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

Two teachers having conversation in office.
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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

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

Efficient Operations/Budget & Finance

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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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

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

Parent & Community Engagement

African American father and his daughter walking to school.
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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

Intern Alex Reed, an 18-year-old high school senior, assists Dana Miller in veterinary care at the Ark of the Dunes Animal Hospital in Chesterton, Ind., Tuesday, June 4, 2024.
Intern Alex Reed, an 18-year-old high school senior, assists Dana Miller in veterinary care at the Ark of the Dunes Animal Hospital in Chesterton, Ind., on June 4, 2024. Chesterton High School works to place seniors in internship placements that align with their career interests.
Eric Davis for Education Week
Photo of students walking on college campus.
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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

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

Diversity

Second grade students raise their hands in Dalia Gerardo's classroom at West Elementary, in Russellville, Ala., on Dec. 9, 2022.
Second grade students raise their hands in Dalia Gerardo's classroom at West Elementary, in Russellville, Ala., on Dec. 9, 2022. Gerardo is a bilingual educator. Experts say Hispanic educators with bilingual certification can boost English learners' academic performance.
Tamika Moore for Education Week
Worshippers pray at the Karya Siddhi Hanuman Temple in Frisco, Texas, on Oct. 22, 2022. Worshippers celebrated Dhanteras, which is the first night of the Hindu holiday Diwali.
Worshippers pray at the Karya Siddhi Hanuman Temple in Frisco, Texas, on Oct. 22, 2022, the first night of the Hindu holiday Diwali. More districts are putting Diwali and other non-Christian holidays on school calendars as populations of Asian students increase.
Andy Jacobsohn/AP

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

School Safety

Right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones speaks to the media after arriving at the federal courthouse for a hearing in front of a bankruptcy judge on June 14, 2024, in Houston.
Right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones speaks to the media outside a federal courthouse on June 14, 2024, in Houston. The U.S. Supreme Court this week declined to hear his appeal of a $1.4 billion judgment over his allegations that the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn., was staged.
David J. Phillip/AP
Law & Courts Supreme Court Again Declines a Case on School Gender Identity Policies
Mark Walsh, October 14, 2025
5 min read

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