Happy Tuesday!

A few pieces worth your attention tonight.

25 Democratic-led states and DC sued the Education Department (ED) today over new graduate loan caps that leave nursing, physical therapy, and social work out of the "professional degree" category eligible for higher borrowing limits. The complaint does a lot of the work itself: an entry-level Master of Science in Nursing program costs $77,155 a year, nearly four times the new $20,500 annual cap for non-professional grad students. ED says 95% of nursing students borrow below the cap and won't be affected — but it only added clinical psychology to the professional list after taking more than 80,000 public comments, and held firm on the rest. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Maryland and co-led by New York, Maryland, Nevada, and Colorado, asks the court to block the rules before they take effect July 1.

Education Week's Mark Lieberman and Caitlynn Peetz Stephens report that rising fuel prices are already eating into district budgets. Yakima, Washington paid $3.84 per gallon for diesel last school year and $6.30 in late April — putting the 16,000-student district $100,000 over budget. A new survey of 188 district leaders from AASA, ASBO International, and the National Association for Pupil Transportation found 40% have adjusted bus routes, 20% have cut non-essential trips like field trips, and 12% have reduced planned summer instruction. If prices stay high, leaders anticipate cuts to extracurriculars (30%), facilities maintenance (29%), and noninstructional staffing (23%).

And in The 74, a five-year study of more than 2,000 Americans finds Democrats and Republicans largely agree on what makes a good teacher — when no political label is attached. About 85% of both parties endorsed the same description of effective teaching, prioritizing teachers who know their students, support them individually, and make lessons relevant. Add a partisan label, though, and Republican support drops to 64% when the description is tagged as Democratic-endorsed; Democratic support slips to 76% when tagged as Republican. Even with the cue, nearly two-thirds of both parties still agree. The researchers call it affective polarization — a reminder that how an idea is framed and communicated often matters more than the idea itself.

— Thomas

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