Instructional Materials

Read more about the materials that are used to help students learn the curriculum
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
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17 min read
Stylized calendar planner in monthly and weekly views in spiral notebook display
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A good student planner can be a game-changer for students of any age. However, to make the best choice, it is important to understand why and how these materials benefit children, what key features to look for and how to choose the best student planners for your requirements.
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Jennifer Watkins, who runs a STEM program for the Fouke school district in rural Arkansas, shared how she uses inexpensive ed-tech tools to help students understand robotics at the ISTE+ASCD annual technology and learning conference this summer.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Classroom Technology How One Teacher Built a STEM and Robotics Program on a Shoestring Budget
This rural Arkansas elementary and middle school teacher gives her students rich STEM experiences by using a creative mix of tools.
Alyson Klein, September 4, 2025
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4 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
Curriculum Opinion Here’s Why It’s Important for Teachers to Have a Say in Curriculum
Two curriculum publishers explain what gets in the way of giving teachers the best materials possible.
Rick Hess, August 19, 2025
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5 min read
First grade students listen as their teacher Megan Goes helps them craft alternate endings for stories they wrote together at Moorsbridge Elementary School in Portage, Mich., on Nov. 29, 2023.
First grade students listen as their teacher Megan Goes helps them craft alternate endings for stories they wrote together at Moorsbridge Elementary School in Portage, Mich., on Nov. 29, 2023. In reading classrooms nationwide, teachers tend to mix core and supplemental materials—whether out of necessity or by design.
Emily Elconin for Education Week
Curriculum The Many Reasons Teachers Supplement Their Core Curricula—and Why it Matters
Some experts warn against supplementing core programs with other resources. But educators say there can be good reasons to do so.
Sarah Schwartz, August 8, 2025
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7 min read
First grader Geniss Gibbs practices reading skills at Eastern Elementary School in Washington, N.C., on May 23, 2022.
First grader Geniss Gibbs practices reading skills at Eastern Elementary School in Washington, N.C., on May 23, 2022. Although districts are choosing new curricula purportedly aligned with evidence-based reading practices, they still frequently supplement with other teaching materials.
Kate Medley for Education Week
Reading & Literacy Districts Using 'High-Quality' Reading Curricula Still Supplement With Other Materials. Why?
A new report maps the shifting reading curriculum market.
Sarah Schwartz, August 4, 2025
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5 min read
Rising To The Challenge metaphor success concept with a paper boat transforming into a bird symbol of adaptability and change to avoid a crisis
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Reading & Literacy Opinion ‘She Gave Us a Way In’: A Teacher’s Defense of Lucy Calkins
Every decade, a new savior for literacy emerges: Phonics! Whole language! Balanced reading! Phonics, again!
Dana Palubiak, August 1, 2025
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5 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
Mathematics Opinion Do 'High Quality' Math Materials Add Up?
A veteran math teacher explains how he judges textbooks and programs.
Rick Hess, July 31, 2025
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6 min read
An illustration of hands on the keyboard of a laptop with a male educator writing a speech bubble on a green classroom chalkboard.
Taylor Callery for Education Week
English Learners Here's What Resources ESL Teachers Say Would Improve Their Morale
EdWeek Research Center survey data found two key priorities that could raise morale.
Ileana Najarro & Alex Harwin, July 25, 2025
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3 min read
An elementary school teacher helps a student with a writing activity.
An elementary school teacher helps a student with a writing activity.
Allison Shelley for All4Ed
Curriculum Why Most Teachers Mix and Match Curricula—Even When They Have a 'High-Quality' Option
Teachers who supplement "may be signaling about inadequacies in the materials that are provided to them,” write the authors of a new report.
Sarah Schwartz, July 16, 2025
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6 min read
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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Answer 5 questions about identifying and implementing effective math curriculum.
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Dylan Mayes, left, reads from a book about Willie Mays during a reading circle in class on Oct. 20, 2022, in Niagara Falls, N.Y.
Dylan Mayes, left, reads from a book about Willie Mays during a reading circle in class on Oct. 20, 2022, in Niagara Falls, N.Y. After the state launched a "science of reading" initiative in 2024, implementation has been piecemeal, a new survey finds.
Joshua Bessex/AP
Reading & Literacy ‘A Good Deal of Nostalgia’: New York’s Uneven Embrace of the Science of Reading
Educators say that they're mixing new approaches with the curricula and teaching strategies they've previously used, a new survey finds.
Sarah Schwartz, July 9, 2025
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6 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
Curriculum Opinion How Much Autonomy Should Teachers Have Over Instructional Materials?
Some policymakers are pushing schools to adopt high-quality scripted lessons for teachers. And here's why.
Rick Hess, June 24, 2025
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8 min read
Waist-up view of early 30s teacher sitting with 11 year old Hispanic student at library round table and holding book as she pronounces the words.
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English Learners Teachers Aren't Prepared or Equipped to Teach English Learners, Survey Finds
A new RAND Corp. study found that teachers working with English learners need more training and better materials.
Ileana Najarro, June 19, 2025
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3 min read
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