School & District Management Photos

Education in 2021: 10 Photos That Capture a Chaotic Year

By Jaclyn Borowski — December 21, 2021 1 min read
A Soddy Daisy high school student arrives late to his first class on Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021, the first day of the 2021-2022 school year in Hamilton County, Tenn.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

It’s been a year of give and take.

The optimism that accompanied the rollout of vaccines to teachers collided with the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The naming of a new education secretary offered promise as students from underrepresented groups, particularly the LGBT community, had their rights and freedoms limited by a flurry of state laws. The hope of a new school year and a return to in-person schooling was confronted by the realities of the Delta variant. Through it all, educators and students adapted in ways both large and small, as K-12 education remained at the forefront of the national narrative.

Here is a look at the top photos in the education sphere from the last year.

Teachers protest against COVID-19 vaccination mandates in New York on Aug. 25, 2021. On Friday, Oct. 1, 2021, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor denied an emergency appeal from a group of teachers to block New York City's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for public school teachers and other staff from going into effect.
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks to students outside P.S. 5 Port Morris, a Bronx elementary school on Aug. 17, 2021 in New York.
East Hartford High School senior Sudeen Pryce, right, center, receives support from classmate Alexia Phipps, left, East Hartford High School Intervention Coordinator Mark Brown, second from left, and EMT Katrinna Greene, top right, of Manchester, as RN Kaylee Cruz of Bristol administers the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine to Pryce at a mass vaccination site at Pratt & Whitney Runway in East Hartford, Conn. on April 26, 2021.
Protesters against a COVID-19 mandate gesture as they are escorted out of the Clark County School Board meeting at the Clark County Government Center, on Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021, in Las Vegas.
State Rep. Mary González, D - Clint, wears the colors of the transgender pride flag while speaking against House Bill 25, that limits the participation of transgender athletes in public school sports, in the House Chamber at the Capitol in Austin, Texas, on Thursday Oct. 14, 2021.
Students make their way to class for the first day of school at Tustin Ranch Elementary School in Tustin, Calif., on Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021.
Vickie Quarles a widow in Memphis, Tenn., lost her husband to COVID-19 in December 2020. She is now raising their five daughters alone. Her older daughter, Alyssa, 18, comforts her in their home.
Centerville student Alivia Smith runs around the new sensory playground outside of Centerville Elementary School on Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021, in Frederick, Md. The playground is filled with colorful shapes and patterns, and was created to help benefit the students at the elementary school.
Waterford resident Andrew Baldwin, cousin of Madisyn Baldwin, places candles at the base of a a memorial with his 5-year-old daughter Ariyah Baldwin on Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021 outside of Oxford High School in Oxford, Mich. Madisyn Baldwin, 17, was one of four teens killed in Tuesday's school shooting. A 15-year-old sophomore opened fire at his Michigan high school on Tuesday, killing four students, including a 16-year-old boy who died in a deputy’s patrol car on the way to a hospital, authorities said.

Events

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
Reading & Literacy Webinar Supporting Older Struggling Readers: Tips From Research and Practice
Reading problems are widespread among adolescent learners. Find out how to help students with gaps in foundational reading skills.
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
Reading & Literacy Webinar
Improve Reading Comprehension: Three Tools for Working Memory Challenges
Discover three working memory workarounds to help your students improve reading comprehension and empower them on their reading journey.
Content provided by Solution Tree

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

School & District Management Opinion 11 Critical Issues Facing Educators in 2026
We asked nearly 1,000 education leaders about their biggest problems. These major themes stood out.
5 min read
Screen Shot 2026 01 01 at 3.49.13 PM
Canva
School & District Management Zohran Mamdani Reverses Course on Mayoral Control Over NYC Schools
New York City's new mayor promised during his campaign to end mayoral control of the city's schools.
Cayla Bamberger & Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News
3 min read
Mayor Zohran Mamdani reacts during his inauguration ceremony on Jan. 1, 2026, in New York.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani reacts during his inauguration ceremony on Jan. 1, 2026, in New York. He promised during his campaign to end mayoral control of New York City's public schools but announced a change in position the day before taking office.
Andres Kudacki/AP
School & District Management Opinion 14 New Year’s Resolutions to Inspire School Leaders
For inspiration on how to make the most of your second reset of the school year, we checked in with contributors to The Principal Is In column.
1 min read
Collaged image of school principal resolutions for the new year
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
School & District Management Principal by Day, DJ by Night: What School Leaders Learn From Their Side Hustles
Paid or unpaid, side hustles can teach principals new skills that help them run schools.
5 min read
Illustration of a male figure juggling plates above him.
DigitalVision Vectors