Specialized Schools

Coverage of schools, public and private, that don’t fit the traditional mold, including career academies and alternative and micro schools
Fourth graders Kysen Dull, left, and Kyree Davie try out some masonry work as they put a brick in place with help from Owensboro High School masonry students during Career Day at Cravens Elementary School in Owensboro, Ky., on Nov. 4, 2024.
Fourth graders Kysen Dull, left, and Kyree Davie try out some masonry work as they put a brick in place with help from Owensboro High School masonry students during Career Day at Cravens Elementary School in Owensboro, Ky., on Nov. 4, 2024. Putting on Career Day events is one way students can be exposed to career options at an early age.
Alan Warren/The Messenger-Inquirer via AP
College & Workforce Readiness Q&A How This Schooling Model Puts Career Preparation First
The president of the National Career Academy Coalition talks about matching potential careers with local economic needs.
Lauraine Langreo, April 29, 2025
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4 min read
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Walter Gonsoulin Jr., was named National Superintendent of the Year on March 6, 2025. Gonsoulin is the superintendent of the Jefferson County school district in Alabama.
Walter Gonsoulin Jr. was named National Superintendent of the Year on March 6, 2025, at the National Conference on Education in New Orleans. Gonsoulin is the superintendent of the Jefferson County school district in Alabama.
Courtesy of AASA, The School Superintendents Association
School & District Management 2025 Superintendent of the Year Honored for Building Career-Focused Academies
The newly named superintendent of the year focused on course offerings that could prepare students for local, high-wage jobs.
Caitlynn Peetz, March 7, 2025
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2 min read
La Luz BS
School Choice & Charters Video How a Microschool Is Trying to Become a Model for Public Schools
This microschool utilizes community partnerships to get kids learning beyond the classroom.
Sam Mallon, December 19, 2024
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4:06
The Supreme Court is pictured, Oct. 7, 2024, in Washington.
The Supreme Court is pictured, Oct. 7, 2024, in Washington. The court on Monday declined to take up a case about the Boston district’s facially race-neutral admissions policy for selective magnet high schools.
Mariam Zuhaib/AP
Law & Courts High Court Won't Review School Admissions Policy That Sought to Boost Diversity
The U.S. Supreme Court refused a case about whether race was unconstitutionally considered in admissions to Boston's selective schools.
Mark Walsh, December 9, 2024
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5 min read
The view over the shoulder of a high school student while he is holding a drone with the camera image showing on a laptop sitting on a nearby chair.
E+/Getty
Classroom Technology What Drones Are Doing to Deliver Better Student Engagement
Working with drones can motivate students, as well as teach skills like coding, collaboration, and problem-solving.
Alyson Klein, June 25, 2024
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2 min read
Fourth-grader Sammiayah Thompson, left, and her brother third-grader Nehemiah Thompson work outside in their yard on laptops provided by their school system for distant learning, in Hartford, Conn., on June 5, 2020.
Fourth-grader Sammiayah Thompson, left, and her brother third-grader Nehemiah Thompson work outside in their yard on laptops provided by their school system for distance learning, in Hartford, Conn., on June 5, 2020. Some districts kept virtual programs as an option after schools reopened, but many of those are now considering cuts to them as budgets tighten.
Jessica Hill/AP
School & District Management Districts’ Virtual Programs Are on the Chopping Block as ESSER Ends
Although usually small in enrollment, virtual programs have been an important option for some students.
Caitlynn Peetz, June 25, 2024
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6 min read
Students at The Lab School of Memphis read a book on the playground.
Students at The Lab School of Memphis read a book on the playground.
Sam Mallon/Education Week
School Choice & Charters Video How Microschools Can Fit in the Broader K-12 System
Microschools are a necessary option to support students within the broader K-12 system, according to this school founder.
Sam Mallon, June 7, 2024
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3:32
Grid Brightspot
Recruitment & Retention Video Meet the High School Students Already Training To Be Teachers
These young future educators share the moments that motivated them, and the concerns they have for their future.
Lauren Santucci, May 9, 2024
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3:51
Principal CAST Still BS
Recruitment & Retention Video A Look Inside a High School Devoted to Training the Next Generation of Educators
This magnet high school supports Texas students pursuing careers in education. Here's how it works.
Lauren Santucci, May 7, 2024
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2:56
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Curriculum Opinion Classical Education Is Taking Off. What’s the Appeal?
Classical schooling is an apprenticeship to the great minds and creators of the past, enabling students to develop their own thinking.
Rick Hess, May 6, 2024
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9 min read
Rising seniors at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology gather on the campus in Alexandria, Va., Aug. 10, 2020. From left in front are, Dinan Elsyad, Sean Nguyen, and Tiffany Ji. From left at rear are Jordan Lee and Shibli Nomani. A federal appeals court’s ruling in May 2023 about the admissions policy at the elite public high school in Virginia may provide a vehicle for the U.S. Supreme Court to flesh out the intended scope of its ruling Thursday, June 29, 2023, banning affirmative action in college admissions.
A group of rising seniors at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology gather on the campus in Alexandria, Va., in August 2020. From left in front are, Dinan Elsyad, Sean Nguyen, and Tiffany Ji. From left at rear are Jordan Lee and Shibli Nomani. The U.S. Supreme Court on Feb. 20 declined to hear a challenge to an admissions plan for the selective high school that was facially race neutral but designed to boost the enrollment of Black and Hispanic students.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Law & Courts Supreme Court Declines Case on Selective High School Aiming to Boost Racial Diversity
Some advocates saw the K-12 case as the logical next step after last year's decision against affirmative action in college admissions
Mark Walsh, February 20, 2024
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7 min read
People protest outside of the Supreme Court in Washington on June 29, 2023. The Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions, declaring race cannot be a factor and forcing institutions of higher education to look for new ways to achieve diverse student bodies.
People demonstrate outside the U.S. Supreme Court on June 29, the day the court struck down affirmative action in college admissions. A new federal appeals court ruling says that race-neutral criteria for Boston's selective high schools is consistent with the high court's ruling.
Jose Luis Magana/AP
Law & Courts Court Backs Race-Neutral Criteria in Selective K-12 Schools
In a case involving Boston's "exam schools," the 1st Circuit said even admissions plans with a goal of boosting racial diversity pass muster.
Mark Walsh, December 20, 2023
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4 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
School & District Management Opinion What It Takes to Reinvent High School
How can district leaders launch innovative and successful schools?
Rick Hess, December 7, 2023
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6 min read
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