Instruction

Learn more about instructional practices and educational models
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.
Sponsor
College & Workforce Readiness Webinar
Smarter Tools, Stronger Outcomes: Empowering CTE Educators With Future-Ready Solutions
Open doors to meaningful, hands-on careers with research-backed insights, ideas, and examples of successful CTE programs.
Content provided by Pearson
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.
Sponsor
Mathematics Quiz
Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Today’s Most Effective Math Practices?
Test your knowledge and explore what sets high-impact math instruction apart from traditional methods.
Content provided by MIND Education
Two girls using dice in math lesson.
E+
Early Childhood Play-Based Learning Yields More Joy, Higher Scores at This Elementary School
Teachers who have incorporated guided play into their lessons say they've seen students thrive.
Elizabeth Heubeck, December 29, 2025
7 min read
Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week
Reading & Literacy Letter to the Editor Small-Group Reading Instruction Can Be Effective
Don't get rid of small-group instruction just yet, urges this letter to the editor.
December 19, 2025
1 min read
Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week
Reading & Literacy Letter to the Editor Experts Diss Small-Group Instruction. Why?
Experts shouldn't label the practice as ineffective, argues this letter to the editor.
December 19, 2025
1 min read
Collage of different instruction types including, one-on-one, small group, and whole class instruction.
Getty Images + Education Week
Reading & Literacy Opinion Yes, Small-Group Reading Instruction Works. But Use It Wisely
When is the best time to use the approach over whole-class literacy instruction?
Nell K. Duke & Claude Goldenberg, December 17, 2025
4 min read
Loralyn LaBombard, a reading specialist, reads “Among the Hidden” by Margaret Peterson Haddix with a group of students in a 7th grading reading class at Bow Memorial School in Bow, N.H., on Oct. 29, 2025.
Loralyn LaBombard, a reading specialist, reads <i>Among the Hidden</i> by Margaret Peterson Haddix with a group of students in a 7th grade reading class at Bow Memorial School in Bow, N.H., on Oct. 29, 2025. Nationally, experts say there is a lack of resources available to help middle and high school students learn basic reading skills.
Sophie Park for Education Week
Reading & Literacy Many Teens Lack Basic Reading Skills. These Teachers Are Trying to Change That
Schools are building programs to provide sustained reading support to older students.
Sarah Schwartz, December 4, 2025
6 min read
A student shows their spelling of the word “knew” during an exercise in a fifth grade structured literacy class at Bow Memorial School in Bow, N.H. on Oct. 29, 2025. Bow Memorial School is a middle school that has developed a systematic approach to addressing foundational reading gaps in middle school students.
Bow Memorial School has developed a systematic approach to addressing foundational reading gaps among middle schoolers, integrating sound-letter skills with a rich diet of reading materials. A student shows their spelling during an exercise in a 5th grade class at the school in Bow, N.H. on Oct. 29, 2025.
Sophie Park for Education Week
Reading & Literacy When Older Students Can't Read: How This Middle School Is Tackling Literacy
Structured literacy classes at a New Hampshire middle school have helped some students crack the code.
Sarah Schwartz, November 24, 2025
14 min read
High school teachers learn how to teach reading to struggling older readers during an AIM training at Marietta High School in Marietta, Ga., on Nov. 10, 2025.
High school teachers learn how to teach reading to struggling older readers during an AIM training at Marietta High School in Marietta, Ga., on Nov. 10, 2025.
Jason Drakeford for Education Week
Professional Development Video How One District Is Getting Secondary Teachers Up to Speed on Reading Support
A district invests in improving secondary teachers' knowledge to help students needing reading support.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, November 24, 2025
1 min read
Image of a student reading in the library.
New research suggests that exercises in phonemic awareness may be more impactful when connected to print and purposeful phonics teaching.
Allison Shelley for All4Ed
Reading & Literacy A Popular Method for Teaching Phonemic Awareness Doesn't Boost Reading
In a new study, a highly used program didn't lead to improvements in students' word-reading abilities.
Sarah Schwartz, November 4, 2025
5 min read
Silas McLellan, a kindergartener in a play-based learning class, plays with toy blocks during “Choice Time,” at Symonds Elementary School in Keene, N.H. on Nov. 7, 2024.
Silas McLellan, a kindergartner in a play-based learning class, plays with toy blocks during Choice Time at Symonds Elementary School in Keene, N.H., on Nov. 7, 2024. After years of early grades becoming increasingly academic, play-based learning is making a comeback.
Sophie Park for Education Week
Early Childhood Explainer Play-Based Learning in Kindergarten Is Making a Comeback. Here's What It Means
Amid rigorous academic expectations in the early grades, some advocates push for a return to play.
Elizabeth Heubeck, October 21, 2025
7 min read
Handwritten excerpts of student writing
Laura Patranella's 5th graders write verses in response to <i>Love That Dog</i>, by Sharon Creech. One of Patranella's English/language arts unit features that novel alongside the poems that inspired it.
Illustration by Vanessa Solis/Education Week. Student writing courtesy of Laura Patranella
Reading & Literacy Are Books Really Disappearing From American Classrooms?
Measuring whether "whole texts" are vanishing in favor of excerpts isn't clear cut.
Sarah Schwartz, October 13, 2025
17 min read
Flat vibrant vector illustration depicting science education and learning concept. Illustration is showing different ways of learning: listening, watching, observing, exploring, experimenting, asking questions, talking and communicating, reading, drawing, and writing. The female teacher is placed on the right side and there are also two pupils each one representing different theme; one girl asking question and learning by listening  and a boy holding a hand up to answer a question.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Science Opinion Science Scores Are Down. But We Know What Would Improve Them
The when, where, and how of science instruction needs rethinking.
Emma Banay, Christine Cunningham & James Ryan, October 9, 2025
4 min read
Kids climbing a pile of books to a higher reading level. Concept vector about education, literacy, and self development.
iStock/Getty Images
Reading & Literacy Opinion Small-Group Reading Instruction Is Not as Effective as You Think
We’re missing out on a golden opportunity—one that could effectively triple literacy instruction overnight.
Mike Schmoker & Timothy Shanahan, September 26, 2025
5 min read