At the time Race the Top was first rolled out, some researchers noted that many of the policies it favored, especially boosting charter and evaluating teachers based on test scores, didn't have a strong scientific base to back them up.

Not having to negotiate with federal officials on the finer points of teacher evaluation, rigorous standards, or school turnarounds has made it easier to chart their own paths, some education leaders say.

The House passed three higher education bills this week as part of its piecemeal efforts to reauthorize the Higher Education Act, which the Senate is also trying to tackle.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., spoke to the National Urban League, where he touched briefly on school choice topics, including charter schools and vouchers.

The Senate Appropriations Committee officially released its education spending proposal for fiscal year 2015, and the House Budget Committee unveiled a series of education policy proposals.

Congress is set to take up vastly different aid proposals aimed at stemming the tide of unaccompanied minors streaming across the U.S.-Mexico border.

House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, of Maryland, and Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Ill., introduced a bill Wednesday that would boost community schools that provide important wraparound services.

It's unlikely Congress will pass a spending bill for fiscal year 2015 before the end of this fiscal year, despite lawmakers' insistence they would.

NCLB waivers and Race to the Top look at outcomes, like a teachers' ability to improve test scores; a new strategy aims mostly at inputs, like years of experience.

The Education Department isn't willing to cut Washington, the first ex-waiver state, any slack, a warning to other states that may be on the verge of losing their flexibility.