Education

Treasury launches new system of records for federal student aid oversight

2 min readOctober 7, 2026

The Department of Treasury's .033 system, effective upon publication, governs student-aid data use starting Nov 6, 2026.

Education

IRS to bar tax-exempt status for discriminatory private schools

1 min readSeptember 16, 2026

Private schools that discriminate on race, color, or national origin could lose federal tax exemption after the proposed rule takes effect.

Education

GAO reports 2 million students lose school days to facility closures

1 min readSeptember 14, 2026

About 2 million K-12 students missed school in 2024-25 after 19 percent of districts canceled classes due to facility problems.

Economy

IRS proposes to strip tax-exempt status from discriminatory private schools

1 min readSeptember 4, 2026

Private schools will lose federal income-tax exemption unless they adopt nondiscriminatory policies, starting with tax years after May 31 2027.

Space

President creates commission to design U.S. Space Academy

1 min readSeptember 3, 2026

Executive Order 14423, signed Aug. 28, 2026, directs a new presidential commission to develop a NASA-led federal academy for space professionals, with a report due in 120 days.

Education

GAO urges FAA to evaluate test access for uncertified high school programs

1 min readSeptember 1, 2026

High-school aviation maintenance students at non-certificated schools could become eligible for the FAA general knowledge test if the agency acts.

Oversight

GAO urges DOD to tighten screening and teacher input in DODEA schools

1 min readAugust 26, 2026

The Department of Defense must address gaps in literacy and math support for roughly 60,000 K-12 students in DODEA schools following the GAO report.

Education

GAO report shows Division I athletics spend billions more than they earn

1 min readAugust 20, 2026

Division I and II colleges face large deficits as of the 2023-24 academic year, with new NIL revenue sharing rules applying from 2025-26

Education

GAO urges Education to set formal early coordination criteria for loan servicers

1 min readAugust 20, 2026

The Department of Education must establish formal criteria for early coordination with federal student loan servicers, per GAO recommendation.

Elsewhere

What other outlets are reporting on this beat. We link out; we do not republish.

