Leadership

Education news, analysis, and opinion about effective school and district leadership
School & District Management Not Every Assistant Principal Wants the Top Job: 5 Views From the Field
Promotions are welcome. But assistant principals don’t plan their lives around it.
2 min read
School & District Management Superintendents Increasingly Report Economic Pressures on Their Districts
Nevertheless, most superintendents hope to remain in their current roles next year, a new survey finds.
3 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement Parents and Kids Feel Shut Out of Policymaking. What Schools Should Know
New survey reveals parents and kids want more voice in government decisions.
4 min read
Recruitment & Retention Download Ease the Teacher-Hiring Process with AI (Downloadable)
Clear criteria and privacy protections are critical when using technology to smooth the hiring process.
1 min read
A line sketch of an adult female and male educator holding a laptop and overlayed on an AI agent created template that reads CANDIDATE SCREENING TEMPLATE.
Photo illustration by Gina Tomko/Education Week + Canva
Professional Development Teachers Like It. Research Is Promising. Is This the Solution to Teacher PD?
A GAO report finds that teachers like collaborative teaching—and it has some preliminary research support too.
4 min read
Westwood High School English teacher Jeff Hall, top center, monitors his class, Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022 in Mesa, Ariz. Like many school districts across the country, Mesa has a teacher shortage due in part due to low morale and declining interest in the profession. Five years ago, Mesa allowed Westwood to pilot a program to make it easier for the district to fill staffing gaps, grant educators greater agency over their work and make teaching a more attractive career. The model, known as team teaching, allows teachers to combine classes and grades rotating between big group instruction, one-on-one interventions, small study groups or whatever the team agrees is a priority each day.
At Westwood High School, shown here on Oct. 18, 2022 in Mesa, Ariz., teachers combine classes and grades rotating between big group instruction, one-on-one interventions, and small study groups. Teachers find collaborative teaching models generally more useful than other PD models like seminars.
Matt York/AP
Recruitment & Retention AI Is Changing Teacher Hiring. Here’s How
Teachers may not be aware that AI underpins both commercial and DIY hiring systems, raising concerns.
8 min read
Daniel Perez, a recruiter with Teachers Accelerator Program, talks to a job seeker during a job fair Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, in Miami.
Daniel Perez, a recruiter with Teachers Accelerator Program, talks to a job seeker during a job fair on Oct. 1, 2025, in Miami. New data from the EdWeek Research Center suggests that more than 50% of districts use AI tools during the teacher-hiring process.
Marta Lavandier/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement School Counselors’ Jobs Are Misunderstood. Why It Matters
New report examines the challenges school counselors are facing and how to address them.
4 min read
School counselor Laurinda Culpepper takes down student's work on a bulletin board at Walnut Grove Elementary School, on May 13, 2020, in Olathe, Kan. Teachers were gathering belongings and classwork of students students so they could be picked up by parents the following week. The school was closed on March 13 and all Kansas schools were eventually ordered shut for the remainder of the school year to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
School counselor Laurinda Culpepper takes down students' work on a bulletin board at Walnut Grove Elementary School, on May 13, 2020, in Olathe, Kan. According to the American School Counselor Association’s State of the Profession 2025 report, many people who do not work in schools do not understand the role and value counselors have for school communities.
Charlie Riedel/AP

Events

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The Science of Reading transformed K-3 literacy. Now it's time to extend that focus to students in grades 6 through 12.
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Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.

