Parents

Education news, analysis, and opinion about how parents and other family members interact with schools and their children’s education
HERNDON, VA - MAY 11: Carmen Quintanilla and her husband Cain Perez read a book to their daughter, Carolina Perez, 5, during a program with Coates Family Academy at Lutie Lewis Coates Elementary School in Herndon, Va., Thursday, May 11, 2023. The program is called Book Bounce, one of many designed by Coates Family Academy for parents to be more involved in their students' education. It's focused on immigrant and English-learning families.
Carmen Quintanilla and her husband Cain Perez read a book to their daughter Carolina Perez, 5, during a program with Coates Family Academy at Lutie Lewis Coates Elementary School in Herndon, Va., on May 11, 2023. New research shows a decline in parent-child shared book reading experiences since the pandemic.
Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Early Childhood Parents Are Reading Less to Preschool-Age Kids at Home. What’s to Blame?
A new study uncovers factors tied to shared reading habits at home.
Elizabeth Heubeck, September 11, 2026
•
4 min read
Yair Lev stands by as a screen displaying an itinerary for a Lower Merion Board of School Directors meeting at the Lower Merion School District Administration Building on May 11, 2026, in Ardmore, Pa.
Yair Lev stands by as a screen displaying a document for a school district board of directors meeting at the Lower Merion school district administration building on May 11, 2026, in Ardmore, Pa. Lev is among a group of parents who have sued the Philadelphia-area school district seeking the ability to opt their children out of the required use of school technology.
Joe Lamberti/AP
Law & Courts These Parents Want to Opt Their Kids Out of Ed Tech. Can They Win in Court?
Parents in a Pennsylvania district say ed tech distracts from more meaningful learning.
Mark Walsh, September 8, 2026
•
10 min read
Acting Deputy Executive Associate Director at Homeland Security Investigations Matthew Millhollin holds a Department of Justice folder during a news conference to announce charges being brought against Chinese nationals involved in a marriage fraud scheme at the Department of Justice on Aug. 12, 2026 in Washington, D.C. The group have been accused of running a scheme where foreign nationals paid money to American citizens for fraudulent marriages in order to receive green cards then immediately filed for divorce once permanent residency in the U.S. had been established. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Sipa USA)
An official holds a Department of Justice folder during a news conference on Aug. 12, 2026 in Washington. The DOJ sued the Kansas City, Kan., public schools over guidelines addressing how school staff address students who request to go by pronouns that differ from their sex at birth.
Samuel Corum/Sipa USA via AP
Law & Courts Trump Admin. Says School District Facilitates 'Gender Transitions,' Files Suit
The lawsuit comes after several months of back and forth with the Kansas City, Kan., public schools.
Sofi Zeman, The Kansas City Star, September 1, 2026
•
2 min read
MEAD, CO - AUGUST 18: Parents watch and and take photos of their kids as they enter the school during their first day of class at the Big Sky PK-8 School in Mead on Aug. 18, 2026.
Parents watch their kids as they enter the school on the first day of class at the Big Sky PK-8 School in Mead, Colo., on Aug. 18, 2026. As schools face growing backlash from parents over their use of educational technology, a school communications professional has some pointers on how schools can communicate with parents about how they're using technology.
Joel Solis/MediaNews Group/Boulder Daily Camera via Getty Images
Classroom Technology Q&A Facing 'Techlash,' How Should Schools Talk to Parents About Tech Use?
A school communications expert explains how schools should approach their messaging around tech.
Arianna Prothero, August 21, 2026
•
5 min read
Imran, left, confers with his math partner Nataly as the fifth graders solve a problem using base-10 rods at Hawthorne Elementary School, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023 , in Seattle .
Imran, left, confers with his math partner Nataly as the 5th graders solve a problem using base-10 rods at Hawthorne Elementary School in Seattle on Jan. 24, 2023. Some parents in the city, which issues devices to all students, have opted their children out of school-issued technology.
Ken Lambert/Seattle Times via TNS
Classroom Technology These Kids Are Learning Without Tech in a District That Gives Out Devices to All
Some parents in this city opted their children out of school-issued devices.
Claire Bryan, The Seattle Times, August 17, 2026
•
10 min read
Karen Locken plays with children in an Early Head Start program in Pasadena, California on Friday, April 18, 2025 .
