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Education news, analysis, and opinion about research about education

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September 17, 2026
Image of a keyboard, flashcards, and a quote box.
Laura Baker/Education Week + Canva
Artificial Intelligence Data How Teens Are Using AI: Key Takeaways for Educators
Two recent surveys provide insights on teens' views of artificial intelligence.
Lauraine Langreo & Laura Baker, August 26, 2026
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4 min read
A tutor helps students at Benjamin O. Davis Middle School in Compton, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025.
A tutor helps students at Benjamin O. Davis Middle School in Compton, Calif., on Feb. 6, 2025. A new study shows that shorter, less intensive tutoring can be effective.
Eric Thayer/AP
Reading & Literacy Can Lighter-Touch Tutoring Programs Benefit Kids Too?
A short, classroom-embedded tutoring program showed persistent gains in student improvement.
Sarah Schwartz, August 26, 2026
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3 min read
Students walk in the hallways on the first day of school at Heritage High School in Saginaw, Mich. on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026 .
Students walk in the hallways on the first day of school at Heritage High School in Saginaw, Mich., on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. Dual-enrollment classes for high school students have grown increasingly common in recent years. A new study finds socioeconomically disadvantaged students are more likely to fail such classes, but that even those students who fail are more likely than peers to enroll in college.
Kaytie Boomer/mlive.com via TNS
College & Workforce Readiness Students Who Fail Dual-Enrollment Classes Still Benefit, a New Study Says
The study looked into dual-enrollment failures and participating students' eventual college enrollment.
Mark Walsh, August 25, 2026
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5 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
HOUSTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 19: Spanish dictionaries are lined up on the bookshelf of a fourth-grade classroom on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023 at Patterson Elementary School in Houston.
Spanish dictionaries are lined up on the bookshelf of a fourth-grade classroom on Oct. 19, 2023, at Patterson Elementary School in Houston. A new report cites strong demand among Americans for more world language classes in schools.
Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images
Curriculum Americans Want More Language Classes. Can Schools Keep Up?
A new Pew survey found gaps remain in schools' language-course offerings.
Ileana Najarro, August 25, 2026
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4 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
School & District Management Opinion How Much Do Instructional Reforms Actually Improve Schools?
A new book asks whether improvement science delivers—and finds the biggest obstacles are mundane.
Rick Hess, August 25, 2026
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5 min read
From left, Dawn Fritz of the Colorado Parent Teacher Association, Michelle Murphy of the Colorado Rural School Alliance and members of a state task force on school discipline meet to discuss staffing shortages on March 26, 2024. Colorado has a large number of far-flung school districts, which face special challenges in attracting and retaining teachers.
From left, Dawn Fritz of the Colorado Parent Teacher Association, Michelle Murphy of the Colorado Rural School Alliance and members of a state task force on school discipline meet to discuss staffing shortages on March 26, 2024. Colorado has a large number of far-flung school districts, which face special challenges in attracting and retaining teachers.
Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post via Getty Images
Recruitment & Retention How to Nurture Teacher Retention in Far-Flung Rural Districts
Working conditions and community involvement can top pay for rural educators.
Sarah D. Sparks, August 21, 2026
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2 min read
082024 Opinion REMI hesitant to seek help ly
Liz Yap/Education Week and Canva
Student Well-Being & Movement Opinion Why ‘Just Ask for Help’ Isn't Enough for Teens—and What Schools Can Do Instead
Mental health messaging is out of step with what students actually need, explains one high schooler.
Aanya Remi, August 21, 2026
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4 min read
Abigail “Abby” Zwerner shares a moment with her mother Julie Zwerner after a verdict was reached in her lawsuit against the assistant principal, Ebony Parker, of Richneck Elementary School during proceedings at Newport News Circuit Court on Nov. 6, 2025 , in Newport News, Va. Zwerner was injured when a 6-year-old male student shot her while she was teaching. Violence against educators has risen since schools reopened after the pandemic.
Richneck Elementary schoolteacher Abigail Zwerner with her mother after a verdict was reached in her lawsuit against the school's assistant principal, Ebony Parker, at Newport News Circuit Court on Nov. 6, 2025 in Newport News, Va. A 6-year-old student brought a loaded gun to school that was later used to shoot Zwerner, despite her raising concerns with school officials.
Kendall Warner/The Virginian-Pilot via TNS
School & District Management Teachers Are Facing More Aggression at Work. How Can Schools Protect Them?
Teachers feel less victimized when they have their principal's support
Olina Banerji, August 20, 2026
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4 min read
Pre-K/kindergarten teacher Lisbeth McGregor instructs her students at Mackinac Island School, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. McGregor lives in St. Ignace and commutes back and forth daily to teach on the island.
Pre-K/kindergarten teacher Lisbeth McGregor instructs her students at Mackinac Island School, Sept. 24, 2025, on Mackinac Island, Mich. Research examining the academic benefits of pre-K shows mixed results.
John T. Greilick/The Detroit News via TNS
Early Childhood Does Pre-K Give Kids a Lasting Edge? Here's What the Latest Study Says
Several researchers have studied the effects of pre-K on future academic success, with mixed results.
Elizabeth Heubeck & Jennifer Vilcarino, August 20, 2026
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6 min read
Collage of a student with students in a hallway socializing and test paper fragements.
Laura Baker/Education Week + Canva
Student Well-Being & Movement From Our Research Center The Most Pressing Problems Schools Count on SEL to Address
Many educators use SEL strategies to help improve academic performance.
Arianna Prothero, August 17, 2026
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2 min read
Illustration of a child carrying an oversized yellow pencil while writing on the floor, surrounded by classroom desks and laptops, with a highlighted brain floating above their head.
Gina Tomko/Education Week + Canva
Teaching Opinion How Teaching Handwriting Supports Brain Development
Schools shouldn’t abandon handwriting instruction—including cursive—in the digital age.
Nicole Humlicek, August 17, 2026
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4 min read
Students at R. Brown McAllister Elementary School use exercises in phonemic awareness during literary instruction on March 19, 2025, in Concorn, N.C.
Students at R. Brown McAllister Elementary School practice exercises in phonemic awareness during literary instruction on March 19, 2025, in Concorn, N.C. Consensus exists that teaching students alphabetics, including phonics and phonemic awareness, is critical for reading—but which methods are the most efficient?
Cornell Watson for Education Week
Reading & Literacy A New Phonics Debate Shows How the 'Science of Reading' Movement Is Evolving
Growing momentum behind 'linguistic' phonics has raised questions about how best to use classroom time.
Sarah Schwartz, August 13, 2026
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6 min read