Q&A

These Q&As feature some of the field's most prominent education scholars, leaders, and practitioners talking about important education issues
Federal tax dollars flow into a public school. Federal school choice funding.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty
School Choice & Charters Q&A How Much Will Federal School Choice Benefit Public Schools?
"The money is there," says a researcher trying to project how much is there for public school students.
Arianna Prothero, October 15, 2026
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5 min read
Elaine Wilson, left, and Lois Curtis are shown in this April 10, 1999 file photo. States may have to place people with mental disabilities in homelike settings if they can fare just as well there as in state hospitals, the Supreme Court said Tuesday, June 22, 1999. The decision did not provide the final word in the legal battle of the two Georgia women who sued Georgia to get out of a state mental hospital in Atlanta. Elaine Wilson and Lois Curtis had been approved for community-based care but faced long waiting lists. Now in group homes, both women attended the Supreme Court arguments for their case in April.
Plaintiffs Elaine Wilson and Lois Curtis, shown here on April 10, 1999, during their Supreme Court battle, were the two Georgia women whose lawsuit established the landmark <i>Olmstead</i> decision requiring community-based care for adults with disabilities. The U.S. Department of Justice in July issued new guidance that said it will no longer rely upon the <i>Olmstead</i> decision in its enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
John Bazemore/AP
Special Education Q&A How New Federal Guidance on Disability Could Impact K-12 Special Education
New federal DOJ guidance deemphasizing independent living skills could affect special education transition plans.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, October 14, 2026
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4 min read
Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., speaks during a prayer vigil held by the Chesapeake Coalition of Black Pastors at The Mount (Mount Lebanon Baptist Church) in Chesapeake, Va., Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022, for the six people killed at a Walmart in Chesapeake, Va., when a manager opened fire with a handgun before an employee meeting Tuesday night.
Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., speaks during a prayer vigil in Chesapeake, Va., on Nov. 27, 2022. Scott is the ranking Democrat on the U.S. House of Representatives' education committee and will seek the panel's chairmanship if Democrats win a House majority in next month's elections.
Carolyn Kaster/AP
Federal Q&A A Top Democrat Breaks Down His Party's Plans for K-12 in a House Majority
If Democrats retake the House, Rep. Bobby Scott may be in a position to set his chamber’s K-12 agenda.
Alyson Klein, October 9, 2026
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5 min read
The definition of teacher sits on teacher Leon Smith's desk at Haverford High School, in Haverford, PA on March 20, 2024.
A definition of the word teacher sits on Leon Smith's desk at Haverford High School, in Haverford, PA on March 20, 2024. New data suggest a long-term trend of higher vacancies and more underprepared teachers.
Alejandro A Alvarez/The Philadelphia Inquirer via TNS
Teaching Profession Q&A What Teacher Shortages Really Say About the Profession
In the new book, Ending Teacher Shortages, researcher Tuan Nguyen highlights need to move from magic bullets to a more stable workforce.
Sarah D. Sparks, October 8, 2026
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4 min read
Creative Minds students find their partners during daily family time in Wichita Kansas.
Students find their partners during daily family time on Sept. 15, 2026, at Creative Minds, a microschool run by the public school district in Wichita, Kan. Interest in microschools has surged in recent years, and some school districts are starting their own. One example is in Indiana, where Superintendent George Philhower of the Eastern Hancock district has started the Indiana Microschool Collaborative.
Melissa Lukenbaugh for Education Week
School Choice & Charters Q&A To Compete With School Choice, This Superintendent Turned to Microschools
More school districts have started microschools. George Philhower has started a network of them.
Arianna Prothero, October 8, 2026
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4 min read
Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, speaks remotely during a Security Council meeting on artificial intelligence at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026.
Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, speaks remotely during a Security Council meeting on artificial intelligence at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters on Sept. 23, 2026. Another meeting that took place at the General Assembly focused on AI safety for children. Erin Mote, a former school leader, participated and discussed the importance of tackling the challenge globally.
Yuki Iwamura/AP
Artificial Intelligence Q&A An Educator Banned Social Media in Her School Years Ago. What About Banning AI?
An AI safety expert and former educator spoke at a UN meeting about AI safety. This is what she said.
Alyson Klein, September 25, 2026
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5 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
Teaching Opinion Whose Knowledge Counts in the Classroom? A Blueprint for Teachers
Four educators advocate a learning experience that centers the student.
Larry Ferlazzo, September 17, 2026
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5 min read
Natalia Gutierrez, age 10 (5th grade), Garrett Christian, age 10 (5th grade), William Robinson, age 8 (3rd grade), wait to begin reading time in the afternoon at Creative Minds School in Wichita, Kansas on September 15, 2026.
