Issues

November 18, 2020

Education Week, Vol. 40, Issue 13
Teachers and staff protest outside Franklin D. Roosevelt High School in New York Oct. 2, calling for more and better COVID-19 testing and precautions. Teacher retirements are actually down this year in the city despite the pandemic.
Teachers and staff protest outside Franklin D. Roosevelt High School in New York Oct. 2, calling for more and better COVID-19 testing and precautions. Teacher retirements are actually down this year in the city despite the pandemic.
AP Photo/John Minchillo
Teaching Profession Explainer Did COVID-19 Really Drive Teachers to Quit?
An Education Week analysis shows that the predicted wave of leavers has not yet materialized across the nation.
16 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
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School & District Management Building Better School Boards: 3 Strategies for District Leaders
Here are strategies for creating strong, respectful, productive relationships between superintendents and school boards.
Stephen Sawchuk, November 17, 2020
12 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
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School & District Management From Our Research Center Getting New School Board Members Up to Speed
One way to train newly elected school board members for the job ahead is to start before they even run for office.
Corey Mitchell, November 17, 2020
7 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
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School & District Management Advice From a Long-Serving School Board Member
Felton Williams shares insights from his 16 years as one of the few Black members on the Long Beach, Calif., school board.
Denisa R. Superville, November 17, 2020
8 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
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School & District Management Why School Board Diversity Matters
Most school boards don’t look the students they serve, but new research suggests that must change.
Christina A. Samuels, November 17, 2020
10 min read
School & District Management School Board Elections Don't Get Much Attention. They Should
School boards play a critical role in steering the progress of the nation’s schools, but the relationship between school boards and school district leaders could be better.
November 17, 2020
2 min read
School Choice & Charters Letter to the Editor Are NOLA Charters a Mixed Bag?
To the Editor:
The opinion essay by Douglas N. Harris about how New Orleans’ education reforms post-Katrina are relevant to the COVID-19 era (“As Schools Recover After COVID-19, Look to New Orleans,” Sept. 30, 2020) highlights some basic improvements in the NOLA system but downplays the most significant aspects of those changes: the impact on people of color.
November 17, 2020
1 min read
School Climate & Safety Letter to the Editor Invisibility to Inclusivity for LGBTQ Students
To the Editor:
I read with interest “The Essential Traits of a Positive School Climate” (Special Report: “Getting School Climate Right: A Guide for Principals,” Oct. 14, 2020). The EdWeek Research Center survey of principals and teachers provides interesting insight as to why there are still school climate issues for LGBTQ students.
November 17, 2020
1 min read
Curriculum Letter to the Editor Curriculum as a Lever for Racial Equity
To the Editor:
The special report "Big Ideas for Confronting Racism in Education" (Sept. 23, 2020) highlighted essential ingredients for creating anti-racist schools, including better teacher preparation, expanded anti-bias training, and universal internet access, among others.
November 17, 2020
1 min read
Education Briefly Stated Briefly Stated: Stories You May Have Missed
A collection of stories from the previous week that you may have missed.
November 17, 2020
8 min read
Young people celebrate the presidential election results in Atlanta. Early data on the 2020 turnout show a spike in youth voting, with Georgia, which faces a pair of senatorial runoffs, an epicenter of that trend.
Young people celebrate the presidential election results in Atlanta. Early data on the 2020 turnout show a spike in youth voting, with Georgia, which faces a pair of senatorial runoffs, an epicenter of that trend.
Brynn Anderson/AP
School Climate & Safety As Election 2020 Grinds On, Young Voters Stay Hooked
In states like Georgia, the push to empower the youth vote comes to fruition at a time when “every vote counts” is more than just a slogan.
Evie Blad, November 13, 2020
6 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Xia Gordon for Education Week
Teaching Profession Opinion Teacher Demoralization Isn't the Same as Teacher Burnout
The pandemic has made it harder for teachers to access the moral rewards of their work, writes education professor Doris A. Santoro.
Doris A. Santoro, November 11, 2020
5 min read
Federal What's at Stake for the Senate Education Committee as Run-Off Elections Loom
Two run-off elections could decide how the Senate addresses the coronavirus pandemic and a new education secretary, among other issues.
Andrew Ujifusa, November 10, 2020
8 min read
Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks Friday, Nov. 6, 2020, in Wilmington, Del.
Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks Friday, Nov. 6, 2020, in Wilmington, Del.
AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster
Federal Joe Biden's Election as President Tees Up Massive Shifts for K-12 Policy
The Democrat’s victory could reverse Trump-era positions on COVID-19 and civil rights, and will cost Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' job.
Evie Blad, November 7, 2020
12 min read
family remote ed Opinion
Feodora Chiosea/iStock/Getty
Families & the Community Opinion Families Not Engaging With School? Rethink the Problem
Parents are ready to support distance learning, but educators need to speak the right cultural language, writes a team of researchers working with an Oregon school district.
Laura Brady, Stephanie A. Fryberg, Hazel Rose Markus, Camilla Mutoni Griffiths, Jenny Yang & Perla Rodriguez, November 5, 2020
6 min read
Students line up to have their temperature checked before entering PS 179 in the Brooklyn borough of New York in late September. New York City was one of the first big-city districts to return students for some in-person learning during the coronavirus pandemic.
Students line up to have their temperature checked before entering PS 179 in the Brooklyn borough of New York in late September. New York City was one of the first big-city districts to return students for some in-person learning during the coronavirus pandemic.
AP Photo/Mark Lennihan
School & District Management Making a School Reopening Decision and Taking the Heat
School district leaders must make high-stakes decisions with woefully imperfect information.
13 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Dr.After123/DigitalVision Vectors
School Climate & Safety Opinion This Election Is Traumatizing for Many Students (and Educators). Here's How to Help
Three trauma-informed practices can ease polarization in the classroom, write professor Anita Chari and trauma therapist Angelica Singh.
Anita Chari & Angelica Singh, November 4, 2020
5 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement Explainer Do Face Shields Protect Against COVID-19? A Mask and Shield Explainer
While transparent face shields help teachers better communicate with students, they are less effective at controlling coronavirus spread.
Sarah D. Sparks, November 2, 2020
6 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Photo courtesy of Brown University
School & District Management Q&A 'Schools Need to Be Bolder' About Reopening, Public Health Expert Says
Fear is driving too many schools to be overly cautious about providing in-person learning, says Dr. Ashish K. Jha.
Catherine Gewertz, November 2, 2020
5 min read