More Leadership

  • Bad Bunny performs during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl 60 football game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, Calif.
    Bad Bunny performs during halftime of the NFL Super Bowl 60 football game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, Calif.
    Charlie Riedel/AP
    School & District Management Opinion Why Bad Bunny’s Half-Time Performance Was a Case Study for School Leadership
    The megastar’s show was an invitation in a challenging moment. Did you catch it?
    Peter DeWitt & Michael Nelson, February 17, 2026
    3 min read
    Superintendent Roosevelt Nivens speaks after being announced as AASA National Superintendent of the Year in Nashville, Tenn. on Feb. 12, 2026.
    Superintendent Roosevelt Nivens of the Lamar Consolidated schools in Texas speaks after being named National Superintendent of the Year in Nashville, Tenn. on Feb. 12, 2026, at the National Conference on Education sponsored by AASA, The School Superintendents Association.
    Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
    School & District Management Texas Leader Named Superintendent of the Year
    The 2026 superintendent of the year has led his district through rapid growth amid a local housing boom.
    Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, February 13, 2026
    2 min read
    A panel on risky behaviors and district challenges kicks off at the National Conference on Education in Nashville, Tenn. on Feb. 12, 2026. At the podium is Ashley Dawson, senior project coordinator of children's programs at AASA. At the table, from left: Michael Vuckovich, superintendent of the Windber Area school district; Korie Duryea, the district's special education director; and Jessica Shuster, the director of education.
    School officials from Windber, Pa., discussed their fight against student vaping and gambling in a Feb. 12, 2026, panel at the National Conference on Education in Nashville, Tenn. At the table are, from left, Superintendent Michael Vuckovich; Korie Duryea, the district's special education director; and Jessica Shuster, the director of education. Ashley Dawson, senior project coordinator of children's programs at AASA, The School Superintendents Association and conference host, is at the podium.
    Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
    Student Well-Being & Movement How a District Used Data to Fight Students' Gambling and Vaping
    School officials figured out when kids faced the most pressure and worked from there.
    Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, February 12, 2026
    3 min read
    In this image provided by NAESP, elementary school principals gathered on Capitol Hill recently to meet with their state's congressional delegations in Washington
    Elementary school principals gathered on Capitol Hill on Feb. 11, 2026,<ins data-user-label="Madeline Will" data-time="02/12/2026 11:53:27 AM" data-user-id="00000175-2522-d295-a175-a7366b840000" data-target-id=""> </ins>to meet with their state's congressional delegations in Washington. They advocated for lawmakers to protect federal K-12 investments.
    John Simms/NAESP
    School & District Management On Capitol Hill, Relieved Principals Press for Even More Federal Support
    With the fiscal 2026 budget maintaining level K-12 funding, principals look to the future.
    Olina Banerji, February 12, 2026
    7 min read
    An image representing disputes over property taxes.
    DigitalVision Vectors
    Budget & Finance How Do Schools Solve a Problem Like Property Taxes?
    Politicians or activists in at least 10 states are pitching the end of one of schools' chief revenue sources.
    Mark Lieberman, February 12, 2026
    11 min read
    Superintendent Mary Catherine Reljac walks around the exhibition hall of the National Conference on Education in Nashville, on Feb. 12, 2026. Reljac is the superintendent for Fox Chapel Area School District in Pennsylvania.
    Mary Catherine Reljac walks around the exhibition hall of the National Conference on Education in Nashville on Feb. 12, 2026. Reljac, the superintendent for Fox Chapel Area school district in Pennsylvania, is working to combat chronic absenteeism through data analysis and tailored student support.
    Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
    Student Absenteeism Q&A Solving Chronic Absenteeism Isn't 'One-Size-Fits-All,' This Leader Says
    Proactive, sensitive communication with families can make a big difference.
    Jennifer Vilcarino, February 12, 2026
    7 min read