Karen Locken plays with children in an Early Head Start program in Pasadena, California on Friday, April 18, 2025 .
Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS
Early Childhood Trump Admin. Moves to Dismantle Head Start Quality Standards
The Trump administration announced plans to dismantle the federal regulations that have defined Head Start for decades.
Elizabeth Heubeck, August 6, 2026
•
5 min read
Students, from left, Araiza Maldonado Basilio, Alexa Velasquez Mendoza and Leslie Sandoval Reyes, open letters in 2023 informing them which Minnesota colleges and universities they were pre-accepted to as part of the state's Direct Admissions program.
From left, students Araiza Maldonado Basilio, Alexa Velasquez Mendoza, and Leslie Sandoval Reyes open letters in 2023 informing them which Minnesota colleges and universities they were pre-accepted to as part of the state's Direct Admissions program. As families conduct college searches, AI is playing a growing role in helping families understand and discover college choices, a new survey found.
Anthony Soufflé/The Minnesota Star Tribune/TNS
College & Workforce Readiness AI Gains Ground as a College-Search Tool for Parents
A survey of parents of high school students finds more are turning to AI for information about college choices.
Mark Walsh, August 6, 2026
•
2 min read
A collage-style illustration of pieces of paper with handwriting in multiple languages on them, including Arabic, Mandarin, Spanish, English and Cyrillic. The characters shown are a mix of letters and numbers from each language.
Illustration by Emily Wright for Education Week + Getty
Equity & Diversity Opinion Is Your Classroom Welcoming to English Learners? Here Are 3 Places to Start
Teachers have the power to define knowing two languages as an asset not a complication.
Nancy Cruz Rodriguez, August 5, 2026
•
5 min read
ISTEDay2B08
Robyn Lady, a member of the Fairfax County School Board in Virginia, left, and Rachel Edoho-Eket, a principal in Howard County, Md., participate in a panel discussion titled "Building Trust With Families in a Skeptical Age" at the ISTELive 26 + ASCD Annual Conference in Orlando, Fla., on June 30, 2026. The growing backlash against the overuse of technology in schools is forcing school and district leaders to have some difficult conversations with parents.
Marvin Joseph/Education Week
Classroom Technology How District and School Leaders Respond to the 'Techlash' Will Be Critical
Educators recommend showing parents how technology is used for learning.
Alyson Klein, August 4, 2026
•
4 min read
Image of a teacher and student balancing digital and traditional schoolwork approaches.
Robert Neubecker for Education Week.
Classroom Technology Schools Brace for Growing Backlash to Classroom Screen Time
Many school leaders think a tech reset is overdue, but don't want to dump what's helping kids learn.
Arianna Prothero, August 3, 2026
•
7 min read
Collage illustration of a teacher meeting with a parent and student. There is a close-up image of hands typing on a keyboard in the background with binary code and motherboard-inspired lines behind the teacher.
Illustration by Emily Wright for Education Week + Canva
Artificial Intelligence Opinion Principals, Don't Let AI Undermine Strong Parent Relationships
Yes, AI can be a useful tool for school communications, but nothing replaces a real conversation.
Ilanit C. Hoory, July 28, 2026
•
3 min read
Little Boy learning Numbers and mathematics basics
Getty Images
Mathematics Parents Can Build Numeracy Skills at Home. These Governors Want Guidance on How
Governors want the American Academy of Pediatrics to issue guidance urging parents to use games to help children build numeracy skills.
Evie Blad, July 27, 2026
•
3 min read
New York School Cellphone Ban 25119009936115
A student uses a cellphone after unlocking the pouch that secures it from use during the school day at Bayside Academy in San Mateo, Calif., on Aug. 16, 2024. Experts say schools can give parents valuable advice about how to make sure their children are not spending too much time viewing screens.
Lea Suzuki/San Francisco Chronicle via AP
Families & the Community How Schools Can Help Parents Manage Kids' Screen Time
From bullying to losing sleep, what kids do at home on screens affects their learning.
Arianna Prothero, July 21, 2026
•
8 min read
Front view of a group of wooden cubes with icons representing persons. The main focus is on an angry person who has a cube over his head with a thought bubble full of insults
Education Week + iStock/Getty
School & District Management Q&A School Leaders Face More Parental Threats Than Teachers
Parental violence went up after the pandemic, directed most towards school administrators.
Olina Banerji, July 21, 2026
•
5 min read