Q&A

These Q&As feature some of the field's most prominent education scholars, leaders, and practitioners talking about important education issues
Students listen to social studies teacher Ella Pillitteri during a seventh grade civics class at A.D. Henderson School in Boca Raton, Fla., Tuesday, April 16, 2024. When teachers at the K-8 public school, one of the top-performing schools in Florida, are asked how they succeed, one answer is universal: They have autonomy.
Students listen to their social studies teacher during a 7th grade civics class at a school in Boca Raton, Fla., on April 16, 2024. New proposed legislation would create a model national civics curriculum—something that has never successfully been tried.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
Social Studies Q&A A New Bill Calls for a Model Civics Curriculum at a Polarized Moment
A Democratic senator has introduced bills to boost hands-on civic learning and create a national civics curriculum.
Sarah Schwartz, March 18, 2026
9 min read
President Ronald Reagan addresses the National Association of Secondary School Principals convention in front of an old fashion red school house, background, Feb. 7, 1984 in Las Vegas, Nev. Standing behind Reagan are NASSP officials.
President Ronald Reagan addresses the National Association of Secondary School Principals convention in front of an old fashion red school house, background, Feb. 7, 1984 in Las Vegas, Nev. Standing behind Reagan are NASSP officials.
Doug Pizac/AP
School & District Management Q&A Meet the National Principals Association: Why the 110-Year-Old Org. Rebranded
Elementary school leaders will add new priorities for the national organization.
Olina Banerji, March 17, 2026
6 min read
North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction Kirsten Baesler announces the gathering of a task force to look into future options the state has for the assessment of students during a press conference May 8, 2015, at the state Capitol in Bismarck, N.D.
Kirsten Baesler, then North Dakota's schools superintendent, talks to the press on May 8, 2015, at the state capitol in Bismarck. Baesler, now the assistant secretary of elementary and secondary education in the Trump administration, spoke with Education Week about the administration's approach to flexibility from federal education requirements.
Mike McCleary/The Bismarck Tribune via AP
Every Student Succeeds Act Q&A Trump's Top K-12 Official: Returning Ed. to States Isn't Just Waiving Rules
Kirsten Baesler spoke with EdWeek about the Education Department's approach to testing and accountability.
Alyson Klein, March 12, 2026
5 min read
Damon Lewis.
"We're going to get to the standards ... but we have to make sure that our kids feel safe enough to come into our building," said Damon Lewis, the principal for Ponus Ridge STEAM Academy in Norwalk, Conn., and the National Middle Level Principal of the Year in 2025.
Allyssa Hynes/NASSP/NASSP via reporter
School Climate & Safety Q&A This Principal Puts Relationships Ahead of Content. Here’s How
A school leader discusses how he and his staff create a safe and supportive learning environment.
Lauraine Langreo, March 6, 2026
5 min read
Dr. Sara Bode (far right) high fives Juri Sleet, 4, after she and Crystal Webb, a kindergarten readiness coordinator talk with Sleet's grandma, Quintina Davis (left) about the literacy screening they gave Sleet at Linden Primary Care Center at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in Columbus, Ohio.
Dr. Sara Bode (far right) high fives Juri Sleet, 4, after she and Crystal Webb, a kindergarten readiness coordinator, talk with Sleet's grandmother, Quintina Davis (left), about the literacy screening they gave Sleet at Linden Primary Care Center at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025, in Columbus, Ohio.
Jessica Phelps/AP
Early Childhood Q&A Assessing Kindergarten Readiness—During Routine Pediatric Checkups
An Ohio pediatric hospital's clinics assess preschoolers' literacy readiness during routine visits.
Elizabeth Heubeck, March 6, 2026
8 min read
HOUSTON, TEXAS - AUGUST 20: Students walk through the hallway to their next class at Cypresswood Elementary in Aldine ISD in Houston, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. Aldine ISD is one of the most improved school districts in the Houston area in 2025 TEA A-F ratings, increasing the district's overall score by 10 points in two years.
