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

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
Businesswoman and businessman HR manager interviewing woman. Candidate female sitting her back to camera, focus on her, close up rear view, interviewers on background. Human resources, hiring concept
iStock/Getty
An illustration of a professional female holding the lines that divide the week days of a calendar and removing the first line so that it's knocking the letters MON off the grid.
iStock/Getty

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

Efficient Operations/Budget & Finance

An image representing disputes over property taxes.
DigitalVision Vectors
Budget & Finance How Do Schools Solve a Problem Like Property Taxes?
Mark Lieberman, February 12, 2026
11 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
business and investment planning. Magnifying glass with business report on financial advisor desk. Concept of data analysis, accounting, audit, business research.
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You can also browse these topics pages: budget & finance and school funding.

Parent & Community Engagement

A 5th grade math class takes place at Lafargue Elementary School in Effie, Louisiana, on Friday, August 22. The state has implemented new professional development requirements for math teachers in grades 4-8 to help improve student achievement and address learning gaps.
Research shows that a positive school climate serves as a protective factor for young people, improving students’ education outcomes and well-being during their academic careers and beyond. A student raises her hand during a 5th grade class in Effie, La., on Aug. 22, 2025.
Kathleen Flynn for Education Week
School Climate & Safety 4 Ways Schools Can Build a Stronger, Safer Climate
Lauraine Langreo, January 30, 2026
4 min read
Students enter school in Spokane, Wash. on Dec. 3, 2025. Most teens surveyed said their school’s cellphone restrictions have had no impact on “making friends.”
Students enter school in Spokane, Wash. on Dec. 3, 2025, with a posted reminder of the cellphone ban. In a new survey, most teens said their school’s cellphone restrictions have had no impact on “making friends.”
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Ed-Tech Policy How Cellphone Bans Have Affected Students' Lives: What Teens Say
Olina Banerji, January 28, 2026
4 min read
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

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

State-of-the-Art Facilities/Maintenance

20260122 AMX US NEWS CPS CANCELS CLASS FRIDAY DUE 1 TB
A crossing guard assists students as they arrive for classes at Chalmers STEAM Elementary school on Jan. 22, 2026, in Chicago. Extreme cold hitting much of the United States in the coming days could test schools' aging infrastructure and force school closures. Chicago Public Schools called off classes for Friday, Jan. 23.
Antonio Perez/ Chicago Tribune

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

Prepare Students for Career & College in a Global Environment

Adaora Umeh and daughter Weluchu Umeh, a sophomore, learn about a digitized cadaver used by dental students including, Makaylen Martinez, center left, and Katie Pham, right, during an open house at Garland ISD s Gilbreath-Reed Career and Technical Center on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026 , in Garland.
Adaora Umeh and daughter Weluchu Umeh, a sophomore, learn about a digitized cadaver used by dental students Makaylen Martinez, center left, and Katie Pham, right, during an open house at a Garland ISD career and technical education center on Feb. 9, 2026, in Garland, Texas. Districts around the country are partnering with colleges and local employers to offer students more learning opportunities connected to future careers.
Angela Piazza/Dallas Morning News via TNS
Career and Technical Education (CTE) students immersed themselves in realistic disaster situations at Van Buren Tech on Tuesday, May 13, 2025 . The students, ranging from law enforcement, emergency medical technicians, fire and more prepped all year for this day of training.
Strong career and technical education programs offer students experiences to tackle and solve real world problems, experts say. Students participate in disaster simulations at Van Buren Tech in Lawrence, Mich., on May 13, 2025.
Devin Anderson-Torrez/mlive.com via TNS
David Coleman, CEO of the College Board, speaks at the organization's annual conference in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 21, 2024.
The College Board, known for its suite of college-entrance exams and AP courses, will work to provide more work-based learning experiences for high school students. The organization's CEO, David Coleman, speaks at the organization's annual conference in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 21, 2024.
Ileana Najarro/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

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

School Safety

In an aerial view, Waymo robotaxis sit parked at a Waymo facility on Dec. 8, 2025 , in San Francisco . Self-driving taxi company Waymo said it is voluntarily recalling software in its autonomous vehicles after Texas officials documented at least 19 incidents this school year in which the cars illegally passed stopped school buses, including while students were getting on or off.
Waymo self-driving taxis sit parked at a Waymo facility on Dec. 8, 2025, in San Francisco. Federal agencies are investigating after Austin, Texas, schools documented incidents in which the cars illegally passed stopped school buses. In a separate incident, a robotaxi struck a student at low speed as she ran across the street in front of her Santa Monica, Calif., elementary school.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images via TNS
Protesters demonstrate against ICE agents near the the Whipple Federal Building on Jan. 8, 2026.
Protestors gather after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis, on Jan. 7, 2026. The incident later prompted the Minneapolis school district to cancel classes amid broader federal immigration operations.
Richard Tsong-Taatarii/The Minnesota Star Tribune via TNS
Sign indicating school zone.
iStock/Getty
School Climate & Safety Tracker School Shootings This Year: How Many and Where
January 1, 2026
3 min read

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