Education Department Halted State Compliance Monitoring

Federal oversight efforts were paused as $18 billion in funding faces risks of waste, fraud, and abuse.

Updated on Sept. 24, 2026 in Education — General

Education Department Halted State Compliance Monitoring

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The U.S. Department of Education suspended critical efforts to track state compliance with federal education requirements in 2026. This move follows a report by the Government Accountability Office warning that $18 billion in federal funds remains at risk for waste and abuse.

Why it matters

The suspension of monitoring limits the government's ability to ensure that states effectively manage resources for students. Without these safeguards, billions of dollars intended for academic support may continue to be improperly allocated or misused.

The GAO identified $18 billion in federal funding at risk of waste, while 22.6% of students across 44 states and D.C. were chronically absent in 2025. Additionally, the Institute of Education Sciences recently implemented staff layoffs totaling 85%.

The players

Department of Education

This federal agency is responsible for establishing policies and coordinating U.S. assistance for education.

Government Accountability Office

This non-partisan agency provides Congress with oversight, insight, and accountability to ensure federal funds are spent efficiently.

Institute of Education Sciences

This is the statistics, research, and evaluation arm of the U.S. Department of Education.

The details

The Department of Education curtailed its fiscal and programmatic monitoring of Title I programs to reduce reporting burdens on states. The agency rejected two of the three recommendations provided by the GAO for resuming oversight, even as it continues to use a calculation method for chronic absenteeism that critics deem unreliable.

The Office for Civil Rights defined chronic absenteeism in 2013-14.
The Every Student Succeeds Act was passed in 2015.
The Department reviewed 26 states for requirements between 2019 and 2025.
Chronic absenteeism reached 22.6% of students in 2025.
The Department plans to announce a new monitoring system in fall 2026.

Culture Shift

The reduction in oversight represents a departure from the rigorous accountability structures established by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. This pivot highlights a broader tension between reducing administrative burdens on states and ensuring federal financial transparency.

The lack of oversight may lead to decreased transparency in how local schools use federal grants to combat chronic absenteeism. Parents and taxpayers could see less reliable reporting regarding whether programs aimed at improving student attendance are actually effective.

The takeaway

The lack of federal monitoring makes it difficult for citizens to track whether schools are effectively utilizing public funds to improve student attendance. Families should review their own school district's public data reporting to assess how resources are being allocated in their specific communities.