FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: media@edtrust.org
January 7, 2026

 Iowa’s New Waiver Approval Puts English Learners and After-School Programming at Risk
Statement from EdTrust Vice President of P-12 Policy, Practice & Research, Allison Socol, Ph.D.

WASHINGTON — Federal guardrails ensure that all students have access to an enriching, challenging, and supportive public education that sets them up for success after high school. Reducing those protections, under the guise of “innovation” or “reducing red tape,” puts equitable funding, strong accountability, and support for school improvement at risk.

Today, the U.S. Department of Education took the first step in dismantling those protections by approving a waiver for Iowa that would allow the Iowa Department of Education (IDOE) to divert federal funding away from students with the greatest needs. Combining several federal funding streams into one block grant, as the Trump administration is now allowing under Iowa’s new waiver, shifts funding focus away from specific groups of students who need extra support in school. Without targeted funding, the education of English learners and students who benefit the most from after-school programs could become de-prioritized by reallocating those funds for other purposes.

In the coming months, it will be essential for IDOE staff to demonstrate how they are improving services for English learners and students participating in after-school programs, to ensure that decreased red tape doesn’t translate to decreased protections for some of Iowa’s most vulnerable students.

Other states have also applied for waivers that request even larger-scale changes, removing important federal backstops and putting students at risk. The U.S. Department of Education must monitor the effects of Iowa’s waiver, intervene if student groups aren’t getting the support and resources they need, and scrutinize every waiver application with equity at the top of mind.

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EdTrust is committed to advancing policies and practices to dismantle the racial and economic barriers embedded in the American education system. Through our research and advocacy, EdTrust improves equity in education from preschool through college, engages diverse communities dedicated to education equity and justice, and increases political and public will to build an education system where students will thrive.