Advocacy

Education news, analysis, and opinion about efforts by individuals or groups to influence education or school policy
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos speaks at the Phoenix International Academy in Phoenix on Oct. 15, 2020.
Former U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos was among a phalanx of conservatives addressing K-12 issues at a conference of the Federalist Society.
Matt York/AP
Federal Conservatives Hammer on Hot-Button K-12 Education Issues at Federalist Society Event
The influential legal group discussed critical race theory, gender identity, and Title IX.
Mark Walsh, September 21, 2022
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6 min read
Image of books piled in a locked cell.
DigitalVision Vectors
Equity & Diversity Who's Behind the Escalating Push to Ban Books? A New Report Has Answers
Right-wing activist organizations and Republican lawmakers are pushing to get books about LGBTQ people and racism removed, says PEN America.
Eesha Pendharkar, September 19, 2022
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5 min read
USA flag fractured in pieces over whole flag.
iStock/Getty Images Plus
Standards & Accountability Political Debate Upends Texas Social Studies Standards Process
The Lone Star State is the latest to throw out a set of standards after conservative activists organized in opposition.
Ileana Najarro, September 9, 2022
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7 min read
Amanda Darrow, director of youth, family and education programs at the Utah Pride Center, poses with books that have been the subject of complaints from parents in recent weeks on Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021, in Salt Lake City.
Amanda Darrow, the director of youth, family, and education programs at the Utah Pride Center in Salt Lake City, poses with books that have been the subject of complaints from parents in recent weeks.
Rick Bowmer/AP Photo
Curriculum Is Your School Facing a Book Challenge? These Online Resources May Help
Book challenges are popping up with more frequency. Here are supports for teachers fighting censorship.
Ileana Najarro, September 1, 2022
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5 min read
Enthusiastic people gather at the center of the circle.
hkeita/iStock/Getty
Families & the Community Opinion 5 Ways to Sustain Educational Justice Advocacy
Public education is under attack, and it will take strong collective action to protect it. Here’s how.
Briana Bivens, September 1, 2022
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5 min read
Image of money and a timer.
iStock/Getty
Education Funding District Leaders Plea to Feds: We Need More Time to Spend COVID Aid
Without more flexibility on the 2024 spending deadline, critical programs will be axed, they warn.
Libby Stanford, September 1, 2022
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5 min read
Palm trees are visible around the water tower in Uvalde, Texas, on July 20, 2022.
Palm trees surround the water tower in Uvalde, Texas. The town is the site of one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history.
Jordan Vonderhaar for Education Week
Equity & Diversity In Uvalde, Pain Where There Once Was Pride
Past and present residents of Uvalde, Texas, recount a deeper story of Robb Elementary—one that began years before the May 24 mass shooting.
Ileana Najarro, August 16, 2022
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12 min read
Image of a pending lawsuit.
gesrey/iStock/Getty
Law & Courts Conservative Parent Group Sues School District Over Curriculum That Discusses Race and Gender
The lawsuit, among the first to cite a state law curbing discussions of those topics, could have broad implications for school districts.
Sarah Schwartz, July 26, 2022
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9 min read
Dena Keeling, a former equity officer for the Orange County (NC) School District, now works for the University of North Carolina, which partners with Durham Public Schools for equity work.
Dena Keeling, the former chief equity officer for the school district in Orange County, N.C., now works for the University of North Carolina, which partners with a different K-12 school system on issues of equity.
Kate Medley for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Backlash, Hostility, and Safety Fears: What It's Like to Be a Chief Equity Officer in the Anti-CRT Era
Three equity officers faced scrutiny, criticism, and personal threats, which intensified during the anti-critical race theory push.
Eesha Pendharkar, July 19, 2022
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14 min read
Parkland survivor and activist David Hogg speaks to the crowd during in the second March for Our Lives rally in support of gun control on Saturday, June 11, 2022, in Washington. The rally is a successor to the 2018 march organized by student protestors after the mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Fla.
Parkland survivor and activist David Hogg speaks to the crowd during the second March for Our Lives rally in support of gun control on June 11 in Washington.
Jose Luis Magana/AP
School Climate & Safety Teachers and Students Must Join Forces to Fight Gun Violence, Advocates Say
Student activist David Hogg was among those who called for educators to join in the fight for gun control.
Madeline Will, July 16, 2022
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5 min read
First Lady Jill Biden speaks during the American Federation of Teachers convention, Friday, July 15, 2022, in Boston.
First lady Jill Biden speaks during the American Federation of Teachers convention in Boston.
Michael Dwyer/AP
Federal Use Your 'Teacher Voice,' Jill Biden Urges in a Push for Political Activism
Voting in the midterms is a critical step educators can take to bolster democracy, the first lady and other labor leaders told teachers.
Madeline Will, July 15, 2022
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5 min read
Illustration of a gun with a school and school bus resting on the barrel of the gun. Background full of speech bubbles.
Collage by Gina Tomko/Education Week and Getty
School Climate & Safety Opinion Let’s Act to End School Shootings While We Still Can
Don’t give up on student safety when the spotlight fades on Uvalde, plead 17 principals who led their schools during or following shootings.
Principal Recovery Network, June 10, 2022
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2 min read
A family pays their respects next to crosses bearing the names of the victims of a shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
A family pays their respects next to crosses bearing the names of the victims of the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
Jae C. Hong/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement After Uvalde Shooting, Build Up Current School Mental Health Efforts, Groups Urge Congress
An array of education groups say Congress should build on existing school mental health efforts rather than rushing to create new ones.
Evie Blad, June 9, 2022
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4 min read
Miah Cerrillo, a fourth grade student at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and survivor of the mass shooting appears on a screen during a House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing on gun violence on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 8, 2022.
Miah Cerrillo, a 4th grade student at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and survivor of the mass shooting there, appears in a pre-recorded video during a House committee hearing on gun violence.
Andrew Harnik/AP
School Climate & Safety 'I Don't Want It to Happen Again,' Student Who Played Dead During Shooting Tells Congress
An 11-year-old who survived the shooting at a Uvalde, Texas, school told her story in matter-of-fact detail as Congress debates gun laws.
Evie Blad, June 8, 2022
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5 min read
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