School Climate

Get insights into improving school culture and the experiences of students and staff
Thu., March 05, 2026, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
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School Climate & Safety Webinar Belonging as a Leadership Strategy for Today’s Schools
Belonging isn’t a slogan—it’s a leadership strategy. Learn what research shows actually works to improve attendance, culture, and learning.
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Bad Bunny performs during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl 60 football game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, Calif.
Bad Bunny performs during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl 60 football game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, Calif.
Charlie Riedel/AP
School & District Management Opinion Why Bad Bunny’s Half-Time Performance Was a Case Study for School Leadership
The megastar’s show was an invitation in a challenging moment. Did you catch it?
Peter DeWitt & Michael Nelson, February 17, 2026
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3 min read
Photo illustration of high school students with pixelated headshots masking their faces.
iStock
Artificial Intelligence Opinion I’m Not Worried AI Helps My Students Cheat. I’m Worried How It Makes Them Feel
AI is undermining students’ trust in a shared reality. Here’s how schools can step up.
Stan Williams, February 12, 2026
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4 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Teaching Opinion How Can Educators Teach in These Turbulent Times?
To quell the anxiety of the chaos, make your teaching more human, not more heroic.
Larry Ferlazzo, February 9, 2026
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9 min read
A 5th grade math class takes place at Lafargue Elementary School in Effie, Louisiana, on Friday, August 22. The state has implemented new professional development requirements for math teachers in grades 4-8 to help improve student achievement and address learning gaps.
Research shows that a positive school climate serves as a protective factor for young people, improving students’ education outcomes and well-being during their academic careers and beyond. A student raises her hand during a 5th grade class in Effie, La., on Aug. 22, 2025.
Kathleen Flynn for Education Week
School Climate & Safety 4 Ways Schools Can Build a Stronger, Safer Climate
A principal, a student, and a researcher discuss what makes a positive school climate.
Lauraine Langreo, January 30, 2026
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4 min read
High school students protest during a walkout in opposition to President Donald Trump's policies Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, in Los Angeles. A survey published in December shows how the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement agenda is upending educators’ ability to create stable learning environments as escalated enforcement depresses attendance and hurts academic achievement.
High school students protest during a walkout in opposition to President Donald Trump's immigration policies on Jan. 20, 2026, in Los Angeles. A survey published in December shows how the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement agenda is challenging educators’ ability to create stable learning environments.
Jill Connelly/AP
School & District Management Heightened Immigration Enforcement Is Weighing on Most Principals
A new survey of high school principals highlights how immigration enforcement is affecting schools.
Ileana Najarro, January 29, 2026
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5 min read
Thu., January 29, 2026, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
School Climate & Safety Webinar Strategies for Improving School Climate and Safety
Discover strategies that K-12 districts have utilized inside and outside the classroom to establish a positive school climate.
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January 29, 2026
Students enter school in Spokane, Wash. on Dec. 3, 2025. Most teens surveyed said their school’s cellphone restrictions have had no impact on “making friends.”
Students enter school in Spokane, Wash. on Dec. 3, 2025, with a posted reminder of the cellphone ban. In a new survey, most teens said their school’s cellphone restrictions have had no impact on “making friends.”
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Ed-Tech Policy How Cellphone Bans Have Affected Students' Lives: What Teens Say
A new survey asked teenagers if the restrictions affected their happiness and ability to make friends.
Olina Banerji, January 28, 2026
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4 min read
Human hands connected by rope, retro collage from the 80s. Concept of teamwork,success,support,cooperation.
iStock/Getty
Student Well-Being & Movement Opinion Doing the Nearly Impossible: Teaching When the World Delivers Fear
Videos of Renee Good and Alex Pretti's killings are everywhere. How should teachers respond?
Marc Brackett, Robin Stern & Dawn Brooks-DeCosta, January 26, 2026
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5 min read
MINNEAPOLIS, MN, January 22, 2026: Ninth grade teacher Tracy Byrd helps student Avi Veeramachaneni, 14, with his final essay on the last day of the semester at Washburn High School in Minneapolis, MN.
Tracy Byrd helps students with essays on Jan. 22 at Washburn High School in Minneapolis. As immigration raids and protests have played out across the city, he and fellow educators have sought to create a stable environment for students.
Caroline Yang for Education Week
Teaching In Their Own Words ‘Normal Looks Different’: Teaching Through Fear in Minneapolis
Tracy Byrd, a 9th grade English teacher, shares what teaching entails as federal agents patrol his city.
Ileana Najarro, January 22, 2026
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8 min read
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
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Student Well-Being & Movement Whitepaper The Chronic Absenteeism Today Guide
Address the root causes of chronic absenteeism, boost student success, and build belonging across campus with the Chronic Absenteeism Tod...
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A Somali flag, right, flies alongside the United States and Vermont flags outside the Winooski School District building, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025, in Winooski, Vt.
A Somali flag, right, flies alongside the United States and Vermont flags outside the Winooski School District building, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025, in Winooski, Vt. The district's effort to show support for Somali students drew intense backlash.
Amanda Swinhart/AP
School & District Management Q&A Why This Leader Is Willing to Risk Losing His Job to Support Immigrant Students
This small Vermont district defies backlash to support immigrant families.
Ileana Najarro, January 14, 2026
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6 min read
Phil Dreste provides roaches, beetles, isotopes and other insects for his students to study at Kenwood Elementary in Champaign, Ill., on Jan. 12, 2026.
Phil Dreste's 4th graders handle a giant African millipede, part of a rotating cast of class pets. Dreste also provides exotic roaches, spiders, and isopods for his students to study at Kenwood Elementary in Champaign, Ill., on Jan. 12, 2026. Invertebrates can make great pets that cost less and require less attention than more common class animals.
Kaiti Sullivan for Education Week
Teaching Forget About Hamsters. Make Bugs Your Classroom Pet
Beetles, spiders, and millipedes? These nontraditional class pets may ease students' stress.
Sarah D. Sparks, January 13, 2026
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5 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Opinion 'Survival Mode': A Minnesota Teacher of the Year Decries Immigration Crackdowns
Federal agents are creating trauma and chaos for our students and schools in Minneapolis.
Larry Ferlazzo, January 13, 2026
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5 min read
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