One Compromised Login Exposed Millions of California Students’ Records
Personal information on current and former California public school students was copied from a file transfer system belonging to Educational Testing Service (ETS), according to the California Department of Education (CDE). ETS is a nonprofit that handles state and federally mandated testing under a contract with the state. The organization supports California’s CAASPP and ELPAC assessment programs and relied on a secure file transfer protocol (SFTP) site to share testing data with CDE. The organization spotted unauthorized activity on the site on September 25, but the earliest access dates back to late May. “The investigation determined that an unauthorized party used a compromised login credential at various times during the period from May 22, 2026 to September 18, 2026 to access the SFTP site to copy files containing California student information,” according to the CDE’s breach notice. No victim count has been provided, but the notice says, “Information about California students, including but not limited to all students enrolled in the three previous school years, was accessed and copied.” CDE’s own enrollment figures put that in perspective: more than 5.7 million students were enrolled in California public schools in 2025-2026. The department’s incident FAQ notes that the impacted population also extends to students who left a California school as far back as 2006 and whose transfer to another school was not confirmed with CDE.Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading. Compromised records can include information such as student name, birth date, home address, school, district and grade, state and local ID numbers, gender, race or ethnicity, primary language, country of origin and English learner status. Some entries go further, revealing disability and Section 504 status, the primary disability type, testing accommodations, English proficiency data, and test registration and results. They may also indicate whether a student qualifies for Title I, McKinney-Vent
SecurityWeek 44 minutes ago
Trump’s new Education IG nominee continues dizzying run of leadership changes at the watchdog office
The Trump administration is seeking to dismantle the Education Department. Kevin Carter / Getty Images President Donald Trump swapped out the nominee to head the Education Department inspector general office, a watchdog agency that has experienced frequent leadership turnover since the start of his second administration. On Monday, the president nominated Mark Priebe to be the Education IG. Until recently, the nominee served as the department’s acting IG. Trump withdrew the nomination of Heidi Semann, who also had a stint as acting Education IG, for the position on Sept. 17. Priebe has been a senior official at the Education OIG since 2017 and previously worked as an auditor for other agencies. Government Executive reported when he became acting IG in 2025 that he appears to have shared social media posts supporting Trump.The nominee also said during a panel in July that he wasn’t concerned about the president’s firing of nearly 20 IGs: “If a new administration comes in and says we want all of our own IGs, that's fine. I really think that the executive branch should have some say over their policies and their procedures and how they enact that.” Education’s IG position opened up after Trump fired Sandra Bruce as part of the mass firing of IGs at the start of his second term. Deputy Education IG René Rocque then became acting IG, but she was replaced in summer 2025 after notifying Congress that auditors “experienced unreasonable denials and repeated delays” from department officials during a review of staff reductions that halved the agency’s workforce. The administration is seeking to dismantle Education. The OIG did issue a report in June, while Priebe was acting head, that layoffs at Education during the first two months of Trump’s second term resulted in the agency being unable to perform legally required activities. Auditors wrote that the department did not provide all requested information or allow “unfettered” access to staffers, which restricted the review.
Government Executive September 30, 2026
Education Department extends deadline for student loan interest rate discount
U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., November 20, 2025. Evelyn Hockstein | ReutersThe Trump administration announced on Tuesday that it will extend the deadline for federal student loan borrowers to get a reduction of 1 percentage point on their interest rate. Previously, the U.S. Department of Education said borrowers had until the end of the day on Wednesday to sign up for the automatic payments and benefit from the reduced rate. Now it says federal student loan holders will have until Dec. 31. Nearly 2 million federal student loan borrowers have signed up for autopay since the discount became available over the summer, the department said.Typically, borrowers on autopay have had access to a 0.25 percentage point discount.More than 42 million Americans carry student loans, and the outstanding debt exceeds $1.7 trillion. The current average interest rate on federal student loans is 6.54%, according to higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz.Most federal student loans qualify To qualify for the interest rate discount, your debt must be from the Direct Loan program, Kantrowitz said. That includes Direct Subsidized Loans, Direct Unsubsidized Loans, Direct PLUS Loans and Direct Consolidation Loans. Parent PLUS borrowers will also be eligible, as long as their loans are from the Direct Loan program, he said.Federal Family Education Loans, or FFEL, aren't eligible for the temporary reduced rate. As the federal government is offering the discount, the benefit does not extend to private student loans.In addition, your loans must have been disbursed on or after July 1, 2012, Kantrowitz said. You can find your loan disbursement dates at Studentaid.gov or with your servicer. Your loans must also be in good standing to qualify.This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
CNBC September 29, 2026
FAFSA opens early: Why families should apply for college aid now
The U.S. Department of Education opened the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, on Wednesday, ahead of its anticipated Oct. 1 launch. The earlier rollout of the key college aid form could give more students a head start on securing much-needed financial assistance, experts say.Filing the FAFSA is the gateway to all federal aid, including grants, work-study and student loans. Many states and schools also use data from the form, including income and asset records, to help determine college financial aid offers.The earlier college-bound students and their families fill out the form, the better their chances are of receiving aid, experts say — largely because some financial aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, or from programs with limited funds."The biggest advantage of the FAFSA opening early this year is how quickly students and families can get a sense of what aid they might qualify for," said Rick Castellano, a spokesperson for Sallie, a financial institution that offers college-planning resources and private student loans.Read more CNBC personal finance coverageAs Republicans tout Trump's 'big beautiful bill,' here's who the tax breaks benefitedIRS tax debt agreements have plummeted: 'I've never seen a number that low'New Social Security bill would lower retirement age to 60 for some workersFed rate hike squeezes younger and lower-income householdsCNBC's Financial Advisor 100: Best financial advisors, top firms rankedCNBC Elite Advisors: Top ultra-high net worth wealth management firms for 2026A new version of the FAFSA form, which launched in late December 2023, has simplified the process, making it easier for families to complete an application and get an estimate of their federal aid eligibility, he said: "Getting that picture early is especially important given changes to Pell Grant eligibility and federal borrowing."Starting this year, provisions in President Donald Trump's "big beautiful bill" cap how much students and their fa
CNBC September 24, 2026
U.S. GAO - K-12 Education: Actions to Improve Oversight of Key Federal Programs and Address High Chronic Absenteeism
Fast Facts At least one quarter of K-12 students are chronically absent, meaning they miss 10% or more of school days. To receive federal funds, states must report on chronic absenteeism. But in 2026, the Department of Education stopped its key monitoring strategy for this and other legal requirements states must meet to receive federal funds. This limits the ability of the federal government and states to monitor and address chronic absenteeism. Also, without more oversight, these funds—nearly $27 billion in FY 2025—are at higher risk of fraud, waste, or abuse. Our recommendations to Congress and the Department of Education address these issues. Empty classroom desks Skip to Highlights Highlights What GAO Found All states that receive funding under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA) are required to develop statewide accountability systems. Thirty-six states have chosen to include indicators related to chronic absenteeism in their statewide accountability systems. ESEA also has certain chronic absenteeism reporting requirements for all states, regardless of whether a state includes chronic absenteeism in its accountability system. In 2026, the Department of Education discontinued its most comprehensive monitoring of ESEA’s programmatic and fiscal requirements. The ESEA provision intended to improve oversight of funds does not explicitly direct Education to monitor grantees, nor does it include specific requirements regarding the method or frequency of monitoring and oversight activities. Suspending its most comprehensive monitoring has broad oversight implications that extend beyond chronic absenteeism. Given that Education is not currently assessing ESEA compliance with Title I fiscal requirements, there is higher risk that these federal funds—comprising about two-thirds of the nearly $27 billion in ESEA funding in 2025—could be subject to undetected fraud, waste, or abuse. While Education requires states to report data
GAO reports September 23, 2026

Newsletter

What the federal government did today, and what it changes - with the document behind every item.

President Extends Colombia Narcotics Trafficking Emergency for One Year

President Extends Congo National Emergency for One Year

President Extends Sudan National Emergency Beyond Nov. 3, 2026

24X Exchange amends warrant incentive program, adds new equity tranche

Education

Treasury launches new system of records for federal student aid oversight

IRS to bar tax-exempt status for discriminatory private schools

GAO reports 2 million students lose school days to facility closures

IRS proposes to strip tax-exempt status from discriminatory private schools

President creates commission to design U.S. Space Academy

GAO urges FAA to evaluate test access for uncertified high school programs

GAO urges DOD to tighten screening and teacher input in DODEA schools

GAO report shows Division I athletics spend billions more than they earn

GAO urges Education to set formal early coordination criteria for loan servicers