District Strategies

Pencil Eraser Erasing Drawn Figure
AndreyPopov/iStock/Getty
School & District Management Teacher Layoffs Are Mounting. How Districts Can Soften the Blow
Layoffs are coming in districts large and small. Here's how district leaders can handle them.
Caitlynn Peetz & Mark Lieberman, March 13, 2024
8 min read
Grading reform lead art
Illustration by Laura Baker/Education Week with E+ and iStock/Getty
Assessment The 5 Burning Questions for Districts on Grading Reforms
As districts rethink grading policies, they consider the purpose of grades and how to make them more reliable measures of learning.
Evie Blad, March 6, 2024
5 min read
Meghan Kelly, a project manager with the Whirlpool Corp., works with students at Benton Harbor Charter School in Benton Harbor, Mich., on Dec. 3, 2019., to develop apps as part of the goIT computer science program.
Meghan Kelly, a project manager with the Whirlpool Corp., works with students at Benton Harbor Charter School in Benton Harbor, Mich., on Dec. 3, 2019., to develop apps as part of the goIT computer science program.
Don Campbell/The Herald-Palladium via AP
Equity & Diversity What the Research Says Suburban Segregation Is Rising. What States and Districts Can Do
New research finds existing policy levers have failed to stop rising suburban racial segregation.
Sarah D. Sparks, March 5, 2024
4 min read
Close crop of a teacher's hands grading a stack of papers with a red marker.
E+
Assessment As They Revamp Grading, Districts Try to Improve Consistency, Prevent Inflation
Districts have embraced bold changes to make grading systems more consistent, but some say they've inflated grades and sent mixed signals.
Evie Blad, February 29, 2024
10 min read
Teamwork and leadership.
DigitalVision Vectors
School & District Management How Central Offices Can Lay the Groundwork for Tutoring in Schools
From data mining to making master schedules, principals need central offices’ help to implement tutoring.
Olina Banerji, February 27, 2024
5 min read
Illustration of a warning symbol.
Nuthawut Somsuk/iStock/Getty
School & District Management What the Research Says Most Schools Have Early-Warning Systems. Some Kids Are Still Getting Lost
A study finds that one such system prevented absenteeism among some students but not others.
Sarah D. Sparks, February 27, 2024
4 min read
Vector illustration of a counselor or psychologist holding a clipboard in one hand and an umbrella above in the other over an anxious woman who is tucking her head into her knees with a tangled line hovering above her head.
iStock/Getty
Student Well-Being A Mental Health Screening Saved Students’ Lives in This District
A district that deployed a universal mental health screening was able to intervene immediately with five students who had suicide plans.
Caitlynn Peetz, February 23, 2024
4 min read
Kansas City Chiefs safety Juan Thornhill celebrates with fans during a victory celebration and parade in Kansas City, Mo., on Feb. 15, 2023, following the Chiefs' win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL Super Bowl 57 football game.
Kansas City Chiefs safety Juan Thornhill celebrates with young fans during a victory celebration and parade in Kansas City, Mo., on Feb. 15, 2023. The Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles at Super Bowl LVII, and several districts in the region canceled school the day of the parade.
Colin E. Braley/AP
School & District Management Super Bowl Districts Face Super-Sized Call: Should They Cancel Class for a Victory Parade?
Concerned about absenteeism, district leaders face tough decisions about days off for community events.
Evie Blad, February 8, 2024
5 min read
Aleesia Johnson, superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools, left, visits classrooms at James Whitcomb Riley School 43 on Jan. 16, 2024 in Indianapolis.
Superintendent Aleesia Johnson visits with a student at James Whitcomb Riley School 43 in Indianapolis.
Kaiti Sullivan for Education Week
School & District Management Leader To Learn From With a Steady Hand, a Superintendent Guides Her District Through Big Changes
When Aleesia Johnson became superintendent of the Indianapolis schools, Indiana’s largest district needed much more than a patch job.
Sarah D. Sparks, February 5, 2024
9 min read
Photo illustration of a man walking through a maze with different color doors, some open, some closed. The concept of difficulty, too many options in a huge maze.
iStock/Getty
School & District Management How Do You Decide Which Schools to Close? Inside 2 Districts' Thinking
School district leaders weighed enrollment and staffing trends, population patterns, and logistical and sentimental concerns.
Mark Lieberman, January 26, 2024
6 min read
Teacher using laptop at her desk while group of students are leaving the classroom in blurred motion.
E+
School & District Management Q&A Some Districts Are Actually Growing. How One Is Managing an Enrollment Boom
The challenges range from ensuring there are enough teachers to understanding the educational backgrounds of incoming students.
Caitlynn Peetz, January 25, 2024
6 min read
Composite of worn chain link fence with lock, caution school crossing sign and dilapidated school in background.
Illustration by Liz Yap/Education Week (Images: iStock/Getty)
School & District Management Pressure to Close Schools Is Ramping Up. What Districts Need to Know
Falling enrollments and tight budgets are prompting communities to consider school closures. But doing so is never simple.
Mark Lieberman, January 24, 2024
8 min read
Kiara Unger-Fields, 4, of Johnstown, Pa., hangs on as she rides an inflatable tube pulled by her pup Neo, a Rottweiler, at Roxbury Park in Johnstown, Pa., on Jan. 11, 2024. Unger-Fields was accompanied at the park by her father Roshon Fields.
Kiara Unger-Fields, 4, of Johnstown, Pa., hangs on as she rides an inflatable tube pulled by her pup Neo, a Rottweiler, at Roxbury Park in Johnstown, Pa., on Jan. 11, 2024. Despite initial thoughts that remote learning would spell the end of snow days, many schools reverted to them in 2024 during cold, snowy weather.
Thomas Slusser/The Tribune-Democrat via AP
School & District Management In: Cocoa. Out: Chromebooks. E-Learning Didn't Kill Old-Fashioned Snow Days, Educators Say
Remember when virtual learning was going to put paid to snow days? These educators don't, either.
Evie Blad, January 19, 2024
5 min read
Classroom without students
Yue/iStock/Getty
School & District Management As Enrollment Declines, Districts Consider Closing Schools
Districts across the country are confronting a long-term decline in enrollments that has accelerated in recent years.
Caitlynn Peetz, January 8, 2024
5 min read