Resources

Special Education Spotlight Spotlight on Moving From Awareness to Engagement for Neurodiverse And Autistic Students
See how schools can better support neurodiverse and autistic students, addressing barriers, elevating strengths, and building more inclusive classrooms for all.
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Belonging as a Leadership Strategy: Five Practical Actions That Strengthen Learning
Belonging has become an imperative for school and district leaders navigating attendance challenges, disengagement, and staff strain. Belonging is not abstract—actions to promote belonging are central to performance and culture.
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College & Workforce Readiness Whitepaper
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What happens when educators get the tools to turn student curiosity into action? See how one D.C. school partnered with CYBER.ORG to laun...
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Roundtable: Essentials for a High-Quality Special Education Program
In this roundtable, special education administrators will share real-world strategies for building programs that support student growth w...
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  • Panelists from left: Carlos Gonzalez, superintendent of the Roma Independent district in Texas; John Skretta, superintendent of Lincoln, Neb., schools; Joe Gothard, superintendent of Madison, Wis., schools; Ben Master, a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corp. speak on summer learning and student success at the National Conference on Education in Nashville, Tenn. on Feb. 13, 2026.
    School superintendents, from left, Carlos Gonzalez, of Roma Independent in Texas; John Skretta, of Lincoln, Neb., and Joe Gothard, of Madison, Wis., along with Ben Master, a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corp., discuss summer learning and student success at the National Conference on Education in Nashville, Tenn., on Feb. 13, 2026.
    Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
    Student Achievement These Districts Turned Summer School Into an Inviting Destination for Students
    Community partnerships helped with scheduling challenges. Themed programs heightened student interest.
    6 min read
    Students take a recess break outside of St. Paul district school in St. Paul, MN, February 23, 2026.
    Students take recess outside an elementary school in St. Paul, Minn., on Feb. 23, 2026.
    Tim Evans for Education Week
    Student Well-Being & Movement School Counselors See Rising Trauma Linked to Immigration Enforcement
    The school staff whose job it is to support students say they see major signs of emotional distress.
    Ileana Najarro, February 26, 2026
    6 min read
    First-graders in Chelsea, Mass. public schools meet with virtual tutors from Ignite Reading in 2025 as part of a study of the program.
    First graders in Kelly Elementary School in Chelsea, Mass. meet with virtual tutors from Ignite Reading in 2025 as part of a study of the program. The Chelsea district is now targeting 1st graders for tutoring to make sure all of them meet reading benchmarks by the end of the year.
    Courtesy of Chelsea Public Schools
    Student Achievement The Case for Reading Tutoring Before 3rd Grade, Not After
    New research suggests virtual tutoring can boost literacy learning before kids begin to struggle.
    Sarah D. Sparks, February 26, 2026
    6 min read
    Students visit the Alaqua Animal Rescue in Freeport, Fla., for an SEL-based curriculum on Aug. 23, 2025.
    Students visit the Alaqua Animal Rescue in Freeport, Fla., for an SEL lesson on Aug. 23, 2025. Social-emotional learning can be a powerful tool for boosting student engagement and improving behavior and academic performance, but experts say it has to be implemented well.
    Micah Green for Education Week
    Student Well-Being & Movement Looking for SEL's Benefits? Good Implementation Is Key, Experts Say
    How well an SEL program is implemented is critical for achieving the outcomes that research promises.
    Arianna Prothero, February 25, 2026
    6 min read
    Activists are approached by federal agents for following agent vehicles, on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Minneapolis.
    Activists are approached by federal agents for following agent vehicles, on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in Minneapolis. Federal immigraiton enforcement disrupted learning in the Twin Cities in recent months. A new national poll of K-12 parents found most oppose immigration enforcement at or near schools.
    Ryan Murphy/AP
    Families & the Community How K-12 Parents Feel About Immigration Enforcement Near Schools
    The latest national poll found most parnets opposing ICE enforcement at or near schools.
    Ileana Najarro, February 25, 2026
    4 min read
    The Fifth Ward Elementary School and residential neighborhoods sit near the Denka Performance Elastomer Plant, back, in Reserve, La., Friday, Sept. 23, 2022. Less than a half mile away from the elementary school, the plant makes synthetic rubber, emitting chloroprene, listed as a carcinogen in California, and a likely one by the Environmental Protection Agency.
    The Fifth Ward Elementary School and nearby residential neighborhoods in Reserve, La., pictured here on Sept. 23, 2022, sit near a synthetic rubber plant that has emitted chloroprene, which California lists as a carcinogen. New research finds thousands of schools are located within a quarter mile of such environmental hazard sites.
    Gerald Herbert/AP
    Student Well-Being & Movement Millions of Students Attend Schools Near Toxic Sites, a New Study Shows
    The study explores schools' proximity to hazardous sites and students' exposure to pollutants.
    Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, February 25, 2026
    4 min read

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