Fifth graders Natalia Gutierrez, 10, and Garrett Christian, 10, and 3rd grader William Robinson, 8, wait to begin reading time in the afternoon at Creative Minds School in Wichita, Kan., on Sept. 15, 2026. Applying reading research to the classroom can be challenging, and engineering principles could help, some researchers say.
Melissa Lukenbaugh for Education Week
Reading & Literacy Q&A The Science of Reading Has an Implementation Problem. Could Engineering Help?
Researchers suggest that an "engineering of reading" could better translate evidence into practice.
Sarah Schwartz, September 16, 2026
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11 min read
Collage of a high school student with words in background and a white hand drawn line image of graduation cap.
Liz Yap for Education Week + Getty
College & Workforce Readiness Q&A Why 'Portrait of a Graduate' Initiatives Struggle to Transform Instruction
Researchers examined how 15 districts are working to build "portrait of a graduate" expectations.
Lauraine Langreo, September 16, 2026
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6 min read
"I'm trying to use 9/11 as a way to help them understand how historians do their work." Sari Beth Rosenberg, a teacher at M400 High School for Environmental Studies in Manhattan, carrying the lesson plan for her 11th Grade class on 9/11. New York, September 2026.
Sari Beth Rosenberg, a U.S. history teacher at M400 High School for Environmental Studies in Manhattan, carries the 9/11 lesson plan for her 11th grade class, in New York City on Sept. 9, 2026. "I'm trying to use 9/11 as a way to help them understand how historians do their work," she said.
Oliver Farshi for Education Week
Teaching Q&A Teaching 9/11 When Students—and Their Parents—Don't Remember It
A New York City teacher shares how her lesson on the terrorist attacks has evolved over the past 25 years.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, September 9, 2026
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5 min read
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Students at a high school in Plymouth, Ohio work on how to properly prompt the Gemini AI app on Aug. 28, 2026. A new report of the American Psychological Association warns that student engagement with tech apps should not be conflated with benefits for learning.
Ruddy Roye for Education Week
Classroom Technology Q&A Students’ Tech Engagement Doesn’t Equal Learning, Psychologists Warn
A panel of psychologists shares recommendations for ensuring technology promotes meaningful learning.
Lauraine Langreo, September 4, 2026
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6 min read
WASHINGTON,DC - JUNE 10: Dr. Aaron Spence, Superintendent, Loudoun County Public Schools and Dr. Macquline King, Superintendent and CEO of Chicago Public Schools speak during a House Education and Workforce Committee hearing titled “Breaking Trust: Attacks On Parental Rights, Inappropriate Content, And Legal Abuses In America’s Schools” on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, June 10, 2026 in Washington, DC.
Dr. Aaron Spence, Superintendent, Loudoun County Public Schools, and Dr. Macquline King, Superintendent and CEO of Chicago Public Schools, speak during a House Education and Workforce Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on June 10, 2026, in Washington, D.C. Superintendents believe pre-K is a priority for their districts, but it doesn't often translate to actively supporting early grades.
Jabin Botsford For Education Week
Early Childhood Q&A If District Leaders Support Pre-K, Then Why Is It Not a Top Priority?
Superintendents can empower other leaders to nurture and grow their district's pre-K program.
Olina Banerji, September 2, 2026
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6 min read
In this Friday, March 13, 2020 photo, Pre-K students Nivayeh O'neal, 4, left, and Harper Lietchy, 5, go through the lunch line at Rivermont elementary school in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Pre-K students go through the lunch line at Rivermont Elementary School on March 13, 2020, in Chattanooga, Tenn. As a growing number of states plan to expand access to publicly funded pre-K, experts question its impact and direction.
Troy Stolt/Chattanooga Times Free Press via AP
Early Childhood Q&A The Pre-K Push: Are Current Preschool Models Heading the Wrong Way?
Dale C. Farran has spent five decades studying early education, and shares her insights with EdWeek.
Elizabeth Heubeck, August 31, 2026
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7 min read
A student raises her hand to ask a question in her third grade classroom at Highland Elementary School in Columbus, Kan., on Oct. 17, 2022. The arm of the government that oversees education data which tracks educational outcomes for students, faces major challenges ahead due to financial cuts.
A student raises her hand to ask a question in her 3rd grade classroom at Highland Elementary School in Columbus, Kan., on Oct. 17, 2022. Federal education data-gathering, like the Condition of Education report, includes baseline information on students and schools. But cuts to the Education Department's statistics wings and mounting criticism of how it operates raise questions about how it can best fulfill its mission.
Charlie Riedel/AP
Federal Q&A Education Data Collection Has Cratered Under Trump. Can It Be Rebuilt?
Ed. Dept.'s data-gathering agency is too unstable to adapt to changing needs, a new report claims.
Sarah D. Sparks, August 25, 2026
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6 min read