Issues

July 1, 2026

Education Week, Vol. 45, Issue 12

Centerpiece

Elizabeth Stringer-Nunley, English Learner lead for Galax City Public Schools, works a jigsaw puzzle with students at  Galax High School on Monday Jan. 12, 2026.
Elizabeth Stringer-Nunley, English-learner lead for Galax City Public Schools, works a jigsaw puzzle with students at Galax High School on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026.
Kate Medley for Education Week

Leadership

Portrait of Laurie Lehman in the classroom at La Cueva High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on January 23, 2026.
Laurie Lehman, the esports manager for New Mexico's Albuquerque Public Schools, visits La Cueva High School on January 23, 2026.
Ramsay de Give for Education Week
A computer screen in English teacher Casey Cuny's classroom shows ChatGPT during class at Valencia High School in Santa Clarita, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025
A computer screen in English teacher Casey Cuny's classroom shows ChatGPT during class at Valencia High School in Santa Clarita, Calif., on Aug. 27, 2025. A school district in Washington state on the forefront of using AI in education is harnessing artificial intelligence to create customized digital teaching and learning tools.
Jae C. Hong/AP
A look at the state of teaching with English learner students in Antioch, Tenn.
English-language teacher Tameka Marshall leads a lesson dissecting a speech at John F. Kennedy Middle School on Dec. 3, 2025, in Antioch, Tenn. A national survey found that, while English-learner teachers are viewed as primarily responsible for these students, they are not always included in schoolwide instructional decisions.
William DeShazer for Education Week

Politics & Policy

FemaGrant Maiorella 02
A new gym under construction in Wisconsin's Cuba City school district, pictured April 16, 2026, would have also served as a tornado shelter, thanks to an $8.8 million FEMA grant. But nearly four years after it was awarded the grant, the district still doesn't have the money.
Arthur Maiorella for Education Week
Fifth-grader Willow Miller raises the U.S. and Nevada flags in a daily flag-raising ceremony to start the school day in Good Springs, Nev., on March 30, 2022. Teacher Abbey Crouse assists at right. The school, along with an elementary, middle and high school in neighboring Sandy Valley, are the only schools in the mostly urban Clark County School District to meet just four days a week.
A student raises the U.S. and Nevada flags to start the school day on March 30, 2022, in Goodsprings, Nev., where the elementary school meets four days week. A growing number of schools have turned to four-day weeks over the past two decades, sometimes for budget reasons, other times for teacher recruitment and retention. But the payoff isn't always clear-cut.
Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP
Illustration of a child with a backpack looking at game pieces and board from THE GAME OF LIFE.
Laura Baker/Education Week + iStock

Teaching & Learning

Collage of digital devices with an overlay of a clock.
Liz Yap/Education Week via Canva
A comic book-style illustration of kindergarteners. The top image shows a teacher reading to the kids, and the bottom image shows young kids around a table playing with toy insects.
Illustration by Gina Tomko/Education Week + Canva
Early Childhood 5 Ways to Build Oral Language in Young Learners
Elizabeth Heubeck, May 6, 2026
4 min read
Four-year-old Ethan Quinn leaves home for his daycare center in Concord, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023. Ethan's parents opted to keep him in a private daycare center instead of enrolling him in “transitional kindergarten” — a program offered for free by California elementary schools for some 4-year-olds. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A four-year-old prepares to leave home for his daycare center in Concord, Calif., on Nov. 1, 2023. His parents chose private daycare over California’s free “transitional kindergarten” program for some 4-year-olds—a decision that reflects how families often navigate limited time, work demands, and early education options in shaping school readiness.
Jae C. Hong/AP
Northside American Federation of Teachers President Melina Espiritu-Azocar, right, speaks with middle school teacher Celeste Simone during a Microsoft AI skilling event, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in San Antonio.
Northside American Federation of Teachers President Melina Espiritu-Azocar, right, speaks with middle school teacher Celeste Simone during a Microsoft AI skill-building event on Sept. 27, 2025, in San Antonio. As use of generative AI ramps up, it could affect the integrity of the portfolios teachers have to assemble in many states to meet licensing requirements.<br/>
Darren Abate/AP
Children drawing images of faces with emotions.
iStock/Getty

Opinion

Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week
Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week
Social Studies Letter to the Editor Geography Is More Than Memorization
June 26, 2026
1 min read
Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week
People Crossing the Book Bridge in the Cliff Valley
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
School & District Management Opinion Our Schools Are Breaking Educators. We Can Fix It
Lindsay Whorton, May 18, 2026
5 min read
Happy woman meditating on smiling ball among other gloomy balls. Being optimistic, cheerful and happy. Positive thinking, Break time, calm and relax. Time out, stop burnout. Good mood, various emoji.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + iStock
Teaching Opinion We Train Teachers to Deliver SEL. They Should Also Know How to Live It
Marc Brackett, Robin Stern, Nicole Elbertson & Patricia (Tish) Jennings, March 19, 2026
5 min read
a geometrical floor with the North Star in the center that becomes a space of listening. The colors of the floor enforce this idea of the meeting of the needs of education and students.
Francesca Gastone for Education Week
Teaching Opinion Students Don't Think School Matches Their Life Goals. How Can We Fix That?
Robert C. Pianta, April 14, 2026
5 min read