Leadership

Education news, analysis, and opinion about effective school and district leadership
School & District Management Opinion ‘This Isn’t Working’: Educators Share Unsolicited Advice for District Leaders
How can superintendents improve student outcomes—without micromanaging teachers?
8 min read
School & District Management Opinion We’re Not Preparing Principals for the Real Job of School Leadership
A shocking amount of school leadership is not about students. It is about adults.
4 min read
School Climate & Safety States Push AI Weapons Detection as Part of School Safety
Three states are considering whether to require weapons-detection systems at school entrances.
5 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement School Counselors’ Jobs Are Misunderstood. Why It Matters
New report examines the challenges school counselors are facing and how to address them.
4 min read
School counselor Laurinda Culpepper takes down student's work on a bulletin board at Walnut Grove Elementary School, on May 13, 2020, in Olathe, Kan. Teachers were gathering belongings and classwork of students students so they could be picked up by parents the following week. The school was closed on March 13 and all Kansas schools were eventually ordered shut for the remainder of the school year to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
School counselor Laurinda Culpepper takes down students' work on a bulletin board at Walnut Grove Elementary School, on May 13, 2020, in Olathe, Kan. According to the American School Counselor Association’s State of the Profession 2025 report, many people who do not work in schools do not understand the role and value counselors have for school communities.
Charlie Riedel/AP
School & District Management Not Every Assistant Principal Wants the Top Job: 5 Views From the Field
Promotions are welcome. But assistant principals don’t plan their lives around it.
2 min read
School & District Management Superintendents Increasingly Report Economic Pressures on Their Districts
Nevertheless, most superintendents hope to remain in their current roles next year, a new survey finds.
3 min read
AASA National Conference on Education attendees and exhibitors arrive for registration before the start of the conference at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tenn. on Feb. 11, 2026.
Attendees arrive before the start of the AASA National Conference, which hosted scores of superintendents and district leaders, in Nashville, Tenn., on Feb. 11, 2026. The organization's new survey indicates that most superintendents want to stay put for now.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Student Well-Being & Movement Parents and Kids Feel Shut Out of Policymaking. What Schools Should Know
New survey reveals parents and kids want more voice in government decisions.
4 min read
Students from Columbus, Ohio, wait outside a barrier as U.S. Capitol Police watch over the East Plaza where congressional leaders will have a news conferences on the government shutdown at the Capitol in Washington, on Oct. 15, 2025.
Students from Columbus, Ohio, wait outside a barrier at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, where congressional leaders were having a news conference about the federal government shutdown on Oct. 15, 2025. A new survey shows students want more of a voice in shaping government decisions.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP

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More Leadership

  • Panelists from left: Carlos Gonzalez, superintendent of the Roma Independent district in Texas; John Skretta, superintendent of Lincoln, Neb., schools; Joe Gothard, superintendent of Madison, Wis., schools; Ben Master, a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corp. speak on summer learning and student success at the National Conference on Education in Nashville, Tenn. on Feb. 13, 2026.
    School superintendents, from left, Carlos Gonzalez, of Roma Independent in Texas; John Skretta, of Lincoln, Neb., and Joe Gothard, of Madison, Wis., along with Ben Master, a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corp., discuss summer learning and student success at the National Conference on Education in Nashville, Tenn., on Feb. 13, 2026.
    Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
    Student Achievement These Districts Turned Summer School Into an Inviting Destination for Students
    Community partnerships helped with scheduling challenges. Themed programs heightened student interest.
    6 min read
    Students take a recess break outside of St. Paul district school in St. Paul, MN, February 23, 2026.
    Students take recess outside an elementary school in St. Paul, Minn., on Feb. 23, 2026.
    Tim Evans for Education Week
    Student Well-Being & Movement School Counselors See Rising Trauma Linked to Immigration Enforcement
    The school staff whose job it is to support students say they see major signs of emotional distress.
    Ileana Najarro, February 26, 2026
    6 min read
    First-graders in Chelsea, Mass. public schools meet with virtual tutors from Ignite Reading in 2025 as part of a study of the program.
    First graders in Kelly Elementary School in Chelsea, Mass. meet with virtual tutors from Ignite Reading in 2025 as part of a study of the program. The Chelsea district is now targeting 1st graders for tutoring to make sure all of them meet reading benchmarks by the end of the year.
    Courtesy of Chelsea Public Schools
    Student Achievement The Case for Reading Tutoring Before 3rd Grade, Not After
    New research suggests virtual tutoring can boost literacy learning before kids begin to struggle.
    Sarah D. Sparks, February 26, 2026
    6 min read
    Students visit the Alaqua Animal Rescue in Freeport, Fla., for an SEL-based curriculum on Aug. 23, 2025.
    Students visit the Alaqua Animal Rescue in Freeport, Fla., for an SEL lesson on Aug. 23, 2025. Social-emotional learning can be a powerful tool for boosting student engagement and improving behavior and academic performance, but experts say it has to be implemented well.
    Micah Green for Education Week
    Student Well-Being & Movement Looking for SEL's Benefits? Good Implementation Is Key, Experts Say
    How well an SEL program is implemented is critical for achieving the outcomes that research promises.
    Arianna Prothero, February 25, 2026
    6 min read
    Activists are approached by federal agents for following agent vehicles, on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Minneapolis.
    Activists are approached by federal agents for following agent vehicles, on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Minneapolis. Federal immigraiton enforcement disrupted learning in the Twin Cities in recent months. A new national poll of K-12 parents found most oppose immigration enforcement at or near schools.
    Ryan Murphy/AP
    Families & the Community How K-12 Parents Feel About Immigration Enforcement Near Schools
    The latest national poll found most parnets opposing ICE enforcement at or near schools.
    Ileana Najarro, February 25, 2026
    4 min read
    The Fifth Ward Elementary School and residential neighborhoods sit near the Denka Performance Elastomer Plant, back, in Reserve, La., Friday, Sept. 23, 2022. Less than a half mile away from the elementary school, the plant makes synthetic rubber, emitting chloroprene, listed as a carcinogen in California, and a likely one by the Environmental Protection Agency.
    The Fifth Ward Elementary School and nearby residential neighborhoods in Reserve, La., pictured here on Sept. 23, 2022, sit near a synthetic rubber plant that has emitted chloroprene, which California lists as a carcinogen. New research finds thousands of schools are located within a quarter mile of such environmental hazard sites.
    Gerald Herbert/AP
    Student Well-Being & Movement Millions of Students Attend Schools Near Toxic Sites, a New Study Shows
    The study explores schools' proximity to hazardous sites and students' exposure to pollutants.
    Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, February 25, 2026
    4 min read

