S 227, the PEACE Act of 2025, prohibits the use of federal education funds for curriculum, teaching, or counseling that promotes or compels specific "divisive concepts" related to race. It directly affects schools receiving federal funding under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act by banning the use of those funds for materials teaching ideas like "one race is inherently superior," that "the United States is fundamentally racist," or that individuals bear responsibility for past racial actions based solely on their race. The bill defines prohibited concepts to include race stereotyping (assigning traits to races), race scapegoating (blaming a race for problems), and claims that meritocracy is racist. This amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act would require schools to avoid these specific topics when using federal education funds. The law focuses on restricting the use of federal money for certain instructional content, not on banning all discussions of race or history.
The Affordable College Textbook Act (S 740) establishes a federal grant program to help colleges and universities adopt open educational resources (OER), primarily open textbooks, to reduce student costs. It authorizes the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to institutions or consortia for creating, adapting, or promoting OER, requiring projects to include faculty input, accessibility standards, and plans for tracking savings and educational impact. The bill also amends the Higher Education Act to mandate that colleges disclose textbook prices and OER availability on course schedules, and requires publishers to share data collection practices for digital materials. These provisions directly affect students (by lowering textbook costs), faculty (through OER adoption requirements), and institutions (via reporting obligations). The law focuses on creating sustainable, accessible alternatives to traditional textbooks rather than direct price controls.
HR 5714, the October 7 Remembrance Education Act, directs the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to create a curriculum for secondary schools within 180 days of enactment. The curriculum will cover Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel, the history of antisemitism, the spread of anti-Israel rhetoric on campuses and social media following the attacks, and how denial or distortion of antisemitism occurs. It specifically requires schools to address the attacks' brutality, historical context of antisemitism, and contemporary manifestations of hate speech. The Museum must submit a report on the curriculum to Congress within 180 days of completion or by 3 years after the bill’s enactment. This bill affects secondary schools using the curriculum and focuses on educational content about the attacks and related antisemitism.
The Science of Reading Act of 2026 amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to require states receiving federal literacy development grants to align their reading instruction with "science of reading" principles. It explicitly prohibits the use of the "three-cueing model" (a method teaching word recognition through pictures, context, or guessing) and defines science of reading as evidence-based instruction in phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, and comprehension. States must describe this alignment in grant applications, and federal funds for literacy programs will only support initiatives meeting these standards. This directly affects states and school districts administering ESEA-funded literacy programs starting in 2026.
This bill creates grants to help colleges adopt free digital textbooks (open educational resources) in science, technology, engineering, and math courses. It directly affects institutions of higher education, requiring them to collaborate with librarians and STEM faculty to implement these courses. Key provisions include prioritizing schools with many low-income or minority students, mandating plans for faculty collaboration, and requiring annual reports on cost savings for students compared to traditional textbooks. The law defines "open educational reading materials" as free, downloadable digital texts and tracks how many STEM courses transition to using them.
This bill creates two pathways to help high school students earn college credit while in high school and graduate early. The "early college fast track pathway" allows students to take college-level courses (like AP, IB, or dual enrollment) that count toward a degree, while the "early high school graduation pathway" lets students graduate in 3 years without needing remedial college courses and provides a scholarship for college. States would receive federal grants to implement these pathways, requiring them to align high school curriculum with college requirements, create statewide credit transfer agreements, and ensure credit transfer between institutions. The bill also changes Pell Grant rules to allow eligible high school students in these pathways to receive Pell Grants without counting toward the usual 12-semester limit. It requires states to track participation and outcomes, particularly for historically underrepresented students.
This bill mandates that high schools in the U.S. teach students about communism's historical impact, requiring them to learn that communism caused over 100 million deaths globally and that 1.5 billion people still live under it. The Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation (a specific entity) must develop a required high school curriculum and oral history resources called "Portraits in Patriotism," featuring personal stories from individuals affected by communism. The curriculum must be used in social studies, government, history, and economics classes to compare communism with U.S. democratic principles. It directly affects high school students and educators by requiring specific content in their civic education.
This bill codifies Executive Order 14190, titled "Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling," making it legally binding law. It directly affects K-12 public schools and educators by requiring compliance with the order's provisions as a permanent legal standard. The key mechanism is converting the executive order - which targets specific curriculum content and teaching methods - into federal law, removing it from executive discretion. This procedural bill does not create new policies but enshrines the existing order's requirements into statute.
HRES 1064 is a symbolic resolution designating February 16, 2026, as "International Black Aviation Professionals Day" to honor historical contributions by Black aviation pioneers. It does not create new laws or allocate funds but requests the President issue a proclamation encouraging nationwide recognition of these contributions, including through educational curriculum updates in schools and libraries. The resolution specifically highlights figures like Bessie Coleman, the Tuskegee Airmen, and Katherine Johnson, and urges support for greater diversity in aviation careers. This designation directly celebrates past achievements and aims to inspire future opportunities for Black professionals in aviation, without mandating any specific actions.
This bill requires the Secretary of Defense to restore access to all curricula, books, and learning materials previously available at Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) schools by 30 days after enactment, and prohibits new restrictions until the 2026-2027 school year. It adds new procedural requirements for future directives affecting DODEA schools, mandating advisory committee reviews and congressional notice before changes to curricula or materials. The bill also nullifies specific executive orders (including those restricting "radical indoctrination" or "gender ideology") that impacted DODEA schools and directs a study on creating an independent body to oversee DODEA curricula. It directly affects military-connected students and schools operated by the Department of Defense Education Activity.
