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Title 20 — EducationRelease 119-73not60

§7906a Prohibition Against Federal Mandates, Direction, or Control

Title 20 › Chapter 70— STRENGTHENING AND IMPROVEMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS › Subchapter VIII— GENERAL PROVISIONS › Part F— Uniform Provisions › Subpart 2— other provisions › § 7906a

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

Federal officials cannot use grants, contracts, or other agreements to force a state, school district, or school to adopt, follow, or use specific instructional content, academic standards, tests, curricula, or programs created to meet this law. That includes requiring the Common Core State Standards, other standards used by many states, or materials and tests tied to those standards. Federal officials also cannot make getting a grant, special priority, or a waiver under section 7861 depend on a state, district, or school adopting or using those specific standards, tests, curricula, or programs.

Full Legal Text

Title 20, §7906a

Education — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)No officer or employee of the Federal Government shall, through grants, contracts, or other cooperative agreements, mandate, direct, or control a State, local educational agency, or school’s specific instructional content, academic standards and assessments, curricula, or program of instruction developed and implemented to meet the requirements of this chapter (including any requirement, direction, or mandate to adopt the Common Core State Standards developed under the Common Core State Standards Initiative, any other academic standards common to a significant number of States, or any assessment, instructional content, or curriculum aligned to such standards), nor shall anything in this chapter be construed to authorize such officer or employee to do so.
(b)No officer or employee of the Federal Government shall condition or incentivize the receipt of any grant, contract, or cooperative agreement, the receipt of any priority or preference under such grant, contract, or cooperative agreement, or the receipt of a waiver under section 7861 of this title upon a State, local educational agency, or school’s adoption or implementation of specific instructional content, academic standards and assessments, curricula, or program of instruction developed and implemented to meet the requirements of this chapter (including any condition, priority, or preference to adopt the Common Core State Standards developed under the Common Core State Standards Initiative, any other academic standards common to a significant number of States, or any assessment, instructional content, or curriculum aligned to such standards).

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section effective Dec. 10, 2015, except with respect to certain noncompetitive programs and competitive programs, see section 5 of Pub. L. 114–95, set out as an

Effective Date

of 2015 Amendment note under section 6301 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

20 U.S.C. § 7906a

Title 20 — Education

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60