Back to School

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the start of the school year

Reading List

Cheerful young ethnic, elementary school teacher gives a high five to a student before class.
EdWeek's Back-to-School Reading List
Explore some of our most popular and powerful stories, selected by our editors as back-to-school must reads. Update date: August 5, 2026
View Reading List
Collage-style illustration of a teacher figure high-fiving a student at a table where she is working with multiple students. The background shows another teacher helping a student, a whiteboard with lessons and a view of desks in a classroom.
Illustration by Emily Wright for Education Week + Canva
School & District Management Opinion Principals, Don't Start the School Year Without This Commitment
Are you spending your time on what matters most for students? Here’s how to take stock.
Rebecca A. Huggins, August 11, 2026
•
3 min read
0726 Opinion MentalLoad
Illustration by Emily Wright for Education Week
Teaching Opinion How to Lighten the Mental Load of Teaching: 4 Teacher-Tested Steps
A veteran teacher offers efficient approaches to make the new school year less stressful.
Katherine Efremkin, July 30, 2026
•
5 min read
Illustration of a man pushing four balls larger than himself up a hill. One of the balls depicts money, one shows AI, one shows math problems and books, and the fourth depicts scribbles and doodled shapes.
Illustration by Robert Neubecker for Education Week
Special Report New School Year Brings Big Challenges
From student misbehavior to funding uncertainty, a lot is weighing on educators’ minds.
July 29, 2026
Untitled design (2)
Student Well-Being & Movement Opinion First Days of School at Any Age Never Lose Their Power
At 62, I started graduate school the same day my grandson began kindergarten, proof that curiosity and growth never retire.
Michael Nelson, September 25, 2025
•
3 min read
Principal and teacher walking through a school hallway.
E+/Getty
School & District Management How Principals Can Help Teachers in a New School Year
Teachers say more classroom autonomy is key to boosting morale and job satisfaction.
Jennifer Vilcarino & Edér Del Prado, September 2, 2025
•
1 min read
A group of teachers and school leaders at the starting line of a new school year full of opportunities.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
School & District Management Opinion ‘Happy New Year’: How to Embrace the Return to School
Every September, teachers and school leaders get something not many other professions offer: a fresh start.
Sarah Berman, September 2, 2025
•
3 min read
Illustration of human with an alarm clock head in center of a circle formed from schedule pictograms on background of waved rays.
iStock/Getty
School & District Management The One Thing Superintendents Want to Change This Year
We asked superintendents at the start of a new school year. Here's what they said.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, August 26, 2025
•
1 min read
Image of two heads and symbols of bright ideas and growth.
iStock/Getty
Teaching Here's What Most Teachers Prioritize on Day One of a New School Year
This back-to-school advice is also supported by research.
Elizabeth Heubeck, August 14, 2025
•
2 min read
Simple flat silhouettes of common school items including apple, book, pencil, school bus, and chemistry flask.
Getty
Teaching Opinion The Best (and Worst) Teacher Advice for Starting the New School Year
How teachers are reconnecting with their joy of teaching, counseling new colleagues, and decorating their classrooms.
Mary Hendrie, August 12, 2025
•
5 min read
Student in a school hall opening their locker.
E+
School Climate & Safety Q&A How Peer Mentors Can Ease the Transitions to Middle and High School
Advice on how to build peer mentor program.
Elizabeth Heubeck, September 4, 2024
•
6 min read
Close up of a man's hands with shopping cart counting money in a store.
iStock/Getty
Teaching Profession Educators Prepare Early, Spend Their Own Money for New School Year
As back-to-school looms, educators often spend unpaid time and personal funds to prepare for the year ahead.
Annie Goldman, August 8, 2024
•
5 min read
Photo of principal greeting student at school bus.
E+
Student Well-Being & Movement What Principals Can Do to Make Sure Students Feel Welcome at School
Student anxiety and absenteeism are top of mind for principals as schools reopen.
Olina Banerji, August 5, 2024
•
7 min read
A teacher gives a lesson on the first day of school at a cadet lyceum in Kyiv, Ukraine on Sept. 4, 2023.
Young cadets sing the national anthem during a ceremony on the first day of school at a cadet lyceum in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sept. 4, 2023.
Efrem Lukatsky/AP
Federal Photos PHOTOS: Take a Round-the-World Tour of the Return to School
Here's what back to school looks like in classrooms around the globe.
Jaclyn Borowski, September 15, 2023
•
1 min read
Illustration of an optimistic looking principal smiling outside of a school with plus signs floating above the students.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
School & District Management Opinion How Principals Can Start School With a Smile
Here are five ways to stay positive and focus on morale this year.
S. Kambar Khoshaba, August 29, 2023
•
4 min read