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

Recruitment & Retention 7 Things Teachers Say Would Make Them Stay on the Job
Elizabeth Heubeck, December 10, 2025
3 min read
Fourth graders, from left, Makayla Maynard, Elliette Willey, and Arnav Singh place their lunch waste in the correct bins with the help of Kathleen Osborne, lead custodian at Green Valley Elementary School, on March 16, 2022, in Frederick, Md.
Fourth graders, from left, Makayla Maynard, Elliette Willey, and Arnav Singh place their lunch waste in the correct bins with the help of Kathleen Osborne, lead custodian at Green Valley Elementary School, on March 16, 2022, in Frederick, Md. Custodian retention is a challenge in education, learn how one Ohio district leader is tackling it.
Bill Green/The Frederick News-Post via AP
Yellow post it note paper with thank you message on blue background
iStock/Getty

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

Efficient Operations/Budget & Finance

Businesspreson looks at stairs in the door of dollar sign.
iStock/Getty and Education Week
A student arrives at Morrisville Middle/Senior High School.
Mason Wargo, 17, a student at Morrisville Middle/Senior High School, stands in the hallway in the school in Morrisville, Pa., on Nov. 13, 2025. Wargo was concerned about how a legislative impasse that resulted in a much-delayed state budget would affect his ability to graduate this year.
Rachel Wisniewski for Education Week
Budget & Finance A School District Almost Had to Close Mid-Year. What Happened?
Mark Lieberman, November 21, 2025
14 min read
Educators participate in a hands-on breakout session during a professional development training on AI at Louisa County High School in Mineral, Va., on Sept. 23, 2025.
Educators participate in a hands-on breakout session during a professional development training on AI at Louisa County High School in Mineral, Va., on Sept. 23, 2025. Changing instructional practices haven't prompted districts to put more of their overall budget into ongoing teacher training, a new report concludes.
Kirsten Luce for Education Week

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

Parent & Community Engagement

African American father and his daughter walking to school.
Mladen Zivkovic/iStock/Getty
Vector illustration showing a businessman carried away in the sky by a group of speech bubble shaped ballons.
DigitalVision Vectors
Edenton, N.C. - September 5th, 2025: Sonya Rinehart, principal at John A. Holmes High School, stopped to briefly speak with former student (graduated) Jataziun Welch that is working with a local business downtown Edenton.
Sonya Rinehart, the principal of John A. Holmes High School in Edenton, N.C., stopped to briefly speak with former student Jataziun Welch, who is working with a local business in downtown Edenton on Sept. 5, 2025. School leaders have been viewed as community leaders, too. Here are five ways they can embrace the role.
Cornell Watson for Education Week

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

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

Prepare Students for Career & College in a Global Environment

Image of a silhouette and "AI"
iStock/Getty
Image of a silhouette, AI, and industry.
iStock/Getty
Alina Kiselev,17, works on a wheatstone circuit bridge during a class on semiconductor manufacturing at Hamilton High School in Chandler, Ariz., on Nov. 5, 2025.
Alina Kiselev, 17, works on a Wheatstone bridge circuit during a class on semiconductor manufacturing at Hamilton High School in Chandler, Ariz., on Nov. 5, 2025. The school launched a two-year semiconductor program this academic year to help meet the demand for trained employees in sector.
Adriana Zehbrauskas for Education Week

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

Diversity

The U.S. Department of Justice is suing Minneapolis Public Schools for discrimination in its efforts to shield teachers of color from layoffs and reassignments.
The U.S. Department of Justice is suing Minneapolis Public Schools for discrimination in its efforts to shield teachers of color from layoffs and reassignments.
Carlos Gonzalez/The Minnesota Star Tribune via TNS
Equity & Diversity Trump Admin. Accuses Minneapolis Schools of Racism in Protecting Minority Teachers
Anthony Lonetree, Star Tribune, December 11, 2025
2 min read
SPED Base Aide Veronica Turbinton listens to a student carefully articulate an incident in her room at Benfer Elementary on Oct. 30, 2025, in Klein, TX.
Veronica Turbinton listens to a student in her room at Benfer Elementary in Klein, Texas, on Oct. 30, 2025. Turbinton is among hundreds of students pursuing a teaching degree who are losing federal support that's covered tuition and other expenses after the Trump administration discontinued teacher-training grants under the Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence grant program.
Annie Mulligan for Education Week
Illustration of bar graph and a hand pushing last bar in a downward motion.
iStock/Getty

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

School Safety

A faculty member at Findley Oaks Elementary School holds a Centegix crisis alert badge during a training on Monday, March 20, 2023. The Fulton County School District is joining a growing list of metro Atlanta school systems that are contracting with the company, which equips any employee with the ability to notify officials in the case of an emergency.
A faculty member at Findley Oaks Elementary School holds a Centegix crisis alert badge during a training on Monday, March 20, 2023. Emergency alert systems have spread quickly to schools around the country as a safety measure. The nation's largest district is the latest to adopt one.
Natrice Miller/AJC.com via TNS
Sylvelia Pittman stands for a portrait outside of Nash Elementary School in Chicago on Oct. 30, 2025.
Sylvelia Pittman stands for a portrait outside of Nash Elementary School in Chicago on Oct. 30, 2025. She spoke with Education Week about the fears she is grappling with regarding immigration raids and federal agents' increased presence near her school.
Jim Vondruska for Education Week
A photo showing a CCTV security eye style camera monitoring students in a classroom. The classroom is blurred in the background while the camera is in focus.
iStock/Getty

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