School Climate

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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
Image of a bold red speech quotation mark, filter, and a sponge.
Laura Baker/Education Week + Canva
Equity & Diversity Opinion I Wasn't Ready When a New Slur Hit My Middle School Class. I Will Be Next Time
Anti-immigrant rhetoric does not stop at a school's gates, even where many students are immigrants.
Jacobo Coronel, August 19, 2026
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4 min read
Games, school supplies, and a lobster! Back to school fun, enrichment
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty
Teaching Opinion Could Your Classroom Use a Little More Fun? Start Here
How teachers and school leaders are incorporating a sense of play into the work.
Mary Hendrie, August 14, 2026
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3 min read
A collage-style illustration of pieces of paper with handwriting in multiple languages on them, including Arabic, Mandarin, Spanish, English and Cyrillic. The characters shown are a mix of letters and numbers from each language.
Illustration by Emily Wright for Education Week + Getty
Equity & Diversity Opinion Is Your Classroom Welcoming to English Learners? Here Are 3 Places to Start
Teachers have the power to define knowing two languages as an asset not a complication.
Nancy Cruz Rodriguez, August 5, 2026
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5 min read
A collage-style illustration made of multicolored pieces of watercolor-textured paper. The vignettes in the collage include a rabbit poking its head out of a backpack, a chick cracking out of an egg, a fly pictured on a tombstone, a stapler with a curly phone cord attached to the end of it, a pickle jar with dirt and sand in it, a storm cloud with a strike of lightning and a pair of pants flying away.
Illustration by Emily Wright for Education Week + Getty
Teaching Profession What Were the Funniest Stories of the School Year? We Asked Educators
In what other job do you hear about lost boogers and polio shirts, and hold a memorial for Gerald the fly?
Arianna Prothero, July 17, 2026
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2 min read
Morocco's Achraf Hakimi (2) and France's Kylian Mbappe (10) hug after the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between France and Morocco in Foxborough, Mass., near Boston, on July 9, 2026.
Morocco's Achraf Hakimi, in the red jersey, embraces France's Kylian Mbappe after the World Cup quarterfinal between France and Morocco on July 9, 2026. Mental health experts see creative options for engaging students through the competition.
Steven Senne/AP
Teaching Q&A How the World Cup Can Build Students' Sense of Belonging
A pair of healthcare researchers say simple activities tied to the mega-competition can support mental health.
Jennifer Vilcarino, July 14, 2026
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8 min read
Students use phones and other electronic devices in school on May 8, 2026. The school cellphone ban is one of the few policy agreements between Republicans and Democrats, and principals and teachers are big supporters.
Students use phones in school on May 8, 2026. The school cell phone ban is one of the few policy agreements between Republicans and Democrats, and principals and teachers are big supporters.
Lincoln Beddoe/Dreamstime via TNS
Student Well-Being & Movement ‘It Turns the School Community Around’: Teachers Reflect on Phone-Free Campuses
Teachers in states with cellphone bans say implementation means more than policy.
Sarah D. Sparks, July 13, 2026
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4 min read
High school students wearing black graduation gaps and gowns line up on a football field as they prepare to receive their diplomas at an outdoor high school graduation ceremony.
La Porte High School graduates wait in line to receive their diplomas during commencement exercises on June 12, 2025 in La Porte, Ind. Now, a small but growing number of high schools have adopted AI platforms to pronounce students' names at graduation ceremonies.
Amanda Haverstick/La Porte County Herald-Dispatch via AP
Families & the Community A New Use for AI: Pronouncing Students' Names at Graduation
High schools adopt AI platforms to pronounce students' names at graduation ceremonies, sparking pushback.
Evie Blad, May 15, 2026
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5 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement Spotlight Spotlight on the Athletic Advantage: How Districts Are Turning School Sports Into Community Assets
Find out how you can improve student engagement, belonging, and mental health through inclusive sports programs, esports, and gaming.
April 30, 2026
A golden strongman at the center of a toxic "manosphere" including red pills, weights, hammers, podcast microphone and a misogyny symbol.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty + Canva
Student Well-Being & Movement Opinion A School Leader's Guide for Countering the Manosphere
Researcher Marc Brackett shares strategies to counter radicalization before it takes root.
Marc Brackett, April 29, 2026
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6 min read
Sonia Ruiz, the 2026 Middle School Principal of the Year.
Sonia Ruiz, the 2026 Middle School Principal of the Year, celebrates with colleagues on Apr. 17, 2026, in Washington.
NASSP
School & District Management ‘We’ve Got to Do It With Love’: How This Principal of the Year Fosters Belonging
Sonia Ruiz has been named the 2026 Middle School Principal of the Year.
Olina Banerji, April 24, 2026
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4 min read
William Toungette, the assistant principal at Woodland Middle School, at the National Education Leadership Awards gala on April 17, 2026, in Washington.
William Toungette, the assistant principal at Woodland Middle School in Brentwood, Tenn., at the National Education Leadership Awards gala on April 17, 2026, in Washington.
NASSP
School & District Management Middle School Assistant Principal of the Year Is Tackling Student Anxiety
How William Toungette created a supportive school environment.
Jennifer Vilcarino, April 21, 2026
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4 min read