Elementary students walk to their next class in the Aldine Independent school district near Houston on Aug. 20, 2025. The district has decided to close 11 schools over the past three years due to a sharp enrollment drop.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images
School & District Management Q&A How a School District Handled 3 Straight Years of Campus Closures
Amid 11 closures, a superintendent shares her advice for leaders in similar situations.
8 min read
Abou Sow, the owner of Prince Abou's Butchery in Queens, shows students from George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School how to separate short rib from rib eye at Essex Kitchen in New York, May 21, 2024.
Digital Promise has a new initiative to identify barriers, design solutions, and scale practices around learner-centered career pathways. Abou Sow, the owner of Prince Abou's Butchery in Queens, shows students from George Westinghouse Career and Technical Education High School how to separate short rib from rib eye at Essex Kitchen in New York, on May 21, 2024.
James Pollard/AP
College & Workforce Readiness Q&A Nonprofit Launches New Career-Readiness Effort, Looks Beyond the 'Linear Path'
Digital Promise has launched an initiative to help create career pathways for students.
Lauraine Langreo, February 23, 2026
4 min read
Students at Glover Middle School in Spokane, Wash. make bookmarks and snowflakes during Falcon Time on Dec. 3, 2025.
Students at Glover Middle School in Spokane, Wash. make bookmarks and snowflakes during Falcon Time on Dec. 3, 2025. The district has sought to encourage students to spend less time on devices.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Student Well-Being & Movement Q&A Cellphones: The 'Most Formidable Adversary' Schools Have Ever Faced
The Spokane schools in Washington paired cellphone restrictions with expanded extracurricular activities.
Alyson Klein, February 20, 2026
5 min read
Illustration of people about to be ensnared by cyber-like bear trap.
DigitalVision Vectors
IT Infrastructure & Management Q&A Hackers Are 'Getting Really Smart.’ How Schools Can Boost Their Defenses
What’s especially worrisome is the ability of cyber criminals to use AI to mimic real people.
Kevin Bushweller, February 17, 2026
4 min read
Illustration of woman shining a flashlight on giant computer servers with alert warning.
DigitalVision Vectors
Privacy & Security Q&A ‘Things That Scare Me and Keep Me Up at Night.' A Tech Leader on AI Threats
AI is now being used to supercharge cyberattacks against schools.
Kevin Bushweller, February 17, 2026
3 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
Matthew Montgomery, the superintendent of Lake Forest schools in Ill., during the AASA conference in Nashville on Feb. 11, 2026.
Matthew Montgomery, the superintendent of Lake Forest schools in Illinois, is pictured at the AASA's 2026 National Conference on Education in Nashville, Tenn., on Feb. 11, 2026. The Lake Forest schools established a decisionmaking matrix that informs when the district speaks out on potentially thorny topics.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
School & District Management Q&A When Should a School District Speak Out on Thorny Issues? One Leader's Approach
A superintendent created a matrix for his district to prevent rash decisions.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, February 11, 2026
5 min read
A cellphone sits on a desk at Ferris High School’s World Language Night on Dec. 3, 2025 in Spokane, WA.
A cellphone sits on a desk at Ferris High School’s World Language Night on Dec. 3, 2025 in Spokane, Wash. A new report shows adults want more protection for children when it comes to social media and AI.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Privacy & Security Q&A 'Not Meant for Children': Adults Favor Age Restrictions on Social Media, AI
A new Common Sense Media report reveals that adults want more protection for their data and the privacy of children.
Jennifer Vilcarino, February 9, 2026
4 min read
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JANUARY 14: Debra McAdams, Executive Director, Department of Exceptional Education at Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools visits Isaiah T. Creswell Middle School Of The Arts in Nashville.
Debra McAdams, executive director of the department of exceptional education at Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, visits Isaiah T. Creswell Middle School of the Arts in Nashville, Tenn., on Jan. 14, 2026.
Brett Carlsen for Education Week
Special Education Q&A Why Inclusive Classrooms Benefit Every Student, Not Just Those With Disabilities
Inclusive practices improve outcomes for all students and require deep system change.
Evie Blad, February 9, 2026
5 min read