District Strategies

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Naomi Tolentino leads a meeting on student attendance at J.C. Harmon High School on Jan. 16, 2025 in Kansas City, Kansas.
District Dilemmas – Solutions for Common District Leader Challenges
District leaders around the country share how they address some of the common challenges they experience.
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Signs reading "NO ICE ACCESS" taped to the front doors of Valley View Elementary School, on Feb. 3, 2026, in Columbia Heights, Minn.
Signs taped to the front doors of Valley View Elementary School declare that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents can't enter the building, on Feb. 3, 2026, in Columbia Heights, Minn. District leaders across the country are now regularly requesting emergency contact information from families in the wake of heightened immigration enforcement.
Liam James Doyle/AP
School & District Management ICE Raids Are Making Emergency Contacts Essential for Schools
Educators say schools can help families plan for what happens if parents are detained by ICE.
Ileana Najarro, July 16, 2026
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5 min read
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Davontez Johnson, right, ties preschooler Kodi's shoes, on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, at Dorothy I. Height Elementary School in Baltimore. Early educators’ growing concern centers on too much access to technology from a young age.
Stephanie Scarbrough/AP Photo
Early Childhood Flipping the Script on Tech Equity in Early Education
This urban majority-minority district plans to limit young students' access to technology.
Elizabeth Heubeck, July 10, 2026
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5 min read
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Nintendo Switches, like the one the teenage boy is using above, are being used in the Denver Public Schools in an esports program designed to improve student engagement. Education Week recently talked to one of the educators involved in that program, who gave a presentation about it at the ISTELive 26 + ASCD Annual Conference in Orlando, Fla., June 28 to July 1.
Lindsey Wasson/AP Photo
Classroom Technology Q&A How This District Is Using Esports to Increase Student Engagement
An education technology specialist discusses an esports development program she created.
Lauraine Langreo, July 9, 2026
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4 min read
Chronic Absenteeism Indigenous Students 24276591105046
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
A granular look at attendance data could help schools fight mounting absences, a new report says.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, July 9, 2026
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4 min read
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School & District Management Whitepaper 4 Proven Ways Public Schools Are Reversing Enrollment Declines
Enrollment stability is a result of authentic school transformation. This paper presents four strategies successful schools have adopted to align their purpose with family priorities, build durable skills, and achieve enrollment resilience.
Content provided by Participate Learning
Tight crop of a white computer keyboard with a cyan blue button labeled "AI"
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School & District Management Staffing, Mentoring, Strategy: Can AI Solve Big Problems at School?
One of the sessions at the ISTE conference focused using AI for strategic questions facing schools.
Arianna Prothero, June 30, 2026
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5 min read
People stand at the counter of a pharmacy in the Queens borough of New York City, on Nov. 18, 2025. President Trump has made certain drug prices drop and has made deals with pharmaceutical companies to continue to keep prices down.
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
The growing cost of such a large expense in school district budgets requires tradeoffs, a new survey shows.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, June 26, 2026
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4 min read
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A staff member from a district school carts away food and household items to donate to student families in St. Paul, Minn., February 23, 2026. Across the Twin cities, teachers and school administrators adapted to support families affected by heightened immigration enforcement.
Tim Evans for Education Week
Families & the Community As ICE Activity Rises, Schools Focus on Family Support
Since 2025, school districts have quickly adapted to shifting effects from federal immigration enforcement.
Ileana Najarro, June 22, 2026
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7 min read
Image of an organizational chart with "prompt."
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Artificial Intelligence Why This Large District Used AI to Simplify Its Org Chart
The school system's organizational chart evolved organically for decades. Can AI bring cohesion?
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, June 10, 2026
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3 min read
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Student Achievement Whitepaper Driving Literacy Outcomes Through Effective Implementation
This practical guide helps district and school leaders identify and address implementation challenges, prioritize what matters most using...
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Artificial Intelligence Whitepaper AI in K-12: From Permission to Purpose
AI is already showing up across district workflows — often faster than guidance, alignment, or visibility. Explore new insights from 1,05...
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Students return from the Ephrata, Pa. district's "maker bus" to their classrooms at Fulton Elementary School as teacher Joel Bischoff leads them on April 29, 2026. The Ephrata district parks the mobile makerspace at each of its elementary schools a few weeks at a time to allow students to complete hands-on projects. The district has oriented its teaching around projects that allow students to demonstrate skills like empathy and creativity alongside content knowledge.
Scott Lewis for Education Week
Curriculum See the Retired School Bus That High Schoolers Turned Into a Mobile Makerspace
In a Pennsylvania district, students use a bus specially outfitted for them to work on creative projects.
Evie Blad, June 4, 2026
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1 min read
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Special Education Webinar Hidden Costs of Special Ed Vacancies: Solutions for Your District
When provider vacancies hit, students feel it first. Hear what district leaders are doing to keep IEP-related services on track.
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HERMOSA BEACH, CA-NOVEMBER 10, 2023, 2023: People ride an e-bike on the Strand in Hermosa Beach. In Hermosa Beach, it's against city code to use electric power on the Strand, but many e-bike riders do so anyway.
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
Districts develop new policies as students' e-bike use spikes—alongside crashes and traffic problems.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, June 3, 2026
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5 min read