Education

EdWeek's Must Read Articles

Bringing you the must-read articles in K-12 education on some of the hottest topics, so you can improve your subject matter expertise quickly.

You can also browse these topics pages: student achievement, opportunity/achievement gap, and the digital divide.

High-Performing & Dedicated Team

Tight crop of a white computer keyboard with a cyan blue button labeled "AI"
iStock/Getty
School & District Management Staffing, Mentoring, Strategy: Can AI Solve Big Problems at School?
Arianna Prothero, June 30, 2026
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5 min read
A Dallas school administrator carries a sign looking for Spanish language teachers, even if they are uncertified, during a job fair at Emmett J. Conrad High School, in Dallas, on Aug. 4, 2022. The school district, like many across Texas and the south, has increased its reliance on uncertified teachers as officials scramble to keep classrooms filled with educators.
A Dallas school administrator carries a sign looking for Spanish language teachers during a job fair at Emmett J. Conrad High School in Dallas on Aug. 4, 2022. An EdWeek Research Center survey polled school recruiters and job hunters on the most effective recruiting strategies.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News via AP
Recruitment & Retention From Our Research Center Hiring Teachers? Word of Mouth Still Leads the Way
Sarah D. Sparks & Maya Riser-Kositsky, June 23, 2026
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1 min read
conceptual illustration of A figure juggling tasks while riding a unicycle
Rudzhan Nagiev/iStock/Getty
Recruitment & Retention Why Teachers Say They Leave the Profession—Or Say They Want to Quit
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens & Marina Whiteleather, June 17, 2026
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1 min read

You can also browse these topics pages: teacher quality/effectiveness, retention, and recruitment & hiring.

Efficient Operations/Budget & Finance

The Los Angeles Unified School District, LAUSD headquarters building is seen in Los Angeles, Sept. 9, 2021. The 1776 Project Foundation targeted in its lawsuit on Tuesday a Los Angeles Unified School District policy that provides smaller class sizes and other benefits to schools with predominantly Hispanic, Black, Asian or other non-white students. It dates back to 1970 and 1976 court orders that required the district to desegregate its schools.
The Los Angeles Unified School District headquarters building is seen in Los Angeles, on Sept. 9, 2021. The Los Angeles County Office of Education is warning that the district could be insolvent next year.
Damian Dovarganes/AP
School & District Management L.A. Unified School District Faces ‘Severe’ Signs of Insolvency
Jaweed Kaleem, Howard Blume, and Kori McNair, Los Angeles Times, July 10, 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
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, June 26, 2026
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4 min read
Chicago Public Schools CEO Macquline King prepares for a Board of Education meeting on April 8, 2026 .
Chicago Public Schools CEO Macquline King prepares for a Board of Education meeting April 8, 2026. The district faces a roughly $733 million shortfall for the coming school year, driven by funding pressures and declining enrollment that have prompted job cuts in school systems nationwide.
Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune via TNS
Recruitment & Retention Layoff Warnings Hit Thousands of School Employees
Erin Hudson, Bloomberg News, June 16, 2026
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5 min read

You can also browse these topics pages: budget & finance and school funding.

Parent & Community Engagement

West Bloomfield team members huddle as defensive line coach Justin Ibe leads a team prayer before the game against Eisenhower, Friday, Oct. 21, 2022, in West Bloomfield, Mich.
West Bloomfield team members huddle as defensive line coach Justin Ibe leads a team prayer before a game Oct. 21, 2022, in West Bloomfield, Mich. A federal religious liberty commission recently called for "know your rights" posters to inform public school students of their rights to prayer and religious expression.
Carlos Osorio/AP
Federal See What's in Trump Commission's Religious Freedom Agenda for Schools
Evie Blad, July 2, 2026
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8 min read
Students play during a TK class at First Street Elementary School in Los Angeles, on April 22, 2026.
Students play at First Street Elementary School in Los Angeles, on April 22, 2026. Principals leading schools with preschool programs often don’t have enough runway to learn skills and theories before they’re tasked with leading early grades.
Ethan Swope/AP
Early Childhood How Principals Can Make Preschools Better
Olina Banerji, June 29, 2026
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5 min read
CEM 2540
A middle school history class in Sapulpa, Okla., uses whiteboards and worksheets during a tech-free day on April 7, 2026. EdWeek Research Center survey data show that relatively few schools are pairing back their investment in tech, despite pressure from some parents.
September Dawn Bottoms for Education Week
Classroom Technology Are Schools Actually Scaling Back Tech in Response to a Rising Backlash?
Sean Cavanagh & Jessica Cuellar, June 29, 2026
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2 min read

You can also browse these topics pages: families & the community and parent engagement.

State-of-the-Art Facilities/Maintenance

Education Funding Video Tornado Threats Are a Constant. But Funding for a Safe Room Is Lagging
Mark Lieberman & Yi-Jo Shen, June 11, 2026
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1 min read
FemaGrant Maiorella 02
A new gym under construction in Wisconsin's Cuba City school district, pictured April 16, 2026, would have also served as a tornado shelter, thanks to an $8.8 million FEMA grant. But nearly four years after it was awarded the grant, the district still doesn't have the money.
Arthur Maiorella for Education Week
Education Funding A School Wants a Tornado Shelter. A Federal Grant Keeps Getting in the Way
Mark Lieberman, May 1, 2026
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9 min read
Cassatt mural on February 2026.
The reimagined “Modern Woman” mural, inspired by artist Mary Cassatt, is seen in February 2026 at Aveson’s temporary campus in Pasadena, Calif. Created by students displaced by the Eaton fire, the mural incorporates imagery from their former Altadena campus and serves as a symbol of healing, memory, and community after the wildfire.
Studio Tutto
Families & the Community Their School Burned Down. Then They Picked Up Their Paintbrushes
Olina Banerji, April 20, 2026
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4 min read

You can also browse this topics page: school facilities & design.

