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

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
Businesspreson looks at stairs in the door of dollar sign.
iStock/Getty and Education Week
School & District Management Superintendents Think a Lot About Money, But Few Say It's One of Their Strengths
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, December 5, 2025
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6 min read
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You can also browse these topics pages: budget & finance and school funding.

Parent & Community Engagement

Amelia Vance, the founder & president of the Public Interest Privacy Center, leads a discussion on Feb. 10, 2026, at George Washington University law school in Washington, D.C. about problems in providing clear information about digital learning tools to educators and families. Panelists included Meg Jones, a professor at Georgetown, and Sara Collins, the director of government affairs at Public Knowledge, a nonprofit organization.
Amelia Vance, at left, the founder and president of the Public Interest Privacy Center, leads a discussion on Feb. 10, 2026, at George Washington University law school in Washington. The panel discussed problems schools are having providing clear information to parents and educators about the digital learning tools students are using. <br/>
Alyson Klein/Education Week
Classroom Technology What's Worse for Students: A Boring Worksheet or Ineffective Ed Tech?
Alyson Klein, February 11, 2026
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5 min read
Cougar Mountain Middle School was built next door to Timber Ridge at Talus, a senior living community. It’s resulted in an intergenerational partnership between students and the senior residents. Pictured here on Oct. 30, 2025, in Issaquah, Wash.
Cougar Mountain Middle School in Issaquah, Wash., was built next door to Timber Ridge at Talus, a senior living community. It’s resulted in an intergenerational partnership between students and the senior residents, pictured here on Oct. 30, 2025.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Student Well-Being & Movement Download Want to Start an Intergenerational Partnership at Your School? Here's How
Elizabeth Heubeck, February 2, 2026
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1 min read
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
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4 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

Photo of students walking on college campus.
iStock
College & Workforce Readiness From Our Research Center Do Schools Put College Prep and CTE on Equal Footing? We Asked Educators
Alyson Klein, December 18, 2025
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3 min read
Stephanie Perez, 9, right, and Jaylin Garcia Mejia, 9, center, watch an introductory lesson on A.I. during Funda Perez’ 4th grade computer applications class at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., School No. 6 in Passaic, N.J., on Oct. 14, 2025.
Fourth graders participate in an introductory lesson on artificial intelligence during a computer applications class at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., School No. 6 in Passaic, N.J., on Oct. 14, 2025. Some experts suggest schools should use computer science classes to teach AI skills.
Erica S. Lee for Education Week
Science Q&A How to Get More Students Into Computer Science Classes in the Age of AI
Lauraine Langreo, December 16, 2025
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5 min read
Image of students working collaboratively and independently. Central figure is engaging with a power button.
Nadia Radic for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness We Asked Executives What Skills Young Workers Are Missing. Here's What They Said
Jennifer Vilcarino, December 5, 2025
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7 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

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.