Coronavirus

Education news, analysis, and opinion about COVID-19 and its impact on schools and communities
A hand wearing a blue latex glove lifts a syringe out of a small metal bin labeled "Moderna" that rests on a table next to bins that say "Pfizer" and "flu."
A worker prepares syringes at a free COVID-19 and flu vaccination event in Lynwood, Calif., last month. States are not adding COVID-19 to the list of required immunizations children must receive to attend public school.
Mark J. Terrill/AP
States Plans to Require Student COVID-19 Vaccinations Flopped. Here's Why
Policies mandating COVID-19 vaccines for school attendance have largely failed to materialize three years into the pandemic.
Evie Blad, February 13, 2023
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5 min read
Students wearing masks leave the New Explorations into Science, Technology and Math (NEST+m) school in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan.
Students wearing masks left the New Explorations into Science, Technology and Math (NEST+m) school in Manhattan, New York in December 2021. Some districts have temporarily brought back precautions like masking and testing following the winter break.
Brittainy Newman/AP
Student Well-Being With a New COVID Variant Rising, Some Schools Revert to Former Safety Measures
COVID-19 precautions like testing and masking are back on the table for districts trying to head off a surge in absences.
Evie Blad, January 10, 2023
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4 min read
Image of a student holding a mask and a backpack near the entrance of a classroom.
E+
Student Well-Being What's In, What's Out for Student and Educator Wellness
What 2023 will have in store when it comes to taking care of the physical and social and emotional needs of students and educators.
Alyson Klein & Arianna Prothero, January 4, 2023
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1 min read
Lonely woman seated an hugging her knees while dominated by a very large coronavirus pathogen, looming over her head.
iStock/Getty Images Plus
Teaching Profession How to Help Educators With Long COVID: Do's and Don'ts
A substantial number of educators have COVID symptoms that won't go away. Here's what their peers can do to take care of them.
Mark Lieberman, December 22, 2022
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3 min read
Photo of child holding mask.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
School & District Management As Illnesses Increase, Some Districts Turn Back to Masking
It’s a proactive move intended to keep kids healthy and in school, leaders say. But it's also likely to be controversial.
Caitlynn Peetz, December 19, 2022
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3 min read
educators lost bw 800
Education Week
Teaching Profession Over 1,000 Educators Died From COVID. Here's the Story of One
Over two and a half years, we documented more than 1,300 deaths of educators who died from COVID.
Lesli A. Maxwell, December 19, 2022
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3 min read
Small person being tied to and trapped as they haul an oversized, larger than life pathogen of the COVID-19 virus.
iStock/Getty Images Plus
Teaching Profession Educators With Long COVID: Signs of Healing, But a Long Way to Go
We checked back on long-COVID sufferers we met earlier this year. They expressed frustration and some optimism.
Mark Lieberman, December 13, 2022
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8 min read
Betsy Peterson, a former K-5 technology teacher who was forced to retire early due to symptoms of long Covid, pictured in her home in Maynard, Mass., on November 21, 2022.
Betsy Peterson, a former K-5 technology teacher in Massachusetts, has been struggling with bureaucratic hurdles and debilitating symptom since contracting COVID at the start of the year.
Angela Rowlings for Education Week
Teaching Profession In Their Own Words 'I Just Want to Get Better': A Teacher With Long COVID Retires Earlier Than She'd Hoped
A former Massachusetts teacher shares how long COVID damaged her cognitive abilities and accelerated her retirement.
Mark Lieberman, November 22, 2022
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5 min read
Conceptual image of a COVID-19 dashboard fading out
E+/Getty
School & District Management Districts Are Ditching COVID Dashboards. Here's Why
Some administrators think the data on their COVID dashboards isn't accurate enough as testing and contact tracing wanes.
Caitlynn Peetz, October 11, 2022
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4 min read
An information sign is displayed as a child arrives with her parent to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children 5 to 11-years-old at London Middle School in Wheeling, Ill., Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021.
A child arrives at London Middle School in Wheeling, Ill., in November to receive the COVID-19 vaccine for children 5 to 11. The White House is urging schools to continue hosting vaccine clinics for COVID as well as more-routine shots.
Nam Y. Huh/AP
Student Well-Being Messaging About Vaccines and Boosters: 3 Best Practices for School Districts
Officials expect the COVID-19 vaccine to become as routine as the annual flu shot. Here's what schools can do to prepare families.
Libby Stanford, September 1, 2022
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4 min read
Young child wearing a mask getting a vaccine.
E+/Getty
Student Well-Being What the Research Says Student Absences May Spike Due to Low Vaccination Rates, Weaker Immunity
School leaders should brace for waves of respiratory infections this fall.

Sarah D. Sparks, August 30, 2022
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4 min read
A second grade student is given a COVID-19 rapid test at H.W. Harkness Elementary School in Sacramento, Calif., on Feb. 11, 2022. As a new school year approaches, COVID-19 infections are again on the rise, fueled by highly transmissible variants, filling families with dread. They fear the return of a pandemic scourge: outbreaks that sideline large numbers of teachers, close school buildings and force students back into remote learning.
A 2nd grade student is given a COVID-19 rapid test at H.W. Harkness Elementary School in Sacramento, Calif., in February. The Biden administration plans to send millions of COVID-19 tests to school districts over the 2022-23 school year as part of its COVID-19 response.
Rich Pedroncelli/AP
Student Well-Being White House Outlines Key COVID-Prevention Strategies for This School Year
Prevention best practices focus on testing, vaccinations, and school building ventilation.
Libby Stanford, August 17, 2022
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4 min read
Image of a face mask on a school notebook.
iStock/Getty Images Plus
Teaching Profession From Our Research Center 'Over It': Most Educators Say They Won't Mask This Fall
But teachers are more likely than administrators to keep masking, EdWeek Research Center survey data show.
Madeline Will, August 12, 2022
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7 min read
Image of a cotton swab test.
iStock/Getty
Student Well-Being CDC's Latest COVID Guidance for Schools Ends 'Test-to-Stay,' Quarantine Recommendations
Guidance from the CDC on COVID-19 de-emphasizes some school strategies, like social distancing and screening testing.
Evie Blad, August 11, 2022
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4 min read
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