Extracurricular Activities

Students leave Birney Elementary School at the start of their walking bus route on April 9, 2024, in Tacoma, Wash.
Students leave Birney Elementary School at the start of their walking bus route on April 9, 2024, in Tacoma, Wash. The district started the walking school bus in response to survey feedback from families that students didn't have a safe way to get to school.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
School Climate & Safety 4 Case Studies: Schools Use Connections to Give Every Student a Reason to Attend
Schools turn to the principles of connectedness to guide their work on attendance and engagement.
Matthew Stone, April 14, 2024
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12 min read
High school student Leo Burchell speaks at the Central Bucks School Board meeting about LGBTQ student rights in Doylestown, Pa., on Nov. 15, 2022. After hearing a man tell the school board that transgender people posed a risk of violence in bathrooms, Leo expected another adult in the room to interrupt what felt like hate speech. No one did. So at the next board meeting, Leo spoke up. “Attacking students based on who they are or who they love is wrong,” he said. Leo has spoken regularly at meetings since.
High school student Leo Burchell speaks at the Central Bucks School Board meeting about LGBTQ student rights in Doylestown, Pa., on Nov. 15, 2022. A student-led effort to create a "safe space" for students at a Lynchburg, Va., school was recently rejected by the school board.
Ryan Collerd/AP
Student Well-Being A High School LGBTQ+ Student Group Won a Grant. Then the School Board Vetoed It
Advocates said the board's vote was a setback for "student voice" efforts—as well as for LGBQT+ students.
Elizabeth Heubeck, December 15, 2023
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6 min read
EW Esmee Silverman Thumbnail
Student Well-Being In Their Own Words LGBTQ+ Student Perspective: ‘My School’s GSA Saved My Life’
Esmée Silverman came to the realization that they were transgender in high school, but thought about suicide constantly during their freshman year.
Lauraine Langreo, October 16, 2023
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3 min read
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E+ / Getty
Equity & Diversity Race-Based Affinity Groups Should Be Open to All Students, Biden Admin. Tells Schools
In new guidance, the Education Department cites examples of school policies or programs that violate civil rights law.
Libby Stanford, August 29, 2023
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5 min read
Scripps National Spelling Bee 2023 Champion Dev Shah celebrates on stage in flying confetti
Photo provided by Scripps National Spelling Bee
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
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Reading & Literacy Sponsor Celebrate the Spelling Bee Champion at Your School!
For nearly 100 years, the Scripps National Spelling Bee has been an academic staple of our culture.
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A sticker with an LGBTQ Pride flag is viewed outside of a classroom door at a high school on Aug. 8, 2023, in Orlando, Fla.
A sticker with an LGBTQ Pride flag is displayed on a classroom door at an Orlando, Fla., high school. LGBTQ+ students who had access to protective factors like Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs), gender-neutral restrooms, and representation in curriculum and sex education reported lower suicide risk, according to The Trevor Project.
Phelan M. Ebenhack via AP
Student Well-Being LGBTQ+ Students With Affirming Schools Report Lower Suicide Risk, Survey Finds
Access to inclusive history, gender-neutral restrooms, and supportive clubs reduces LGBTQ+ students' suicide risk, says a report by The Trevor Project.
Eesha Pendharkar, August 24, 2023
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4 min read
Students from MC2 STEM High School in Cleveland critique their classmates’ projects for an event that blends STEM and art on March 16, 2017.
Students critique their classmates’ projects for an event that blends STEM and art in Cleveland on March 16, 2017.
Allison Shelley for All4Ed
Science Q&A How High School Students Are Making STEM Education Accessible for Younger Kids
Team STEAM is a program where high school students help elementary students develop STEM skills.
Lauraine Langreo, July 25, 2023
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3 min read
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Students help repair laptops and work in the school library as part of the "Genius Bar," an IT help desk modeled on an Apple computer concept that is used at Anne M. Dorner Middle School near New York City.
Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Blye
Classroom Technology A Student-Staffed 'Genius Bar': Why It's Working for This Middle School
Starting a "Genius Bar" helped a suburban New York City school teach tech skills and support students' social-emotional needs.
Alyson Klein, July 5, 2023
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4 min read
Group of diverse people (aerial view) in a circle holding hands. Cooperation and teamwork. Community of friends, students, or volunteers committed to social issues for peace and the environment.
iStock/Getty Images Plus
School Climate & Safety Small Ways Leaders Can Build Schools Where Everyone Feels Like They Belong
Principals can take small steps to ensure students and staff feel like they belong.
Denisa R. Superville, June 26, 2023
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5 min read
Hands of a group of three people with rainbow flag bracelets.
Ladanifer/iStock/Getty
Equity & Diversity Federal Officials Reiterate Protections for LGBTQ+ Student Groups
A federal law protects LGBTQ+ student clubs like gender and sexuality alliances, the U.S. Department of Education stressed.
Evie Blad, June 22, 2023
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4 min read
Chess grandmaster Maurice Ashley speaks during an interview at Chess Forum in New York on April 12, 2016. The Brooklyn resident has been inducted to the World Chess Hall of Fame in St. Louis.
Chess grandmaster Maurice Ashley speaks during an interview at Chess Forum in New York on April 12, 2016. Over the years, Ashley has taught chess to students in disadvantaged communities.
Mark Lennihan/AP
Teaching Q&A A Chess Grandmaster Makes the Case for Teaching the Game in School
Chess grandmaster Maurice Ashley breaks down the game of chess and why it's worth teaching to kids.
Elizabeth Heubeck, April 28, 2023
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5 min read
Students from Renaissance High School's chess club play friendly games against each other at Renaissance High School in Detroit, Mich., on April 24, 2023.
Students from the chess club play against each other at Renaissance High School in Detroit, Mich., on April 24, 2023.
Emily Elconin for Education Week
Teaching 'Everybody at School Wants to Play': Chess Is Trendy Again
The ancient game is surging in popularity among young people.
Elizabeth Heubeck, April 27, 2023
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4 min read
Fourth graders work together to plan life for their “colony” during a class activity focused on colonial America at Capital City Public Charter School in Washington, D.C., on April 4, 2017.
Fourth graders work together to plan life for their “colony” during a class activity focused on colonial America at Capital City Public Charter School in Washington, D.C., on April 4, 2017.
Allison Shelley/The Verbatim Agency for EDUimages
Equity & Diversity Lessons From 4 District Leaders Who Conducted Equity Audits
Four district leaders emphasize the importance of equity audits, including the process, the results, and the changes made based on findings.
Eesha Pendharkar, April 26, 2023
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7 min read
Imran Jackson, Rayonna Ross, Stevie Mras, from left to right, made up the prom court last year at Florida’s Atlantic Coast High School prom, held on April 23, 2022.
Imran Jackson, Rayonna Ross, Stevie Mras, from left to right, made up the prom court last year at Florida’s Atlantic Coast High School prom, held on April 23, 2022.
Courtesy of Atlantic Coast High School
School Climate & Safety King, Queen, and Sovereign? Prom Courts Grow More Diverse
In some school districts, the traditional prom court is becoming more inclusive, with students driving the changes.
Elizabeth Heubeck, April 14, 2023
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3 min read
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