Books

Learn more about assigned books students read for school and how teachers use books in their curriculum
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Reading & Literacy Opinion How Graphic Novels Can Bring Joy to Reading Instruction
Here's how teachers are using comic books and nonfiction graphic novels in literacy instruction.
Larry Ferlazzo, March 3, 2026
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6 min read
Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week
Reading & Literacy Letter to the Editor Reading Instruction Must Use Whole Books
Reading passages serve a purpose but don't compare to reading the whole book, says this letter.
February 27, 2026
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1 min read
Students attend Bow Memorial School in Bow, N.H. on Oct. 29, 2025. Bow Memorial School is a middle school that has developed a systematic approach to addressing foundational reading gaps in middle school students.
Bow Memorial School in Bow, N.H., pictured here on Oct. 29, 2025, has developed a systematic approach to addressing foundational reading gaps in middle school students. Teachers who work with older readers say they often have a hard time finding texts that support these students' needs at grade level without feeling babyish or patronizing.
Sophie Park for Education Week
Reading & Literacy Few Books Are Tailored for Older Struggling Readers: 'It's an Absolute Wasteland'
Teachers and researchers identify three barriers to finding reading materials that meet these students' needs—and how to overcome them.
Sarah Schwartz, February 24, 2026
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6 min read
Books line shelves in a high school library Monday, October 1, 2018, in Brownsville, Texas. The Brownsville Independent School District announced having been awarded a multi-million-dollar grant to revitalize libraries to encourage reading by school-aged children to improve literacy skills. It was stated in the meeting that money could also be used to replace aging furniture in some of the district's libraries.
Texas is poised to be the first state to require that every student read the same texts—including, controversially, selections from the Bible and several Christian parables. Books line shelves in a high school library on Oct. 1, 2018, in Brownsville, Texas.
Jason Hoekema/The Brownsville Herald via AP
Reading & Literacy Is the Bible Part of the U.S. Literary Canon? Texas Reading List Sparks Debate
Texas may soon be the first state in the country to mandate that every student read the same texts.
Sarah Schwartz, January 29, 2026
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6 min read
Composite trend artwork sketch image 3d photo collage of huge black white silhouette hand hold book immerse yourself in new world fantasy imagination inspiration.
iStock/Getty
Reading & Literacy Opinion Stop Assigning Boring Books in English Class
Many teens and young adults aren’t reading for pleasure anymore. School isn’t helping.
Erich May, January 16, 2026
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4 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 Salt Lake City on Dec. 16, 2021. The wave of attempted book banning and restrictions continues to intensify, the American Library Association reported Friday. Numbers for 2022 already approach last year's totals, which were the highest in decades.
Eight states have passed legislation restricting school officials from pulling books out of school libraries for partisan or ideological reasons. In the past five years, many such challenges have focused on books about race or LGBTQ+ people. Amanda Darrow, the 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 Salt Lake City on Dec. 16, 2021. (Utah is not one of the eight states.)
Rick Bowmer/AP
States States Are Banning Book Bans. Will It Work?
Approved legislation aims to stop school libraries from removing books for partisan reasons.
Sarah Schwartz, January 7, 2026
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5 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Reading & Literacy Opinion How Should Teachers Deal With Problematic Language in Literature?
Offensive prose does show up in books. Ignoring it doesn't help students.
Larry Ferlazzo, November 4, 2025
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10 min read
Timothy Rimke reads during Casey Cuny's English class at Valencia High School in Santa Clarita, Calif., on Aug. 27, 2025.
Timothy Rimke reads during Casey Cuny's English class at Valencia High School in Santa Clarita, Calif., on Aug. 27, 2025. Some observers of English/language arts curriculum fear that several growing in popularity subordinate the reading of novels and whole texts to shorter excerpts, but the evidence is still sketchy.
Jae C. Hong/AP
Reading & Literacy Novels vs. Excerpts: What to Know About a Big Reading Debate
Here are three core things to keep in mind about new evidence on the texts used in reading classes.
Sarah Schwartz, October 27, 2025
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3 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Teaching Opinion The Books That Teachers Say Made Them Better at Their Job
Educators have taken inspiration through books dealing with a diverse range of subject.
Larry Ferlazzo, October 27, 2025
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12 min read
Handwritten excerpts of student writing
Laura Patranella's 5th graders write verses in response to <i>Love That Dog</i>, by Sharon Creech. One of Patranella's English/language arts unit features that novel alongside the poems that inspired it.
Illustration by Vanessa Solis/Education Week. Student writing courtesy of Laura Patranella
Reading & Literacy Are Books Really Disappearing From American Classrooms?
Measuring whether "whole texts" are vanishing in favor of excerpts isn't clear cut.
Sarah Schwartz, October 13, 2025
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17 min read
Illustration of bust of Shakespeare surrounded by books.
Chris Whetzel for Education Week
Curriculum Shakespeare, Other Classics Still Dominate High School English
Despite efforts to diversify curricula, teachers still regularly assign many of the same classic works, a new survey finds.
Sarah Schwartz, July 24, 2025
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6 min read
Demonstrators are seen outside the Supreme Court as oral arguments are heard in the case of Mahmoud v. Taylor on April 22, 2025. The case contends that forcing students to participate in LGBTQ+ learning material violates First Amendment rights to exercise religious beliefs.
Demonstrators are seen outside the Supreme Court as oral arguments are heard in the case of <i>Mahmoud</i> v. <i>Taylor</i> on April 22, 2025. The justices ruled that parents can exercise their religious right to have their children excused from LGBTQ-themed lessons, which has prompted new logistical and practical concerns among teachers.
Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP
Teaching Profession Teachers Face New Burdens After Supreme Court LGBTQ+ Opt-Out Ruling
A Supreme Court ruling allowing parents to opt their children out of certain lessons could add new challenges for teachers.
Elizabeth Heubeck, July 8, 2025
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6 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Teaching Opinion 7 Books That Are Inspiring Teachers Right Now
Teachers share books that have transformed the way they think about instruction.
Larry Ferlazzo, July 7, 2025
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9 min read
Demonstrators are seen outside the Supreme Court as oral arguments were heard in Mahmoud v. Taylor on April 22, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The case contends that forcing students to participate in LGBTQ+ learning material violates First Amendment rights to exercise religious beliefs.
Demonstrators stand outside the Supreme Court as oral arguments are heard in <i>Mahmoud</i> v. <i>Taylor</i> on April 22, 2025, in Washington. The case contends that forcing students to be exposed to LGBTQ+ curricular material violates parents' First Amendment rights to exercise their religious beliefs.
Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images
Law & Courts Supreme Court Sides With Parents in LGBTQ+ Curriculum Opt-Out Case
The justices ruled in a case on whether parents with religious objections may excuse their children from some curriculum materials.
Mark Walsh, June 27, 2025
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7 min read
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