Pennsylvania

News, analysis, and opinion about K-12 education in Pennsylvania
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Lylah Bobowski, 3, plays in the outdoor playground of the Head Start Center in Athens, Pa., on August 13, 2026.
Md. Zobayer Hossain Joati for Education Week
Early Childhood What This Rural Head Start Program Stands to Lose With Federal Changes
The federal government just announced plans to de-regulate Head Start. Here's what this might mean.
Elizabeth Heubeck, August 14, 2026
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10 min read
Numberpad visible on keyboard of ASUS CX1 Chromebook, Lafayette, California, October 27, 2025.
The Canon-McMillan school district in Pennsylvania is one of a growing number of school districts that are scaling back students’ classroom screen time. Students in grades K-2 will no longer have regular access to school-issued laptops or tablets, and students in grades 3-8 will have limited access through Chromebook carts.
Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Sipa via AP Images
Classroom Technology Q&A Why This District Is Getting Rid of Chromebooks for K-2 Students
Some parents, educators, and even students are souring on the ubiquitous presence of the technology.
Lauraine Langreo, August 11, 2026
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6 min read
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Students return from the Ephrata, Pa. district's "maker bus" to their classrooms at Fulton Elementary School as teacher Joel Bischoff leads them on April 29, 2026. The Ephrata district parks the mobile makerspace at each of its elementary schools a few weeks at a time to allow students to complete hands-on projects. The district has oriented its teaching around projects that allow students to demonstrate skills like empathy and creativity alongside content knowledge.
Scott Lewis for Education Week
Curriculum See the Retired School Bus That High Schoolers Turned Into a Mobile Makerspace
In a Pennsylvania district, students use a bus specially outfitted for them to work on creative projects.
Evie Blad, June 4, 2026
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1 min read
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A 4th grade student vies for the attention of a turtle during her class’s weekly visit to the Da Vinci Science Center on May 18, 2026, as part of the center’s partnership with the Allentown school district’s Central Elementary STREAM Academy.
Scott Lewis for Education Week
Science Can a Science Museum Reshape Learning? Inside One District's Experiment
A state-of-the-art science museum and a formerly under-resourced elementary school form a rare partnership.
Elizabeth Heubeck, May 27, 2026
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10 min read
An 8-year-old girl in a purple t-shirt leans over a butcher block counter inside a retrofitted school bus to glue together a map. Behind her, two classmates glue their projects.
Aiden Montanez Castro, 8, Zayne Mendez, 8, and Violet Ward, 8, work on a lesson in making a topographical map of their hometown at Fulton Elementary School in Ephrata, Pa. The Ephrata district refashioned a school bus into a Maker Bus, which parks at each of the district’s elementary schools for hands-on projects. The district has oriented its teaching around projects that allow students to demonstrate skills like empathy and creativity alongside content knowledge.
Scott Lewis for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Inside One District’s Experiment to Anchor Learning Around Career-Ready Skills
Employers identify skills like creativity and collaboration as key to success in careers.
Evie Blad, April 30, 2026
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8 min read
Teacher of the Year Leon Smith on March 25, 2026 Haverford High School in Pennsylvania.
The 2026 Teacher of the Year, Leon Smith, in his classroom at Haverford High School in Pennsylvania on March 25, 2026,
Courtesy of the Council of Chief State School Officers
Teaching Profession 2026 Teacher of the Year Preps History Students for a Diverse and Divisive World
Leon Smith of Pennsylvania engages high school students in new angles on seemingly well-trodden topics and events.
Sarah D. Sparks, April 21, 2026
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3 min read
This June 8, 1993 file photo shows Fred Rogers during a rehearsal for a segment of his television program Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood in Pittsburgh.
Fred Rogers rehearses a segment of his television program "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" in Pittsburgh in this June 8, 1993 file photo.
Gene J. Puskar/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement Teachers Keep the Lessons of 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood' Alive in the Classroom
Teachers say Fred Rogers' work has informed how they weave together academic and SEL lessons.
Sarah D. Sparks, March 25, 2026
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4 min read
Image of a group of students meeting with their teacher. One student is giving the teacher a high-five.
Laura Baker/Education Week via Canva
School Climate & Safety What 3 Top Principals Do So Students Feel Like They Belong at School
Principals use belonging, mentorship, and creative incentives to boost attendance.
Olina Banerji, March 10, 2026
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5 min read
A third-grader practices his cursive handwriting at a school in the Queens borough of New York.
A third-grader practices his cursive handwriting at a school in the Queens borough of New York. At least half of the nation’s states have adopted cursive writing instruction in recent years, reversing a sharp decline in teaching of that skill after the Common Core, launched in 2010, omitted it from its standards.
Mary Altaffer/AP
Curriculum Cursive Is Making a Comeback. It Won’t Be Without Challenges
A growing number of states are requiring schools to return to cursive writing instruction.
Elizabeth Heubeck, March 2, 2026
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5 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
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3 min read
A 1st grader stands in front of the TV screen that streamed a Q&A from the International Space Station students and NASA astronaut Chris Williams.
Owen, a 1st grader at Trumbauersville Elementary School in Quakertown, Pa., stands in front of the TV screen that streamed a Q&A from the International Space Station between Pennsylvania elementary students and NASA astronaut Chris Williams on Feb. 5, 2026. Experts say these kinds of real-world STEM experiences can spark students' interest in the field.
Photo courtesy of Trumbauersville Elementary School
Science Talking to Astronauts, and Other Ways to Get Kids Excited About STEM
Educators need to look beyond standard curricula to expose students to real-world STEM experiences.
Elizabeth Heubeck, February 12, 2026
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4 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
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7 min read
The 2023 National Teacher of the Year award for Rebecka Peterson is displayed during a ceremony honoring the Council of Chief State School Officers' 2023 Teachers of the Year in the Rose Garden of the White House, Monday, April 24, 2023, in Washington.
The Council of Chief State School Officers will announce the 2026 National Teacher of the Year award later this spring. The crystal apple award is pictured in this photo from 2023.
Andrew Harnik/AP
Teaching Profession The Nation's Top 5 Teachers in 2026 Focus on Community, Place-Based Education
This year's top teachers bring their communities into the classroom, and vice versa.
Sarah D. Sparks, January 30, 2026
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7 min read
Two teachers having conversation in office.
iStock
Recruitment & Retention Inside One State's Bold Plan to Keep Special Education Teachers
Pennsylvania's training and mentoring program works to retain teachers serving students with disabilities.
Sarah D. Sparks, December 19, 2025
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6 min read