Parents

Education news, analysis, and opinion about how parents and other family members interact with schools and their children’s education
Teacher with primary school student with their parents
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Families & the Community These Schools Let Students Lead Parent-Teacher Conferences—With Big Results
Conferences that put the student in the driver's seat can produce positive results.
Elizabeth Heubeck, October 24, 2025
6 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
Families & the Community Opinion 'Constant Anxiety': What a Chicago Teacher Witnesses as ICE Swarms
What federal immigration agents are doing in Chicago doesn't look like democracy, an educator says.
Larry Ferlazzo, October 20, 2025
4 min read
Jacob Shaul, center, teaches an after school program called "Mode to Code" to middle schoolers at Everett Middle School in San Francisco on Aug. 27, 2025.
Jacob Shaul, center, teaches an after-school program called Mode to Code to middle schoolers at Everett Middle School in San Francisco on Aug. 27, 2025. The programs typically include enrichment and games, but many families can't find a placement for their children.
Gabrielle Lurie/San Francisco Chronicle via AP
Student Well-Being & Movement Parents Want After-School Programs, But Demand Far Outpaces Supply
Parents value the programs, but low- and middle-income families especially struggle to secure places.
Evie Blad, October 15, 2025
3 min read
Right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones speaks to the media after arriving at the federal courthouse for a hearing in front of a bankruptcy judge on June 14, 2024, in Houston.
Right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones speaks to the media outside a federal courthouse on June 14, 2024, in Houston. The U.S. Supreme Court this week declined to hear his appeal of a $1.4 billion judgment over his allegations that the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn., was staged.
David J. Phillip/AP
Law & Courts Supreme Court Again Declines a Case on School Gender Identity Policies
The U.S. Supreme Court refused to review a case on purported school gender-identity policies, as well as two other education-related appeals
Mark Walsh, October 14, 2025
5 min read
A collage of photos showing a diverse range of elementary students. The first photo shows two boys in a classroom setting working on laptops. Second photo on top right shows a young girl looking at something on her cellphone, the next photo is a young boy at home on his living room floor, wearing headphones and looking at his tablet. The last photo in the bottom right corner show the back of a young girl in her home watching tv. The tv screen is blurred.
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Classroom Technology Q&A One Teacher's Take and Research on the Screen-Time Debate
New report addresses concerns about kids' screen time in school.
Lauraine Langreo, October 14, 2025
5 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
Families & the Community Opinion Parent-School Partnerships Can Drive Academic Gains. Here's How
This family-engagement advocate says collaboration has a track record of boosting achievement.
Rick Hess, October 14, 2025
7 min read
Kanette Yatsattie, 8, left, and classmate Jeremy Candelaria, 10, hang out by a board depicting the race to for best attendance at the school, Oct. 1, 2024, at Algodones Elementary School in Algodones, N.M.
Kanette Yatsattie, 8, left, and classmate Jeremy Candelaria, 10, hang out by a board depicting the race to for best attendance at the school on Oct. 1, 2024, at Algodones Elementary School in Algodones, N.M. New Mexico passed a law in 2019 that shifts schools from punishing truancy to preventing chronic absenteeism, only referring truancy cases to the courts in extreme cases. California is the latest state to change its truancy law, undoing potential criminal penalties like fines or jail time for parents.
Roberto E. Rosales/AP
Families & the Community Should Parents Face Criminal Penalties for Their Children's Poor Attendance?
Schools shift from a punitive approach with penalties for truancy to a greater emphasis on prevention.
Evie Blad, October 7, 2025
7 min read
Ear Defenders or Headphones And Fidget Toy To Help Child With ASD Or Autism On Table In School Classroom
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Special Education Educators Worry About How Trump's Autism Rhetoric Will Affect Students, Parents
Misinformation about autism can fuel stigma that harms students, educators say.
Evie Blad, September 25, 2025
7 min read
 Customer using online service with chat bot, virtual assistant.
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Artificial Intelligence Did This Parent Hire a Lawyer? Schools Face a New Challenge With AI
Complaints written with AI can have a very legalistic tone, costing schools extra staff time and money to respond.
Arianna Prothero, September 22, 2025
6 min read
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Eglė Plytnikaitė for Education Week
English Learners From Our Research Center Teachers Say They Need More Support for English Learners, Survey Finds
An analysis of EdWeek Research Center survey data found gaps in teachers' English-learner training.
Ileana Najarro & Alex Harwin, September 22, 2025
4 min read
Public dissatisfaction with public education concept as a traffic street sign with sign underwater as an education struggle symbol with 3D illustration elements.
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Families & the Community Public Satisfaction With Schools Hits an All-Time Low. Politics May Be to Blame
Democrats and independents are less satisfied with public schools since Trump regained the White House, a new survey found.
Alyson Klein, September 17, 2025
3 min read
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 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. Experts say it is important for schools to help parents learn how to use parental controls for AI tools such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot.
Jae C. Hong/AP
Artificial Intelligence ChatGPT Will Soon Have Parental Controls. How Schools Can Help Parents Use Them
Parental controls can complement AI literacy instruction in schools, so long as parents know how to activate them.
Arianna Prothero, September 12, 2025
7 min read
A sign on a post in Los Angeles reads ''CAUTION ICE'' on Sept. 8, 2025. Immigration enforcement has drawn closer to schools in Los Angeles and beyond.
A sign on a post in Los Angeles reads ''CAUTION ICE'' on Sept. 8, 2025. Immigration enforcement has drawn closer to schools in Los Angeles and beyond.
J.W. Hendricks/NurPhoto via AP
School & District Management Schools Brace as Fears of Immigration Enforcement Rise Among Families
Educators and advocates report immigration arrests inching closer to schools.
Ileana Najarro, September 9, 2025
5 min read
Vector illustration of bar chart tumbling link dominoes and an artificial intelligence robot trying to keep the last bar from falling.
DigitalVision Vectors
Artificial Intelligence Americans Grow More Skeptical of AI in K-12 Schools, Poll Finds
Support for some AI use in schools has declined, according to the latest PDK poll on American attitudes toward public education.
Arianna Prothero, August 22, 2025
4 min read