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
Special Education Webinar
Bridging the Math Gap: What’s New in Dyscalculia Identification, Instruction & State Action
Discover the latest dyscalculia research insights, state-level policy trends, and classroom strategies to make math more accessible for all.
Content provided by TouchMath
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
School Climate & Safety Webinar
Belonging as a Leadership Strategy for Today’s Schools
Belonging isn’t a slogan—it’s a leadership strategy. Learn what research shows actually works to improve attendance, culture, and learning.
Content provided by Harmony Academy
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
School & District Management Webinar
Too Many Initiatives, Not Enough Alignment: A Change Management Playbook for Leaders
Learn how leadership teams can increase alignment and evaluate every program, practice, and purchase against a clear strategic plan.
Content provided by Otus

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 12 Strategies Administrators Can Use to Prevent Staff Burnout (and Their Own)
Creating a healthier school culture begins with building trust, but it doesn't end there.
7 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
School & District Management Video Meet the 2026 Superintendent of the Year
A Texas schools chief says his leadership is inspired by his own difficulties in school.
Superintendent Roosevelt Nivens speaks after being announced as AASA National Superintendent of the Year in Nashville, Tenn. on Feb. 12, 2026.
Superintendent Roosevelt Nivens speaks after being announced as AASA National Superintendent of the Year in Nashville, Tenn. on Feb. 12, 2026.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
School & District Management Simulations Aim to Prepare Superintendents to Handle Political Controversies
The exercises, delivered virtually or in-person, can help district leaders role-play volatile discussions.
3 min read
021926 AASA NCE KD BS 1
Superintendents and attendees get ready for the start of the AASA National Conference on Education in Nashville, Tenn. on Feb. 11, 2026. A team of highlighted new scenario-based role-playing tools that district leaders can use to prep for tough conversations with school board members and other constituencies.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
School & District Management What School Leaders Should Do When Parents Are Detained (DOWNLOADABLE)
School leaders are increasingly in need of guidance due to heightened immigration enforcement.
1 min read
Valley View Elementary School principal Jason Kuhlman delivers food donations to families from the school Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Columbia Heights, Minn.
Valley View Elementary School Principal Jason Kuhlman delivers food donations to school families on Feb. 3, 2026, in Columbia Heights, Minn. School leaders in the Twin Cities have been trying to assuage the fears of over immigration enforcement.
Liam James Doyle/AP