Books

Learn more about assigned books students read for school and how teachers use books in their curriculum
Tom Bober
Students read books in the library at Captain Elementary School in Clayton, Mo., on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. School Librarian Tom Bober works with teachers at the school to help instill a culture of reading early in students' lives.
Neeta Satam for Education Week
Reading & Literacy Creating a Culture of Reading for Pleasure Amid a Focus on Basics
School librarians at Missouri's Clayton school district bring a culture of reading to all students.
Elizabeth Heubeck, October 19, 2026
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9 min read
Students read Where the Mountain Meets the Moon in Jaime Johnson’s 6th grade language arts class at Murphy Middle School in Dacula, Georgia on September 22, 2026.
Students read <i>Where the Mountain Meets the Moon</i> in teacher Jaime Johnson’s 6th grade language arts class at Murphy Middle School in Dacula, Georgia on September 22, 2026. Johnson has students do most of the reading in class—to improve fluency, created a shared culture of engagement in books, and above all make sure every student completes the text.
Dustin Chambers for Education Week
Reading & Literacy Getting Middle Schoolers to Do the Reading Is Hard. Can Communal Reading Help?
New classroom methods aim to help kids internalize the message that engaging in print is worth it.
Sarah Schwartz, October 19, 2026
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11 min read
Illustration of children's hands holding books in a circle in the center of the frame.
Illustration by Emily Wright for Education Week
Reading & Literacy Video Want Kids to Read More? An Expert Shares the Low-Cost Tips That Work (Video)
A researcher shares her tips about how to motivate kids to read more.
Stephen Sawchuk, Marvin Joseph & Emily Wright, October 19, 2026
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1 min read
Reading for pleasure, African-American girl reading a book, doing homework at home at her desk. Back to school concept. School distance education, home schooling, diverse people.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty
Reading & Literacy 5 Proven Ways to Get Students to Read More for Fun
Pleasure reading among students is historically low. These strategies can help turn it around.
Elizabeth Heubeck, October 14, 2026
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5 min read
Books sit on shelves in an elementary school library in suburban Atlanta on Aug. 18, 2023. Although not new, book challenges have surged in public schools since 2020, part of a broader backlash to what kids read and discuss in school.
Books sit on shelves in an elementary school library in suburban Atlanta on Aug. 18, 2023. Although not new, book challenges have surged in public schools since 2020, part of a broader backlash to what kids read and discuss in school.
Hakim Wright Sr./AP
Reading & Literacy Book Challenges Are Still Near All-Time Highs, New Data Show
Most efforts to remove books from school libraries are concentrated in a handful of states.
Sarah Schwartz, October 7, 2026
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4 min read
Grid of the book covers that are listed in this article.
School & District Management The Best Books About Leadership These Educators Have Ever Read. What's Yours?
Critical lessons learned from books (and one TV show) about leadership.
Kevin Bushweller, September 30, 2026
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8 min read
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
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4 min read
This photo taken on August 26, 2026, shows a book from the late music icon Dolly Parton's Imagination Library charitable program among flowers left at a memorial to the singer-songwriter, in her hometown of Sevierville, Tennessee. Parton's successful children's book donation project was borne of personal anguish: her own father grew up illiterate in rural Tennessee. The program sends books to children by mail for free, from birth until age five.
A book from the late music icon Dolly Parton's Imagination Library's charitable program is shown at a memorial in her hometown of Sevierville, Tenn., on Aug. 26, 2026. Her organization has donated over 300 million reading materials to children in the United States and internationally since the program started.
Michael Mathes / AFP via Getty Images
Reading & Literacy How Dolly Parton's Imagination Library Will Still Aim to Nurture a 'Love of Reading'
A literacy expert and librarian discuss how access books can stir a lifelong passion among children.
Jennifer Vilcarino, August 31, 2026
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4 min read
The desktop of a student at the Wells Preparatory Elementary School reflects the literature they are studying in Charlotte Owens' fifth grade class on Friday, March 8, 2024, in Chicago. In Chicago Public Schools, the average reading score went up by the equivalent of 70% of a grade level from 2022 to 2023. Math gains were less dramatic, with students still behind almost half a grade level compared to 2019. Chicago officials credit the improvement to changes made possible with nearly $3 billion in federal relief.
The desktop of a student at the Wells Preparatory Elementary School reflects the literature they're studying in Charlotte Owens' fifth grade class on Friday, March 8, 2024, in Chicago. Research supports children reading over the summer—but not specifically assigning reading lists or holding kids accountable for completing them.
Charles Rex Arbogast/AP Photo
Reading & Literacy Is Required Summer Reading a Good Idea? What the Research Says
Studies show benefits for summer reading in general. But little evidence supports assigning specific books.
Sarah Schwartz, July 30, 2026
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4 min read
SummerReading
Illustration by Emily Wright for Education Week + Getty
Reading & Literacy Why Mandatory Summer Reading Doesn’t Work—and What Teachers Prefer Instead
Summer reading shouldn’t be prescriptive, most teachers say.
Olina Banerji, July 23, 2026
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1 min read
A summer scene of sunny blue skies and flowers with several book titles overlayed on top. Titles include: Leaders Eat Last, Power Up Your Math Community, I Love This Place, Just Do This, Rethinking Mathematics and Disability, Intentional Moves: How Skillful Team Leaders Impact Learning, The Kids Who Aren't Okay, Write Beside Them, How Children Succeed, Get Better Faster 2.0, Leadershift, The Digital Delusion, Anxious Generation, and Portrait of a Leader
Education Week + Canva
Professional Development EdWeek’s Ultimate PD Reading List Is Here
EdWeek's crowd-sourced PD reading list is here! See your top book recommendations and ask an author some questions.
Olina Banerji, July 9, 2026
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2 min read
Image of a book with symbols of brain, ideas, time, conversation, connecting ideas.
Laura Baker/Education Week + Canva
Reading & Literacy Opinion How We Can Turn the Page on This Failed Reading Strategy
We can’t raise new readers on just excerpts. It’s time to bring back whole books.
Carol Jago, June 26, 2026
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3 min read
20250205 AMX US NEWS NEW DATABASE LOOK UP K5 1 PO
An educator at Holcomb Elementary School in Oregon City, Ore. works with students on phonics and phonemic awareness on Feb. 5, 2025. New studies point to the mix of factors teachers should consider when selecting texts for students.
Julia Silverman/OregonLive.com via TNS
Reading & Literacy How Should Teachers Select Books for Young Readers? (Hint: It's Not Just Decodability)
Three new studies offer clues about what makes texts easier and harder for young students to read on their own.
Sarah Schwartz, June 12, 2026
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5 min read
Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week
Reading & Literacy Letter to the Editor Classic Literature Has Value in English Classes
A letter to the editor pushes back on the argument that classic literature is boring.
May 29, 2026
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1 min read