Winners of the largest $7 million grants include New York City, Denver, Los Angeles, Pike Township in Indianapolis, and Prince George's County in Maryland.

A bipartisan rewrite of the Education Sciences Reform Act says that no funds can be used to "coerce [states'] curriculum or academic standards or assessments," a GOP summary says.

The bill would call for educators to have a seat at the table in setting research policy, bolster state longitudinal data systems, and protect student privacy.

The inspector general for the U.S. Department of Education found weaknesses in test security, monitoring, and risk analysis in an audit of five state testing systems.

Rep. Mark Takano, a former teacher from Riverside, Calif., has been tapped to serve on the House Education and the Workforce Committee.

States and districts would be encouraged to help grow high-quality charter schools—and ensure that they enroll and retain English-language learners and students in special education—under a bipartisan bill in Congress.

At Education Week's "Leaders to Learn From" live event in Washington, top federal policymakers discussed their role in school improvement.

A budget blueprint from Rep. Paul Ryan would dramatically alter the Pell Grant program and other K-12 spending by the federal government.

The charter school bill is likely to look similar to a bill that passed the House by a huge bipartisan margin of 365-54 back in 2011.

Take a look at the challenges and accomplishments of all 12 winners of the original Race to the Top grant competition in this handy chart.