Leadership

Education news, analysis, and opinion about effective school and district leadership
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.
Arianna Prothero
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4 min read
School & District Management Opinion ‘This Isn’t Working’: Educators Share Unsolicited Advice for District Leaders
How can superintendents improve student outcomes—without micromanaging teachers?
Larry Ferlazzo
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8 min read
School & District Management Opinion We’re Not Preparing Principals for the Real Job of School Leadership
A shocking amount of school leadership is not about students. It is about adults.
Meagan Booth
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4 min read
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.
Sarah D. Sparks
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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.
Lauraine Langreo
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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
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.
Olina Banerji
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2 min read
Montage photo of assistant principals. Left to right: Timothy Wells, Mojave High School, NV., Eric Fox, Jenks High School, Okla., Melyssa Stone, Shorewood High School, WA., Bill Toungette, Woodland Middle School, Tenn., Erin Jones, Sunrise Middle School, NE
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.
Evie Blad
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3 min read
AASA National Conference on Education attendees and exhibitors arrive for registration before the start of the conference at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tenn. on Feb. 11, 2026.
Attendees arrive before the start of the AASA National Conference, which hosted scores of superintendents and district leaders, in Nashville, Tenn., on Feb. 11, 2026. The organization's new survey indicates that most superintendents want to stay put for now.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week

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Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
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More Leadership

  • 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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    4 min read
    A school leader changes their perspective and focuses on the positive parts of their career.
    Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
    School & District Management Opinion The One Word That Educators Can Use to Reclaim Their Joy
    The work may not change, but your perspective can.
    S. Kambar Khoshaba, February 24, 2026
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    3 min read
    MVCS 1981
    A sign discouraging bullying is seen as two students walk into a classroom at a school in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Feb. 12, 2026. Experts say creating a sense of belonging in school can help curb problems like bullying.
    Kevin Mohatt for Education Week
    Student Well-Being & Movement 3 Driving Questions to Create a Sense of Belonging in Schools
    Students who feel they belong in their school are more likely to show up and learn.
    Arianna Prothero, February 24, 2026
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    5 min read
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Resources

School & District Management Quiz Quiz Yourself: Can You Decode the Latest K-12 Buzzwords and Acronyms?
Education-speak evolves daily—can you translate the latest K-12 terms and trends?
Special Education Spotlight Spotlight on MTSS in Practice: From Life Skills to Learning Strategies
This Spotlight focuses on MTSS, providing a framework to support both students and educators across a range of needs and settings.
Student Achievement Spotlight Spotlight on Unlocking Potential: How Interventions Transform Learning
This Spotlight explores how interventions can shape student outcomes, with a focus on supporting older students who struggle with reading.
School & District Management Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Well Do You Speak K-12?
Find out if you can keep up with the evolving language of education leaders—and what it means for your marketing strategy.
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  • Cougar Mountain Middle School was built next door to Timber Ridge at Talus, a senior living community. It’s resulted in an intergenerational partnership between students and the senior residents. Pictured here on Oct. 30, 2025, in Issaquah, Wash.
    Cougar Mountain Middle School in Issaquah, Wash., was built next door to Timber Ridge at Talus, a senior living community. It’s resulted in an intergenerational partnership between students and the senior residents, pictured here on Oct. 30, 2025.
    Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
    Student Well-Being & Movement Download Want to Start an Intergenerational Partnership at Your School? Here's How
    Partnerships that bring together students and older adults benefit both generations.
    Elizabeth Heubeck, February 2, 2026
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    1 min read
    2 students stand before a school in the distance.
    Getty + Education Week
    Student Absenteeism Opinion Progress on Absenteeism Is Stalling. What Can We Do About It?
    Recent attendance trends indicate that something fundamental about schooling has changed.
    Nat Malkus, February 2, 2026
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    5 min read
    A 5th grade math class takes place at Lafargue Elementary School in Effie, Louisiana, on Friday, August 22. The state has implemented new professional development requirements for math teachers in grades 4-8 to help improve student achievement and address learning gaps.
    Research shows that a positive school climate serves as a protective factor for young people, improving students’ education outcomes and well-being during their academic careers and beyond. A student raises her hand during a 5th grade class in Effie, La., on Aug. 22, 2025.
    Kathleen Flynn for Education Week
    School Climate & Safety 4 Ways Schools Can Build a Stronger, Safer Climate
    A principal, a student, and a researcher discuss what makes a positive school climate.
    Lauraine Langreo, January 30, 2026
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    4 min read
    Businesswoman and businessman HR manager interviewing woman. Candidate female sitting her back to camera, focus on her, close up rear view, interviewers on background. Human resources, hiring concept
    iStock/Getty
    Recruitment & Retention Principals Can Make or Break Schools. How Districts Find the Right Fit
    Gauging job candidates' readiness for the challenges of running a school is not easy.
    Olina Banerji, January 30, 2026
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    5 min read
    In an aerial view, Waymo robotaxis sit parked at a Waymo facility on Dec. 8, 2025 , in San Francisco . Self-driving taxi company Waymo said it is voluntarily recalling software in its autonomous vehicles after Texas officials documented at least 19 incidents this school year in which the cars illegally passed stopped school buses, including while students were getting on or off.
    Waymo self-driving taxis sit parked at a Waymo facility on Dec. 8, 2025, in San Francisco. Federal agencies are investigating after Austin, Texas, schools documented incidents in which the cars illegally passed stopped school buses. In a separate incident, a robotaxi struck a student at low speed as she ran across the street in front of her Santa Monica, Calif., elementary school.
    Justin Sullivan/Getty Images via TNS
    School Climate & Safety Schools Flag Safety Incidents As Driverless Cars Enter More Cities
    Agencies are examining reports of Waymos illegally passing buses; in another case, one struck a student.
    Evie Blad, January 29, 2026
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    5 min read
    High school students protest during a walkout in opposition to President Donald Trump's policies Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, in Los Angeles. A survey published in December shows how the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement agenda is upending educators’ ability to create stable learning environments as escalated enforcement depresses attendance and hurts academic achievement.
    High school students protest during a walkout in opposition to President Donald Trump's immigration policies on Jan. 20, 2026, in Los Angeles. A survey published in December shows how the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement agenda is challenging educators’ ability to create stable learning environments.
    Jill Connelly/AP
    School & District Management Heightened Immigration Enforcement Is Weighing on Most Principals
    A new survey of high school principals highlights how immigration enforcement is affecting schools.
    Ileana Najarro, January 29, 2026
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    5 min read
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EdWeek Top School Jobs

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