Prepare Students for Career & College in a Global Environment

Diana Barrios gave a session on how artificial intelligence plays a role in career exploration and hHundreds attend ISTELive 26 + ASCD Annual Conference at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida on June 29, 2026.
Diana Barrios, a career exploration coordinator for the Houston school district, discusses career exploration at the ISTELive 26 + ASCD annual conference at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla., on June 29, 2026. Barrios argued that schools need to do more than match students' interests with potential careers. Career exploration is a social act, she said.
Marvin Joseph/Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness What’s Missing in Career Education? A Case for ‘Career Identity’
Lauraine Langreo, July 1, 2026
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3 min read
Group spreads college gospelAlex Lucas, right, a college adviser at Dalton L. McMichael High School in Mayodan, N.C., works with junior Chloe Lester during an ACT Prep session after school, March 11, 2014.
Alex Lucas, right, a college adviser at Dalton L. McMichael High School in Mayodan, N.C., works with junior Chloe Lester during an ACT prep session after school on March 11, 2014. ETS, another assessment organization, is acquiring ACT—though nothing will immediately change for students taking the ACT's college-entrance exam.
Ethan Hyman/Raleigh News &amp; Observer/Tribune News Service via Getty <br/>
Assessment ETS Acquires ACT, Signaling Potential Changes for College-Admissions Testing
Sarah Schwartz, June 30, 2026
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3 min read
20260226 AMX US NEWS FROM PROMISE PAYCHECK HOW DALLAS 4 DA
School counselors Kendall Gray, left, and Gala Davis catch up and talk in Davis' office at South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas on March 6, 2025. As interest in career education rises and schools expand their career and technical education offerings, a new report argues schools lack the staff needed to help students with career counseling that points students toward realistic careers.
Liz Rymarev via TNS
College & Workforce Readiness Schools Are Expanding Career Ed. Are They Guiding Students to the Right Careers?
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, June 18, 2026
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5 min read

You can also browse these topics pages: college readiness, college access, career readiness, and graduation requirements.

Diversity

Katherine Alfaro works with students at Russellville Elementary School, in Russellville, Ala., Aug. 9, 2022. Alfaro is an aide for English Language Learner students, many of whom speak Spanish at home. Russellville schools have the highest percentage of English Language Learners of any district in the state, and officials there have invested in aides and teachers who know how to work with those students.
Katherine Alfaro works with students at Russellville Elementary School, in Russellville, Ala., Aug. 9, 2022. Alfaro is an aide for English learners, many of whom speak Spanish at home. English-learner education is not immune to anti-DEI policies and politics, according to a new research study.
Rebecca Griesbach/AL.com via AP
States Anti-DEI Efforts Reshape How States Serve English Learners
Ileana Najarro, June 30, 2026
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5 min read
Education Test Scores 26128714986558
Teacher Greg Burris works with 1st grader Joshua at Munger Elementary-Middle School on May 7, 2026, in Detroit. Data show that there are too few male early educators, and when boys don’t see male teachers, they may be less likely to consider a career in teaching, perpetuating the cycle of too few male teachers.
Paul Sancya via AP
Early Childhood Q&A The Unspoken Reason Men Turn Away From Careers as Early Educators
Elizabeth Heubeck, June 3, 2026
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4 min read
September Dawn Bottoms for Education Week
Students in a history class focus on group activities as their teacher facilitates on April 7, 2026, in Sapulpa, Okla. A new national group is working to understand how to bring more male teachers into the classroom.
September Dawn Bottoms for Education Week
Recruitment & Retention Q&A A New Group Looks for Ways to Draw Men Into Teaching
Sarah D. Sparks, May 11, 2026
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4 min read

You can also browse these topics pages: diversity and teacher diversity.

School Safety

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
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, June 3, 2026
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5 min read
An e-bike is seen at a retail store in Glenview, Ill., on July 20, 2022.
An e-bike for sale at a store in Glenview, Ill., on July 20, 2022. More students have been riding the motorized two-wheelers to school, leading school districts to establish restrictions on who can ride them and institute safety training.
Nam Y. Huh/AP
School Climate & Safety FAQs: What Schools Should Know About E-Bikes
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, June 3, 2026
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4 min read
Teachers talk during lunch in the teacher’s lounge at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. ] LEILA NAVIDI • leila.navidi@startribune.com
Teachers talk during lunch in the teacher’s lounge at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on May 5, 2026. Teachers here have spent the nine months since last August’s mass shooting trying to create normalcy in a school year that’s been anything but normal.
Leila Navidi/Star Tribune via TNS
Student Well-Being & Movement Annunciation School Teachers Look Back on a Year That Started With a Shooting
Reid Forgrave, The Minnesota Star Tribune, June 2, 2026
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11 min read

You can also browse these topics pages: school safety and school shootings.