Coronavirus

Education news, analysis, and opinion about COVID-19 and its impact on schools and communities
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
A partially unzipped backpack contains a face mask, pencils, scissors, and hand sanitizer for the return to school during the COVID-19 pandemic.
iStock/Getty Images Plus
Student Well-Being As Students Head Back to School, COVID Protocols Wane
Many districts have dropped one of the most visible and contentious responses to the virus: mandatory universal masking.
Evie Blad, August 4, 2022
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8 min read
Long COVID Hourglass Illness Time
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
School & District Management From Our Research Center Survey Shows Extent of Long COVID in Schools
Lingering symptoms of the virus are among the challenges school communities confront in recovering from the pandemic.
Evie Blad, July 26, 2022
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2 min read
Close up of a woman's hands holding rapid covid -19 test with a positive result.
School & District Management Schools Are Ditching COVID Leave Policies, Even as the Virus Surges Again
Numerous districts in recent months have abandoned policies preventing employees from draining sick time for COVID absences.
Mark Lieberman, July 26, 2022
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6 min read
Jimbo Jackson
Jimbo Jackson, the long time principal of Fort Braden Elementary School in Tallahassee, Fla., died May 28, 2022, after first contracting COVID-19 in 2020.
courtesy of Leon County Public Schools
School & District Management Obituary Principal Who Criticized His State's Return-to-School Mandate Dies From Long COVID
Jimbo Jackson was remembered as a man "who always had time for children."
Apoorvaa Mandar Bichu, July 19, 2022
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3 min read
Illustration of a young boy holding his hands against his temples with his eyes close. Clouds and virus pathogens circling around him.
iStock/Getty Images Plus
Student Well-Being Thousands of Students Will Face Long COVID. Schools Need to Plan Now
The issue may not be on educators' radar screens, but should be.
Catherine Gewertz, June 20, 2022
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7 min read
Conceptual illustration of a sitting child casting a long COVID-19 shadow
Vanessa Solis/Education Week and fedrelena/iStock
Student Well-Being What the Research Says COVID Linked to Dramatic Increase in Children's Risk of Mental Health Problems
Kids may show less-severe COVID-19 symptoms than adults, but a new study suggests it may triple their risk of mental illness.
Sarah D. Sparks, June 9, 2022
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3 min read
Image of young boy wearing a mask getting a bandage applied after a vaccine.
E+
Student Well-Being What the Research Says COVID Vaccination Rates for Kids Are Stalling. What It Means for Schools
What's a school to do when just 1 in 3 elementary students are on track to be fully vaccinated by the end of the school year?
Sarah D. Sparks, May 24, 2022
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5 min read
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