regulatory authority & the Universal Service Fund's - including E-rate - revenue system. Tune in for live audio. bit.ly/4274l9O @cosnbg.bsky.social

On March 26, @HouseCommerce will hold a hearing on “The World Wild Web: Examining Online Harms.” Lawmakers will explore how to protect kids and adults from deepfakes, exploitative content, and privacy threats. bit.ly/4c1J5Xz #OnlineSafety #TechPolicy

Congress’s 2025 budget reconciliation plan could quietly reshape public education funding—from K-12 Medicaid and nutrition programs to Pell Grants and student loan relief. Education leaders: here’s what you need to know → bit.ly/4bZT9jU #EdPolicy #K12 #HigherEd #BudgetReconciliation

Congress’s next move could quietly upend public education funding. Are you ready? Read the full breakdown: What Education Leaders Should Understand About Congress’s 2025 Budget Reconciliation Plans bit.ly/4bZT9jU

CDT’s Elizabeth Laird in EdWeek: “AI can be flat-out wrong, it can reflect biases, it can introduce new security issues.” www.edweek.org/techn...

Thank you, Brandi Vesco and @govtechnews, for highlighting the @CoSN 2025 National Student Data #Privacy Report! District EdTech leaders need better support to overcome barriers to strengthen student data privacy practices. Read more - www.govtech.com/education/k-... @keithkrueger.bsky.social

Senior Dem appropriators - Sens. Murray and Baldwin and Rep.DeLauro - seek answers from the Dept. of Ed after deep staff cuts. They ask, how do these cuts “help students, parents, and teachers”? Read the full letter here: bit.ly/4iAENZz

Association leaders weigh-in on U.S. Ed (OET) and other fed agency cuts. SETDA’s Julia Fallon calls it a loss of “essential leadership in ed-tech policy, research & innovation.” CoSN’s Keith Krueger warns of cyber risks for schools. Full story on the ED cuts: bit.ly/3DE4SYu] @cosnweb.bsky.social

As the White House prepares to publish an EO today urging the elimination of the U.S. Department of Education, we should revisit why Congress established this important agency. I published this short LinkedIn post exploring Congress's original vision. bit.ly/3F7zr9q

1/Federal Court Blocks DOGE Access to Sensitive Student Data The U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland just granted a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) in American Federation of Teachers, et al. v. Scott Bessent, et al., protecting personal student &other data from unauthorized access. 🧵

Great to work with Linnette Attai, and the CoSN team on this timely privacy event for school districts and the broader ed sector.

Key congressional hearings this week. The Senate HELP Comm. will vote on the nomination of Linda McMahon to serve as ed secretary bit.ly/4bblN0T. The Sen. Judiciary Comm. will hold a hearing titled, "Children's Safety in the Digital Era." bit.ly/4hZ9x5H. The U.S. House is in recess this week.

In a few minutes, the Senate HELP Committee will hold a confirmation hearing for the president's nominee, Linda McMahon, to lead the U.S. Department of Education. You can watch the proceeding live here: bit.ly/4hoHRHO

Last year, the FCC wisely provided flexibility for schools and libraries to use E-rate funding to help them connect students and library patrons to home Wi-Fi using mobile hotspots. Now, a group of senators is trying to roll-back this important local flexibility.

⚖️ EdTech leaders! The FTC’s COPPA changes are here, and they bring new responsibilities for your organization. Our webinar will help you understand these changes and navigate the compliance landscape. Secure your spot now! CoSN.org/COPPA #K-12 #Privacy #CoSN #FTC #COPPA @keithkrueger.bsky.social

Tune in next week for the Senate HELP Committee's nomination hearing for Linda McMahon to serve as Secretary of Education. bit.ly/4hoHRHO DQC's Jennifer Bell-Ellwanger poses six data focused questions senators should raise. bit.ly/3CDkI5g

Did the reported DOGE sharing of FSA data with AI providers involve student PII collected from the FAFSA? Generally is DOGES's access and disclosure of USED data consistent with the Privacy Act ( 5 U.S.C. §552a) & Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1090)? wapo.st/4gDmPnG

From California to Indiana, more states are stepping up on K-12 #cybersecurity. @cosnweb.bsky.social's latest report spotlights the policies shaping the future of digital safety in schools. A must-read for educators & policymakers. #EdPolicy bit.ly/41537wz

As NIL & revenue-sharing reshape college sports, Chairman Walberg asks GAO: How do schools fund athletics? What role does federal aid play? Are tuition dollars being diverted? #HigherEdPolicy bit.ly/3EoLL4Q