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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Superintendent Mary Catherine Reljac walks around the exhibition hall of the National Conference on Education in Nashville, on Feb. 12, 2026. Reljac is the superintendent for Fox Chapel Area School District in Pennsylvania.
Mary Catherine Reljac walks around the exhibition hall of the National Conference on Education in Nashville on Feb. 12, 2026. Reljac, the superintendent for Fox Chapel Area school district in Pennsylvania, is working to combat chronic absenteeism through data analysis and tailored student support.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Student Absenteeism Q&A Solving Chronic Absenteeism Isn't 'One-Size-Fits-All,' This Leader Says
Proactive, sensitive communication with families can make a big difference.
Jennifer Vilcarino, February 12, 2026
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7 min read
Chase Christensen, superintendent of Sheridan County School District #3 in Wyoming, teamed up with other district leaders in the state to get rid of a barrier to work-based learning. Students can now meet an English course requirement while completing an internship. He presented on the strategy at a conference hosted by AASA, the School Superintendents Association, on Feb. 12, 2026.
Chase Christensen, superintendent of Sheridan County School District #3, presents a panel at the National Conference of Education in Nashville, on Feb. 12, 2026.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness In These Districts, Students Get an English Credit for On-the-Job Internships
Districts must get creative about addressing barriers to student internships, leaders said.
Evie Blad, February 12, 2026
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5 min read
Pedestrians cross a nearly empty street in downtown Bentonville, Arkansas, U.S., on Thursday, May 28, 2020. The annual Walmart Inc. shareholder celebration attracts a varied crowd who pour money into the hotels, bars and restaurants in and around the retailer's hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas. The Covid-19 pandemic forced Walmart to pivot to a virtual gathering on June 3.
Pedestrians cross a nearly empty street in downtown Bentonville, Ark., on May 28, 2020. The superintendent there has found strategies to recruit and retain educators, including child care and affordable housing for staff.
Terra Fondriest/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Recruitment & Retention District Leaders Want to Retain Talent. They Need to Look Beyond Just Compensation
There are steps K-12 leaders can take to keep teachers and principals in the leadership pipeline, administrators say.
Jennifer Vilcarino, February 11, 2026
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6 min read
Teachers utilize a team teaching model, known as the Next Education Workforce Model, at Stevenson Elementary School in Mesa, Ariz., on Jan 30, 2025.
Teachers utilize a team-teaching model that spreads out teacher expertise and facilitates collaboration at Stevenson Elementary School in Mesa, Ariz., on Jan 30, 2025. Some of those models depend on having coaches and interventionists—positions that risk getting cut during lean budget times.
Adriana Zehbrauskas for Education Week
Teaching Profession K-12 Budgets Are Tightening. Teacher-Leadership Roles Are at Risk
The positions expanded with pandemic-aid funding. With money tighter, how can districts keep them?
Sarah D. Sparks, February 9, 2026
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5 min read
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JANUARY 14: Debra McAdams, Executive Director, Department of Exceptional Education at Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools visits Isaiah T. Creswell Middle School Of The Arts in Nashville.
Debra McAdams, executive director of the department of exceptional education at Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, visits Isaiah T. Creswell Middle School of the Arts in Nashville, Tenn., on Jan. 14, 2026.
Brett Carlsen for Education Week
Special Education Leader To Learn From How Nashville Dismantled Segregated Classrooms for Students With Disabilities
Nashville overhauled special education to prioritize inclusion, and changed school culture.
Evie Blad, February 9, 2026
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8 min read
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JANUARY 14: Debra McAdams, Executive Director, Department of Exceptional Education at Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools visits Isaiah T. Creswell Middle School Of The Arts in Nashville.
Debra McAdams, executive director of the department of exceptional education at Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, visits Isaiah T. Creswell Middle School of the Arts in Nashville, Tenn., on Jan. 14, 2026.
Brett Carlsen for Education Week
Special Education Q&A Why Inclusive Classrooms Benefit Every Student, Not Just Those With Disabilities
Inclusive practices improve outcomes for all students and require deep system change.
Evie Blad, February 9, 2026
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5 min read
Elizabeth Stringer-Nunley, the English Learner Lead for Galax City Public Schools, meets with the Student Assistance Team for Galax High School on Monday morning.
