Special education services at risk

[Daniel Mollenkamp, EdSurge]

View in browser     |   No. 709  |   11/20/25   |   Subscribe to this newsletter This issue is sponsored by The Trump administration is taking an ax to the federal department responsible for education.   In a letter Tuesday, Education Secretary Linda McMahon detailed a “break up,” which will unload responsibilities from the Education Department to other agencies allowing the administration to further whittle down staff.    The outline revealed several agreements. For instance, under the plan, the U.S. Department of Labor will take over key functions of the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, including Title 1 funding. And the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will take over child care on college campuses.    For much of the past year, the Trump administration has gutted the Education Department, while it has explored “dismantling” it. Secretary McMahon argues that these agreements will further streamline education and deliver on the president’s promise to send education “back to the states.”   Some Republicans have expressed concerns about whether the essential services from the Education Department continue, as well as about whether the moves will be permanent.    Trump administration critics insist that the break up is patently illegal. That’s because the department was created by Congress, which also placed the offices now being picked apart, and the Trump administration is endrunning the legislature. Critics also stress that it will not be good for students. In a statement on the announcement, sent to reporters via email, Sameer Gadkaree, president at The Institute for College Access & Success, characterized the latest action as “another chaotic move” by the administration that will harm students.    Some core functions of the Education Department are not mentioned in the “break up” plan. For example: special education. Amid this past year’s cuts, special education services have become particularly fragile, warn advocates. See reporter Lauren Coffey’s latest below for more details.    This month also marks the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, which mandates access to public education for students with disabilities. Advocates comment that the recent cuts and have put the promise behind the act at risk.   — Daniel Mollenkamp, EdSurge reporter 📣 TOP STORIES   SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES SCARE: Experts are concerned the latest Department of Education cuts could put special education funding — and institutional knowledge — in free fall, leaving parents to their own devices for advocating for their kids.    REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: For Emily Tate Sullivan’s last piece as a senior reporter for EdSurge, she writes about what it was like to go from covering early care and education for the last six years to now living it as a new mom. Read her reflections about the professional and personal surprises, joys and challenges of child care as she pursues the next phase of her journalism career.    Sponsored by BetterUp FINDING FLOW: Teacher burnout isn't just a staffing problem; it's a student-outcomes crisis. When educators experience "flow," that state of full absorption and energy, it becomes contagious in the classroom. Districts investing in coaching and mindset shifts are discovering that supporting teacher well-being isn't just good for retention, it's essential for learning. 🗓️ GOINGS ON   GREAT NEWS: EdSurge reporter Daniel Mollenkamp was selected as a 2026 Chauncey Bailey Fellow by the journalism nonprofit Investigative Reporters and Editors. Through the fellowship, Mollenkamp will report on how well the rapidly growing “school choice” movement serves children and families, and on attempts to bring academic accountability to these options that stand to gain from increased taxpayer support.  The following is a message from our sponsor BrainFreeze streamlines district-wide operations, empowering administrators to focus on education, not logistics. Simplify workflows, spark student engagement, and support teachers with AI that’s secure, affordable, and endlessly scalable. Build smarter schools with tools that reduce complexity — because better systems mean better learning outcomes. Learn more today!   📺 EYES AND EARS STAFFING UP: The “silver bullet” to fix child care's worker shortage? Getting more men in the field. Here's an EdSurge video short on how experts say we can do it.   🗞️ IN OTHER NEWS   CAN TODDLERS READ? This EdSurge researcher was a skeptic until the results of his at-home experiment with his toddler left him speechless. In our newest column, Mi Aniefuna shares the easy, evidence-backed exercises he uses, and the simple shifts that can make a huge difference in a child's early literacy journey.   NEAR-PEER ‘NAVIGATORS’: Just over a year ago, the Youth Mental Health Corps launched, hoping to ease the crisis among adolescents by connecting them “near-peer” mental health navigators — recent high school and college graduates who, in turn, would get to try on a career in behavioral health. The results of the inaugural year of this national initiative are in. Here’s what they found.  🔗WHAT WE'RE READING   Schools are banning phones. Should they ban laptops, too? (Washingtonian)   Will the H1b visa fee make rural teacher shortages worse? (Hechinger Report)   The sex education students receive depends on their ZIP code and state politics. (The 19th) 📈 STORY IN A STAT 7.5 million The number of American students receiving special education services in the 2022-2023 school year. That’s 15 percent of students, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. In the current political moment, advocates worry that recent federal education changes could harm special education services, something the administration denies.    Post a job | See all jobs   VP of People and Operations | ASSISTments Foundation | Remote Seeking a strategic, operational, and people-centered executive to serve as VP of People and Operations, a pivotal leadership role that will ensure the organization’s infrastructure, culture, and financial systems are positioned for scale and impact.   THANKS FOR READING   ➔ Got any feedback? We love hearing from readers. Shoot us a note, critiques, a joke—whatever you’ve got! ➔ Interested in reaching our readers? Sponsor this newsletter. EdSurge is an editorially independent project of ISTE+ASCD reporting on the powerful forces, fascinating people and innovative practices shaping teaching and learning. International Society for Technology in Education 2111 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 300, Arlington, Virginia, 22201, United States To update your email preferences or unsubscribe, click here.