EdWeek Update's Question of the Day: Answer Sheet
Each weekday, the EdWeek Update newsletter includes a quiz question about a timely education news story. Did you get today’s question right? Scroll down for the answer—and click the link to read more. Answers to previous days’ questions are below, too.
January 17, 2025
What percentage of principals said their schools used a social-emotional learning curriculum or program in 2024?
A. 83%
B. 68%
The correct answer is: A.
Eighty-three percent of principals reported in 2024 that their schools use an SEL curriculum or program, up from 73 percent in the 2021-22 school year, and 46 percent in 2017-18, survey data show. Read more about educators' opinions on what does and does not work for SEL in schools.
A. 83%
B. 68%
The correct answer is: A.
Eighty-three percent of principals reported in 2024 that their schools use an SEL curriculum or program, up from 73 percent in the 2021-22 school year, and 46 percent in 2017-18, survey data show. Read more about educators' opinions on what does and does not work for SEL in schools.
January 16, 2025
True or False: Teacher working conditions have improved since the pandemic.
The correct answer is: False.
A forthcoming study analyzed pre- and post-pandemic data from Illinois and found that teachers in the state say their working conditions have not rebounded after the pandemic but have instead continued to decline even faster than before the disruption. Read more about that study and other new research on the teaching profession.
The correct answer is: False.
A forthcoming study analyzed pre- and post-pandemic data from Illinois and found that teachers in the state say their working conditions have not rebounded after the pandemic but have instead continued to decline even faster than before the disruption. Read more about that study and other new research on the teaching profession.
January 15, 2025
Researchers counted the number of external classroom interruptions, like intercom announcements or visits from staff, in a Providence, R.I., school. How many times was the typical classroom interrupted per day?
A. 6 times
B. 15 times
The correct answer is: B.
The typical classroom in Providence was interrupted 15 times per day and more than 2,000 times over the course of a school year. See how intercom announcements, phone calls, and bathroom breaks add up to lost instructional time.
A. 6 times
B. 15 times
The correct answer is: B.
The typical classroom in Providence was interrupted 15 times per day and more than 2,000 times over the course of a school year. See how intercom announcements, phone calls, and bathroom breaks add up to lost instructional time.
January 13, 2025
True or False: More districts are foregoing snow days in favor of remote learning.
The correct answer is: False.
While there are no hard data to show the breakdown of snow versus remote learning days during bouts of wintry weather, many districts and states are sticking to old-fashioned snow days. Read more about how districts are dealing with inclement weather.
The correct answer is: False.
While there are no hard data to show the breakdown of snow versus remote learning days during bouts of wintry weather, many districts and states are sticking to old-fashioned snow days. Read more about how districts are dealing with inclement weather.
January 10, 2025
True or False: In a new survey, educators report that student behavior is starting to improve, compared to before the pandemic.
The correct answer is: False.
Nearly half of teachers, school leaders, and district leaders said that students’ behavior was a lot worse this fall when compared to their pre-pandemic behavior, according to a recent EdWeek Research Center. Read more about how student misbehavior is topping teachers’ list of concerns.
The correct answer is: False.
Nearly half of teachers, school leaders, and district leaders said that students’ behavior was a lot worse this fall when compared to their pre-pandemic behavior, according to a recent EdWeek Research Center. Read more about how student misbehavior is topping teachers’ list of concerns.
January 9, 2025
With President-elect Donald Trump about to start his second term, momentum is building for a federal school choice program. How many states currently have a private school choice program?
A. At least 28 states
B. At least 21 states
The correct answer is: A.
At least 28 states have a private school choice program, according to an Education Week analysis. Trump's efforts to push for federal school choice is one of the issues school finance reporter Mark Lieberman will be watching closely this year.
A. At least 28 states
B. At least 21 states
The correct answer is: A.
At least 28 states have a private school choice program, according to an Education Week analysis. Trump's efforts to push for federal school choice is one of the issues school finance reporter Mark Lieberman will be watching closely this year.
January 8, 2025
True or False: Students in a new charter school will be taught primarily by AI, with teachers taking on support roles.
The correct answer is: True.
Unbound Academy, an online charter school in Arizona opening this fall, plans to prioritize AI in content delivery. Students will work at their own pace through the curriculum, and AI will personalize the lessons. Teachers—called “guides”—will serve as motivators and emotional support. Read more about the model and what it signals for AI in education.
The correct answer is: True.
Unbound Academy, an online charter school in Arizona opening this fall, plans to prioritize AI in content delivery. Students will work at their own pace through the curriculum, and AI will personalize the lessons. Teachers—called “guides”—will serve as motivators and emotional support. Read more about the model and what it signals for AI in education.
January 7, 2025
What is the most likely scenario for cellphones in schools this year?
A. Schools will start using cellphones for learning.
B. More states will ban or restrict cellphones in school.
The correct answer is: B.
Teachers once saw instructional potential in students’ cellphones, but not so much anymore. The devices have become a major distraction, educators say, and cellphone bans and restrictions have become more common. Education Week predicts state-level restrictions will increase in 2025. Read more about what’s in store for education technology this year.
A. Schools will start using cellphones for learning.
B. More states will ban or restrict cellphones in school.
The correct answer is: B.
Teachers once saw instructional potential in students’ cellphones, but not so much anymore. The devices have become a major distraction, educators say, and cellphone bans and restrictions have become more common. Education Week predicts state-level restrictions will increase in 2025. Read more about what’s in store for education technology this year.
January 6, 2025
True or False: Jimmy Carter, who died late last month, was the first president to mention one of his teachers in a presidential inaugural address.
The correct answer is: True.
At Carter’s 1977 presidential inauguration, he quoted Julia Coleman, his favorite teacher in Plains, Ga. She had assigned Carter to read Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace in 5th grade. The book turned out to be one of his favorites, offering him lessons about how the destiny of nations should be controlled by their people. Read more about Carter’s education legacy over the course of his long life.
The correct answer is: True.
At Carter’s 1977 presidential inauguration, he quoted Julia Coleman, his favorite teacher in Plains, Ga. She had assigned Carter to read Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace in 5th grade. The book turned out to be one of his favorites, offering him lessons about how the destiny of nations should be controlled by their people. Read more about Carter’s education legacy over the course of his long life.