Early education teacher Monique Cox picks up a DoorDash order from a restaurant after finishing her shift at the Epiphany School in Boston on Oct. 7, 2025. Cox supplements her income by working as a personal trainer on weekends and breaks and delivering food after her teaching day ends.
Brenda Amparan leads her first graders in Spanish at Pueblo Elementary School in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Sept. 16, 2025. Dual-language programs benefit all students, but there is an accessibility issue for English learners.
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.
Sylvelia Pittman stands for a portrait outside of Nash Elementary School in Chicago on Oct. 30, 2025. She spoke with Education Week about the fears she is grappling with regarding immigration raids and federal agents' increased presence near her school.
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
Students in Mary Rodgers' 12th grade honors English class use AI to help craft an engaging thesis statement for a college admissions essay on Sept. 23, 2025, at Louisa County High School in Mineral, Va. Her school district is trying to get ahead of the curve on training teachers how to use AI for instruction.
