Future of Work

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the skills students will need for the jobs of the future.
Teacher Anne-Tyler Wilkerson works with third graders Reece Rowan, left, Diyah Vinodh, Sadie Morris, and Isaiah Crowe as they work on math problems to count up stitches inside a made-up operation room on Thursday at Tamarack Elementary School in Owensboro, Ky., on April 28, 2022. Teachers designed a hospital-themed subject review for third-grade students engaged in a unique "learning operation" activity.
To better prepare students for their futures, schools are integrating the teaching of problem solving and entrepreneurial thinking into STEM instruction.
Alan Warren/The Messenger-Inquirer via AP
College & Workforce Readiness What Should Kids Learn? Amazon, Adobe Senior Executives Share What They Think
'Soft skills' such as collaboration are high on their priority lists for success in a tech-driven economy.
Lauraine Langreo, June 23, 2022
3 min read
Aarnavi Gupta, 8, and her father, Chanchal, review a coding project about a family trip to the beach at “Creative Coding: A Morning of Making” as part of a Remake Learning Days program held at South Fayette Intermediate School on May 23, 2022 in McDonald, Pa.
Aarnavi Gupta, 8, and her father, Chanchal, review a coding project about a family trip to the beach as part of a program at South Fayette Intermediate School in McDonald, Pa.
Jeff Swensen for Education Week
Science Want to Spark Students' Interest in STEM? Initiative Brings Parents Into That Effort
Programs like Remake Learning Days are especially important at a time when there is a vast talent gap in the STEM industry.
Lauraine Langreo, June 8, 2022
9 min read
conceptual illustration of a ladder leaning against the wall of a maze.
akinbostanci/iStock/Getty
College & Workforce Readiness What Do Top U.S. Companies Think Schools Could Do Better? We Asked
Senior executives from Amazon, Salesforce, Southwest Airlines, and other companies identified problem-solving skills students should learn.
Elizabeth Heubeck, May 3, 2022
12 min read
Image of an online work meeting.
Drazen_/E+
College & Workforce Readiness Do I Want to Be a Telecommuter When I Grow Up? High Schoolers Ponder That Question
Nearly a fifth of older teens surveyed in the U.S. and U.K. were weighing the ability to telecommute in their career considerations.
Alyson Klein, April 6, 2022
2 min read
Conceptual image of mapping people.
Getty
College & Workforce Readiness Aptitude Tests: Are They Effective in Opening Students' Minds to More Career Paths?
Aptitude tests—which seek to measure students’ potential in a particular field—may help students keep from pigeonholing themselves.
Alyson Klein, April 27, 2021
2 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Online Summit How Schools Should Prepare All Students for the Future of Work: The Big Equity Challenge
Register for this Online Summit and learn ways you can support all students in the effort to ready them for the workplace of tomorrow.
March 31, 2021
Daniel Susskind
Daniel Susskind
Courtesy Photo
College & Workforce Readiness What's the Purpose of K-12 Education in the Age of Automation?
Author Daniel Susskind talks about the role of education in a world where machines are taking over many of the tasks done by human beings.
Alyson Klein, March 22, 2021
9 min read
Special Report Equity and the Future of Work
K-12 educators need to begin tackling the challenges around equity and the future of work before career opportunity gaps grow even wider.
March 3, 2021
John Urschel
Former professional football player John Urschel, the author of the New York Times bestseller <i>Mind and Matter:  A Life in Math and Football</i>, is making it his mission to encourage more students of color to enter STEM fields.
National Museum of Mathematics (MoMath)
College & Workforce Readiness Q&A How to Get More Students of Color Into STEM: Tackle Bias, Expand Resources
Mathematician and former National Football League player John Urschel on what it will take to see more students of color in STEM careers.

Kevin Bushweller, March 2, 2021
5 min read
Teacher Aaron Volkoff demonstrates  via Zoom how to monitor a heart rate for the students in his Exercise Science  class at Lakewood High School in Long  Beach, Calif.
Teacher Aaron Volkoff demonstrates via Zoom how to monitor a heart rate for the students in his Exercise Science class at Lakewood High School in Long Beach, Calif.<br/>
Morgan Lieberman for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness How Virtual Learning Is Falling Short on Preparing Students for Future Careers
The pandemic is helping some students gain virtual working skills, but many are being left behind.
Alyson Klein, March 2, 2021
7 min read
Hispanic teenage girl writing and using computer
Getty
College & Workforce Readiness From Our Research Center The COVID-19 Economy Is Putting Vulnerable Students' Career Prospects at High Risk
The EdWeek Research Center conducted a survey of educators to understand which students are now most at risk for job limitations.
Alyson Klein, March 2, 2021
8 min read
Company logos
F.Sheehan/Education Week (Images: Getty)
College & Workforce Readiness Top U.S. Companies: These Are the Skills Students Need in a Post-Pandemic World
Blue Cross Blue Shield, Delta, Apple, and others make the case for schools to help students develop resilience, adaptability, and empathy.
Mark Lieberman, March 2, 2021
17 min read
Illustration of a desk and laptop that is videoconferencing.
Jobalou/DigitalVision Vectors
College & Workforce Readiness The Pandemic Is Shaking Up the World of Work: Schools Need to Help Students Prepare
When the global economy emerges from the pandemic, the workplace is going to be a very different place, a new McKinsey study concludes.
Alyson Klein, February 18, 2021
4 min read
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