Caitlynn Peetz Stephens

Melanie Thomas plays with her autistic son, Luke, at their home in St. Cloud, Fla., on March 25, 2025. The local school district implemented changes that would merge more students with disabilities into mainstream classes. A new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that the number of students who have disabilities and spend at least 40% of their school day in general education classes rose about 25% between the 2012-13 and 2023-24 school years.

Stephen Dowell/Orlando Sentinel via TNS

Special Education More Students With Disabilities Are in General Education Classes. How's That Working?

Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, July 14, 2026

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1 min read

Social worker Mary Schmauss, right, greets students as they arrive for school on Oct. 1, 2024, at Algodones Elementary School in Algodones, N.M. A new report says a deep look at attendance data could point schools toward strategies that could help them lower stubbornly high chronic absenteeism.

Roberto E. Rosales/AP Photo

Student Absenteeism The Data Hiding in Plain Sight That Could Help Schools Fight Chronic Absenteeism

Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, July 9, 2026

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4 min read

Asia Screen, special education compliance monitor, greets a student at Edward T. Steel School on the first day of school on Aug. 25, 2025, in Philadelphia. A new report from Congress' nonpartisan watchdog finds students with disabilities are spending more time in mainstream classrooms, though the progress toward achieving that goal in federal law varied by state.

Jessica Griffin/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP

Special Education Students With Disabilities Are Spending More Time in Mainstream Classes

Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, July 7, 2026

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6 min read

People stand at the counter of a pharmacy in the Queens borough of New York City, on Nov. 18, 2025. School district leaders in a new survey identified rising prescription drug costs as one leading cause for rising health insurance premiums that are straining district budgets.

Anthony Behar/Sipa via AP

Budget & Finance Rising Healthcare Costs Force School District Budget Tradeoffs

Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, June 26, 2026

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4 min read

Alberto Carvalho, then the Los Angeles Unified School District superintendent, listens to parents of students at a Los Angeles high school on March 30, 2022. Carvalho resigned from his position Sunday night under the cloud of a failed AI chatbot initiative and an FBI investigation.

Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG

School & District Management Lessons Learned About Bold Tech Initiatives From the LAUSD Chief's Departure

Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, Arianna Prothero & Jennifer Vilcarino, June 23, 2026

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8 min read

School counselors Kendall Gray, left, and Gala Davis catch up and talk in Davis' office at South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas on March 6, 2025. As interest in career education rises and schools expand their career and technical education offerings, a new report argues schools lack the staff needed to help students with career counseling that points students toward realistic careers.

Liz Rymarev via TNS

College & Workforce Readiness Schools Are Expanding Career Ed. Are They Guiding Students to the Right Careers?

Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, June 18, 2026

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5 min read

Rudzhan Nagiev/iStock/Getty

Recruitment & Retention Why Teachers Say They Leave the Profession—Or Say They Want to Quit

Caitlynn Peetz Stephens & Marina Whiteleather, June 17, 2026

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1 min read

Illustration by Education Week + Getty

School & District Management Closing a School? Don't Expect to Save Money, a New Study Warns

Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, June 11, 2026

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5 min read

Getty + Canva

Artificial Intelligence Why This Large District Used AI to Simplify Its Org Chart

Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, June 10, 2026

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3 min read

People ride an e-bike in Hermosa Beach, Calif. School districts are developing new policies as students' use of e-bikes rise, as do related crashes and traffic problems.

Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

School & District Management More Kids Are Riding E-Bikes, Causing Headaches for Schools and Hospital Visits

Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, June 3, 2026

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5 min read

An e-bike for sale at a store in Glenview, Ill., on July 20, 2022. More students have been riding the motorized two-wheelers to school, leading school districts to establish restrictions on who can ride them and institute safety training.

Nam Y. Huh/AP

School Climate & Safety FAQs: What Schools Should Know About E-Bikes

Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, June 3, 2026

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4 min read

A student, 16, works on a pre-calculus problem during a summer program at Northeastern University in Boston on Aug. 1, 2023. A new report by two Stanford University researchers points to a range of trends in U.S. education that complicate the narrative of an education system in decline.

Reba Saldanha/AP

Student Achievement Are U.S. Schools in Decline? Two Researchers Question That Narrative

Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, May 29, 2026

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4 min read

A school bus driver in Westminster, Vt., makes sure everything is operating properly on Aug. 22, 2025, as she gets ready for the upcoming school year. School districts across the country continue to struggle with bus driver shortages, and many educators say they have to take time away from their core duties to help out with transportation.

Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP

School & District Management Schools Hope They Can Replenish Their Bus Driver Ranks This Summer

Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, May 27, 2026

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5 min read

Prices on display at a gas station in Wheeling, Ill., on May 14, 2026. Most school districts in a new survey say they're over budget for fuel costs as prices, particularly for diesel needed to keep school buses running, remain high as the Iran war continues.

Nam Y. Huh/AP

School & District Management High Diesel Prices and Schools: How Districts Are Keeping Buses on the Road

Caitlynn Peetz Stephens & Maya Riser-Kositsky, May 20, 2026

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2 min read

School buses are parked at the Dayton Public Transportation center on Thursday, August 21, 2025 in Dayton, Ohio. School districts are already feeling the strain on their budgets as they buy diesel at elevated prices for their school buses.

Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos/AP

School & District Management Schools Brace for Impact as Fuel Prices Climb

Mark Lieberman & Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, May 19, 2026

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6 min read

DigitalVision Vectors

Artificial Intelligence Students Will Take the Lead on Crafting a Model AI Policy for Schools

Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, April 30, 2026

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4 min read

Preschool students run on the new cushioned rubber surface while others use the double slide at Taft Early Learning Center in Uxbridge, Mass., on March 12, 2025. In Oklahoma, elementary schools will have to provide 40 minutes of recess daily starting this fall.

Brett Phelps for Education Week

Student Well-Being & Movement 40 Minutes of Recess Is Now the Law in This State

Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, April 30, 2026

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3 min read

Images courtesy of thekid.maddie

School & District Management Can Student Influencers Help This District Rebuild Enrollment?

Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, April 29, 2026

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5 min read

Law enforcement kept an eye on proceedings at the Maywood Academy High School graduation ceremony at East Los Angeles College in Monterey Park, Calif., on June 12, 2025. Graduation ceremonies pose a unique logistical challenge for school districts, with many considerations to take into account.

Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty

School Climate & Safety Steps to Follow for a Smooth, Successful, and Safe Graduation Ceremony

Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, April 23, 2026

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5 min read

A New York City middle school holds a class portrait session on May 5, 2021. The school photo giant Lifetouch this past winter found itself swept up in viral social media rumors about an alleged connection to the financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Michael Loccisano/Getty

School & District Management Q&A How a School Photo CEO Dealt With a Jeffrey Epstein Conspiracy Theory

Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, April 21, 2026

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7 min read

Caitlynn Peetz Stephens

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