Governance

Image of books in a cell.
erhui1979/DigitalVision Vectors
Equity & Diversity State Policies Set Up Incarcerated Students to Fail, Report Finds
When students are in juvenile justice centers, they often lose access to high-quality education.
Eesha Pendharkar, June 22, 2022
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6 min read
The Spreckels Union School District board listens to public comment during a board meeting in Spreckels, Calif., Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021. A mother who claims teachers secretly manipulated her 11-year-old daughter into changing her gender identity and name has filed a legal case against the school district.
Members of the Spreckels Union school district board in California listen to public comment during a board meeting last December.
Nic Coury/AP
Equity & Diversity Opinion School Boards' Diversity Problem Goes Deeper Than You Realize
With few Black and brown members, some boards have amplified fringe voices, writes the head of the Leaders of Color organization.
Mike Bland, April 29, 2022
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5 min read
Board agendaFCG
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Policy & Politics Opinion Tired of Uninformed School Board Candidates? Try Asking These Questions
Candidates who peddle fear mongering as the cornerstone of their platforms are often clueless about what really goes on in schools.
Peter DeWitt, April 19, 2022
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8 min read
First Graders Alex Albin, left, and Tyler Custodio wear masks in Amanda McCoy's first grade class at the newly-rebuilt Addison Mizner School in Boca Raton, Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021. Palm Beach County Schools opened the school year with a masking requirement with an opt-out option.
First Graders Alex Albin, left, and Tyler Custodio wear masks in Amanda McCoy's first grade class at the newly-rebuilt Addison Mizner School in Boca Raton, Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021. Palm Beach County Schools opened the school year with a masking requirement with an opt-out option.
Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP
Law & Courts Fla. Districts That Required Masks Could Face $200 Million Punishment
School districts say they tried to keep students and their families safe when they required students to wear masks last year.
Brooke Baitinger, South Florida Sun Sentinel, February 10, 2022
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4 min read
Macy Schulman, left, and Mason Yeoh, both students at Fairfield Warde High School, carry pro-remote learning signs during a rally of parents and students fighting to have an online option for school this year, Monday, Aug. 16, 2021, in Fairfield, Conn.
Macy Schulman, left, and Mason Yeoh, both students at Fairfield Warde High School in Connecticut, carry pro-remote learning signs during a rally in August of parents and students fighting to have an online option for school this academic year.
Ned Gerard/Hearst Connecticut Media via AP
States Pivoting to Remote Learning: Why It Is Harder in Some States Than Others
In calling the shots on the switch back to remote instruction, states have very different rules, an Education Week analysis finds.
Alyson Klein, January 13, 2022
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8 min read
Image showing a gavel coming down on a medical face mask.
iStock/Getty Images Plus
Law & Courts Mask Mandate Lawsuits Reflect Bigger Battle: Do States or Local Districts Control Schools?
Some legal clarity is forming over whether governors may restrict school districts from enacting mask mandates to fight COVID-19.
Mark Walsh, August 27, 2021
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9 min read
Image of an adult and two kids navigating a tightrope with a tangled center.
Collage by Laura Baker/Education Week (Images: iStock/Getty)
School & District Management Local School Boards Are Banning Critical Race Theory. Here's How That Looks in 7 Districts
Districts' "critical race theory" bans have resulted in abandoned DEI initiatives, widespread confusion and, for Black parents, distrust.
Stephen Sawchuk, August 25, 2021
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15 min read
In this May 10, 2021 photo, Broward County School Board Chair Rosalind Osgood speaks during a school board workshop.
In this May 10, 2021 photo, Broward County School Board Chair Rosalind Osgood speaks during a school board workshop.
Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via TNS
School & District Management Florida May Withhold Funds and Remove School Board Members Over Masks
As more districts consider stricter mask mandates, the state education board is threatening severe penalties for two districts that tried.
Scott Travis, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, August 18, 2021
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5 min read
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott gives his State of the State Address in the House Chamber in Austin, Texas, on Feb. 5, 2019.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has sought to bar districts from universally requiring masks in schools.
Eric Gay/AP
States Mask Mandates Put 'Local Control' of Schools to the Test
Fights between states and school districts aren't new, but stark differences on masking present new tests.
Andrew Ujifusa, August 11, 2021
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8 min read
Image of books on history.
thomaguery/iStock/Getty
Social Studies Explainer Who Decides What History We Teach? An Explainer
Education Week breaks down how politics has long been embedded in this decision, and how new laws may affect the process.
Sarah Schwartz, August 11, 2021
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15 min read
Second grader Ernesto Beltran Pastrana puts on his face mask while attending class during the first day of partial in-person instruction at Garfield Elementary School in Oakland, Calif. on March 30, 2021.
Second grader Ernesto Beltran Pastrana puts on his face mask while attending class during the first day of partial in-person instruction at Garfield Elementary School in Oakland, Calif., in March.
Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via AP
School & District Management Masks or No Masks: School Leaders Say They Can't Make Anyone Happy
More states are passing the buck on masking requirements to districts—and superintendents say their decisions are bound to displease someone.
Stephen Sawchuk, April 29, 2021
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11 min read
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iStock/Getty
School & District Management How America's Leaders Have Failed Educators on COVID-19
Principals and superintendents are caught between politicians’ demands, an anxious public, and experts’ contrary advice about the path forward during the pandemic. The unspoken message: You’re on your own.
Andrew Ujifusa, July 16, 2020
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14 min read
Servepro employee Joseph Felks cleans chairs and other items at Joyner Elementary School in Tupelo, Miss., as the Tupelo Public School District conducts a cleaning of all its campuses to help combat the spread of the coronavirus while the students are on spring break.
Servepro employee Joseph Felks cleans chairs and other items at Joyner Elementary School in Tupelo, Miss., as the Tupelo Public School District conducts a cleaning of all its campuses to help combat the spread of the coronavirus while the students are on spring break.
Thomas Wells/The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal via AP
School & District Management Superintendents on Hot Seat in Executing School Closures
Many are whipsawed by shutdown recommendations aimed at stemming the coronavirus, and the logistical and financial consequences of those actions.
Daarel Burnette II, March 16, 2020
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6 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Taylor Callory for Education Week
School & District Management Reported Essay Face It, School Governance Is a Mess
Centuries of fighting over racial justice, federalism, and taxation has left us a tangled web of K-12 governance. It’s time to start untangling.
Daarel Burnette II, January 7, 2020
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5 min read
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