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

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
Jennifer Vilcarino, February 11, 2026
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6 min read
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
Recruitment & Retention Principals Can Make or Break Schools. How Districts Find the Right Fit
Olina Banerji, January 30, 2026
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5 min read
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
Recruitment & Retention What the Research Says Do 4-Day School Weeks Attract and Retain Better Teachers? What the Largest Study Yet Says
Sarah D. Sparks, January 23, 2026
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3 min read
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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
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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
Teaching Profession K-12 Budgets Are Tightening. Teacher-Leadership Roles Are at Risk
Sarah D. Sparks, February 9, 2026
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5 min read
business and investment planning. Magnifying glass with business report on financial advisor desk. Concept of data analysis, accounting, audit, business research.
iStock/Getty
Budget & Finance From Our Research Center Crafting a Better Budget: How District and School Leaders Try to Avoid Short-Term Thinking
Sean Cavanagh, December 31, 2025
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3 min read
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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
Teaching Profession When Teachers Become Parents, They Gain a New Perspective of the Job
Elizabeth Heubeck, December 12, 2025
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5 min read
Vector illustration showing a businessman carried away in the sky by a group of speech bubble shaped ballons.
DigitalVision Vectors
Families & the Community What Parents Want Most From Schools: Clear, Honest Communication
Alyson Klein, December 9, 2025
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2 min read
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
Families & the Community Five Ways Principals Can Act Like Community Ambassadors
Jennifer Vilcarino, November 26, 2025
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3 min read
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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
School & District Management A Cold Front Is Sweeping the Country. Can Schools' Heating Keep Up?
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, January 22, 2026
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5 min read

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

Prepare Students for Career & College in a Global Environment

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
College & Workforce Readiness Rising Demand for Career Education Prompts College Board to Expand Its Footprint
Lauraine Langreo, January 30, 2026
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5 min read
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, strives for a closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., the chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, pictured on Capitol Hill on Dec. 9, 2025, has asked for details from colleges and universities about whether matriculants possess adequate math skills.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Mathematics Are Students Prepared for College-Level Math? A Senator Wants to Know
Sarah Schwartz, January 23, 2026
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3 min read
Students in Chad Wright’s construction program work on measurements at the Regional Occupational Center on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, in Bakersfield, Calif.
Students in Chad Wright’s construction program work on measurements at the Regional Occupational Center on Jan. 11, 2023, in Bakersfield, Calif. A newly released policy agenda from a coalition of center-left Democrats focuses heavily on career training.
Morgan Lieberman for Education Week
Federal A Major Democratic Group Thinks This Education Policy Is a Winning Issue
Alyson Klein, January 9, 2026
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4 min read
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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
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2 min read

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

School Safety

Sign indicating school zone.
iStock/Getty
School Climate & Safety Tracker School Shootings This Year: How Many and Where
January 1, 2026
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3 min read
A mother holds her children at the memorial outside Annunciation Catholic Church after Wednesday's shooting, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025, in Minneapolis.
A mother holds her children at a memorial outside Annunciation Catholic Church following the Aug. 27 shooting at the Minneapolis Catholic school. The shooting, in which two children died and 21 people were injured, was the largest school shooting of 2025, a year during which there were fewer school shootings than in any year since 2020.
Ellen Schmidt/AP
School Climate & Safety School Shootings in 2025: The Fewest Incidents and Deaths in 5 Years
Mark Lieberman & Hyon-Young Kim, December 31, 2025
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2 min read
Photo of stone columns.
E+
Law & Courts Federal Appeals Court Upholds 8th Grader's Expulsion Over Gun Comments in Class
Mark Walsh, December 22, 2025
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3 min read
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You can also browse these topics pages: school safety and school shootings.