Education
Schools, student loans, college costs, and who decides what gets taught.
Schools are mostly a state and local matter. Congress funds specific programs and enforces civil rights law, but curriculum, graduation requirements, teacher licensing and most school funding are decided by your state legislature and your school board.
Who decides this
- Congress
- Federal student aid and loans, Title I funding, special education law, and civil rights enforcement in schools.
- Your state
- School funding formulas, curriculum standards, graduation requirements, teacher licensing, and charter school rules.
- Your city or county
- School board decisions: budgets, school calendars, closures, discipline policy, and hiring a superintendent.
In Congress Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions · House Education and Workforce
4 open questions
S. 4668
Should the House pass the Senate's national rules for paying college athletes?
The Protect College Sports Act (S. 4668) would create the first federal framework for college athletics: a statutory right for athletes to earn name, image, and likeness money, one national rulebook replacing state-by-state NIL laws, scholarship and healthcare guarantees, and limited antitrust protection letting the NCAA set eligibility and transfer rules. The Senate passed it 77-22 on September 28, 2026, and it now goes to the House, which is divided over how Congress should intervene in college athletics. Supporters say it stabilizes a chaotic system; player associations say it shields the NCAA from paying athletes what a free market would. Where do you stand?
H.R. 369
Should Congress Abolish the U.S. Department of Education?
The bill would eliminate the department and shift its functions to states and other agencies. Supporters cite local control; opponents cite loss of federal support and civil-rights enforcement. Where do you land?
H.R. 4862
Should Congress Double Pell Grants and Expand Public Service Loan Forgiveness?
The bill would increase Pell Grants and ease loan forgiveness for public-service workers. Supporters cite access; opponents cite cost. Where do you land?
H.R. 8045
Should the Federal Government Eliminate Interest on Student Loans?
The bill would set federal student loans to accrue no interest. Supporters cite affordability; opponents cite cost to taxpayers. Where do you land?
Common questions
- Who decides what my child is taught?
- Your state sets standards and your local school board adopts curriculum and materials within them. Congress is explicitly barred from setting a national curriculum.
- Who can do something about student loans?
- Congress, and to a degree the Department of Education. Loan terms, forgiveness programs and Pell Grants are all federal.