Education
Current trend: Holding · Category: People · Last updated: July 21, 2026
Current situation
Student achievement has yet to fully recover from pandemic-era disruptions while debates over school choice, curriculum, funding, and postsecondary pathways continue across the country. There is a distinct red-state, blue-state difference in approaches to the issues.
Why we're watching
Education influences workforce quality, productivity, income mobility, and long-term economic growth.
What to watch for next
Student achievement trends, school choice legislation, education funding, workforce outcomes, or curriculum reforms.
Signal history
- 2026-07-21 — Special educators oppose Education Department breakup According to some, moving special education functions out of the U.S. Department of Education would be detrimental to students with disabilities because it would cause disparities in services across the states and reduce accountability measures.