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Districts are already making large financial investments into core programs. So why are they still buying more resources to make up for what their textbooks can't do?
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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
    3 min read
    Superintendent Roosevelt Nivens speaks after being announced as AASA National Superintendent of the Year in Nashville, Tenn. on Feb. 12, 2026.
    Superintendent Roosevelt Nivens of the Lamar Consolidated schools in Texas speaks after being named National Superintendent of the Year in Nashville, Tenn. on Feb. 12, 2026, at the National Conference on Education sponsored by AASA, The School Superintendents Association.
    Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
    School & District Management Texas Leader Named Superintendent of the Year
    The 2026 superintendent of the year has led his district through rapid growth amid a local housing boom.
    Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, February 13, 2026
    2 min read
    A panel on risky behaviors and district challenges kicks off at the National Conference on Education in Nashville, Tenn. on Feb. 12, 2026. At the podium is Ashley Dawson, senior project coordinator of children's programs at AASA. At the table, from left: Michael Vuckovich, superintendent of the Windber Area school district; Korie Duryea, the district's special education director; and Jessica Shuster, the director of education.
    School officials from Windber, Pa., discussed their fight against student vaping and gambling in a Feb. 12, 2026, panel at the National Conference on Education in Nashville, Tenn. At the table are, from left, Superintendent Michael Vuckovich; Korie Duryea, the district's special education director; and Jessica Shuster, the director of education. Ashley Dawson, senior project coordinator of children's programs at AASA, The School Superintendents Association and conference host, is at the podium.
    Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
    Student Well-Being & Movement How a District Used Data to Fight Students' Gambling and Vaping
    School officials figured out when kids faced the most pressure and worked from there.
    Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, February 12, 2026
    3 min read
    In this image provided by NAESP, elementary school principals gathered on Capitol Hill recently to meet with their state's congressional delegations in Washington
    Elementary school principals gathered on Capitol Hill on Feb. 11, 2026,<ins data-user-label="Madeline Will" data-time="02/12/2026 11:53:27 AM" data-user-id="00000175-2522-d295-a175-a7366b840000" data-target-id=""> </ins>to meet with their state's congressional delegations in Washington. They advocated for lawmakers to protect federal K-12 investments.
    John Simms/NAESP
    School & District Management On Capitol Hill, Relieved Principals Press for Even More Federal Support
    With the fiscal 2026 budget maintaining level K-12 funding, principals look to the future.
    Olina Banerji, February 12, 2026
    7 min read
    An image representing disputes over property taxes.
    DigitalVision Vectors
    Budget & Finance How Do Schools Solve a Problem Like Property Taxes?
    Politicians or activists in at least 10 states are pitching the end of one of schools' chief revenue sources.
    Mark Lieberman, February 12, 2026
    11 min read
    Superintendent Mary Catherine Reljac walks around the exhibition hall of the National Conference on Education in Nashville, on Feb. 12, 2026. Reljac is the superintendent for Fox Chapel Area School District in Pennsylvania.
    Mary Catherine Reljac walks around the exhibition hall of the National Conference on Education in Nashville on Feb. 12, 2026. Reljac, the superintendent for Fox Chapel Area school district in Pennsylvania, is working to combat chronic absenteeism through data analysis and tailored student support.
    Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
    Student Absenteeism Q&A Solving Chronic Absenteeism Isn't 'One-Size-Fits-All,' This Leader Says
    Proactive, sensitive communication with families can make a big difference.
    Jennifer Vilcarino, February 12, 2026
    7 min read

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