Reported Essays
Insights and analysis from Education Week journalists based on their extensive coverage and expertise
Curriculum
Reported Essay
Studying Religious Texts in School Is Bad. And Good
Studying the Old Testament taught me to be intellectually rigorous, one reporter writes. But is it really possible to separate the religious text from the religion?
Social Studies
Reported Essay
Sure, We Teach History. But Do We Know Why It's Important?
It’s always been a struggle to teach history in a way that resonates with students—especially when we can’t agree on why we should.
Law & Courts
Reported Essay
It's One of the Most Fraught Words in Education. What Does It Mean?
Loaded or empirical? Incendiary or honest? Unavoidable or misleading? There’s a big disconnect around how we use the word “segregation.”
School & District Management
Reported Essay
Face It, School Governance Is a Mess
Centuries of fighting over racial justice, federalism, and taxation has left us a tangled web of K-12 governance. It’s time to start untangling.
Artificial Intelligence
Reported Essay
Teachers, the Robots Are Coming. But That's Not a Bad Thing
Ignoring artificial intelligence won’t keep it out of the classroom. Instead, teachers should be actively shaping it.
Special Education
Reported Essay
Special Education Is Broken
Forty years after students with disabilities were legally guaranteed an education, many still don’t receive what they deserve.
IT Infrastructure & Management
Reported Essay
Education Has an Innovation Problem
Are education leaders spending too much time chasing the latest tech trends rather than trying to maintain what they have? Benjamin Herold explores the innovation trap.
Every Student Succeeds Act
Reported Essay
The Black Achievement Paradox Nobody's Talking About
Drawing on his experience growing up in an Air Force family, Daarel Burnette II highlights emerging research on military-connected students.
School & District Management
Reported Essay
Is There a Path to Desegregated Schools?
Racial and economic segregation remains deeply entrenched in American schools. Denisa R. Superville considers the six steps one district is taking to change that.
College & Workforce Readiness
Q&A
The Kids Are Right: School Is Boring
Out-of-school learning is often more meaningful than anything that happens in a classroom. Kevin Bushweller tackles the relevance gap.
Curriculum
Reported Essay
We're Teaching Consent All Wrong
No, consent doesn't just belong in sex ed. class; it needs to start a lot earlier. Sarah D. Sparks looks at the research.
College & Workforce Readiness
Reported Essay
The Two Powerful Forces Changing College Admissions
Some colleges are rewriting the script for what they look for in potential students. Catherine Gewertz surveys this changing admissions landscape.
Assessment
Reported Essay
Is It Time to Kill Annual Testing?
A world without annual testing may be closer than you think, but it would come with some serious tradeoffs. Stephen Sawchuk considers the alternatives.
Federal
Reported Essay
Teachers Have Trust Issues
Many teachers may have lost faith in the system, but they haven’t lost hope. Andrew Ujifusa unpacks this year’s outbreak of teacher activism.