Elizabeth Stringer-Nunley, the English-learner lead for Galax City Public Schools, meets with colleagues at Galax High School in January 2026.
Kate Medley for Education Week
English Learners Q&A Mentors Can Prevent English Learners From Dropping Out. Here’s How
A mentorship program helps this rural district graduate more English learners and Hispanic students.
Lauraine Langreo, February 9, 2026
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4 min read
Martha Salazar-Zamora, center left, the superintendent of Tomball Independent School District, walks with colleagues on January 13, 2026, in Tomball, Texas.
Tomball ISD Superintendent Dr. Martha Salazar-Zamora, center left, walks with colleagues on January 13, 2026, in Tomball, Texas.
Danielle Villasana for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Leader To Learn From A Superintendent’s Vision Turned an Oil Site Into a Career Launchpad
A Houston-area superintendent turned a bankrupt industrial site into a CTE powerhouse and revenue source for her district.
Arianna Prothero, February 9, 2026
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11 min read
Tomball ISD Superintendent Dr. Martha Salazar-Zamora poses for a portrait in a warehouse where aviation students can work on planes at the CTE center on January 13, 2026, in Tomball, Texas.
Martha Salazar-Zamora, the superintendent of Texas' Tomball Independent School District, purchased an abandoned industrial site that now houses her district's expansive career-and-technical education program.
Danielle Villasana for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Q&A One Superintendent on How CTE Prepares Students for Tomorrow’s Jobs
A Texas superintendent shares how her district has tackled common problems in growing career and technical education programs.
Arianna Prothero, February 9, 2026
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3 min read
Elizabeth Stringer-Nunley, English Learner lead for Galax City Public Schools, works a jigsaw puzzle with students at Galax High School on Monday Jan. 12, 2026.
Elizabeth Stringer-Nunley, English-learner lead for Galax City Public Schools, works a jigsaw puzzle with students at Galax High School on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026.
Kate Medley for Education Week
English Learners Leader To Learn From How One Rural District Used College Students to Keep English Learners in School
This leader's mentorship program with a local university has helped rural English learners at risk of dropping out.
Lauraine Langreo, February 9, 2026
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13 min read
MINNEAPOLIS, MN, January 22, 2026: Teacher Tracy Byrd's computer sits open for virtual learning students who are too fearful to come to school.
A computer sits open Jan. 22, 2026, in Minneapolis for students learning virtually because they are too fearful to come to school. Districts nationwide weigh emergency virtual learning as immigration enforcement fuels fear and absenteeism.
Caroline Yang for Education Week
School & District Management ‘Band-Aid Virtual Learning’: How Some Schools Respond When ICE Comes to Town
Experts say leaders must weigh multiple factors before offering virtual learning amid ICE fears.
Ileana Najarro & Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, January 27, 2026
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6 min read
People cross a snow covered street in the aftermath of a winter storm in Philadelphia, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026.
Pedestrians cross the street in the aftermath of a winter storm in Philadelphia on Jan. 26. Online learning has allowed some school systems to move away from canceling school because of severe weather.
Matt Rourke/AP
School & District Management How Remote Learning Has Changed the Traditional Snow Day
States and districts took very different approaches in weighing whether to move to online instruction.
Jennifer Vilcarino, January 26, 2026
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4 min read
Natalie Marshall chats with a North Central High School student athlete on a field trip to Glover Middle School on Dec. 4, 2025.
Natalie Marshall chats with a North Central High School student athlete on a field trip to Glover Middle School on Dec. 4, 2025.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Student Well-Being & Movement Video How This District Is Shrinking Students’ Screen Time—After the School Day Ends
Engagement navigators in this district help students take advantage of the many available extracurriculars.
Kaylee Domzalski & Alyson Klein, January 26, 2026
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2:34
Students at Glover Middle School in Spokane, Wash. sing karaoke during Falcon Time on Dec. 3, 2025.
Students at Glover Middle School in Spokane, Wash., sing karaoke during Falcon Time on Dec. 3, 2025. The district has gone all-in on engaging extracurriculars and activities.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Student Well-Being & Movement One District's Battle to Curb Cellphones and Get Kids to Engage in Real Life
Spokane's leaders are pushing extracurriculars to help students strengthen in-person social skills.
Alyson Klein, January 26, 2026
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12 min read
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