Sports

Learn more about student sports in and out of schools, including how athletics affect students’ health, well-being, and academic achievement

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Sports balls overlayed with data charts.
Statistics on School Sports: How Many Students Play Sports? Which Sports Do They Play?
Browse key data on school sports, including how often girls and boys are participating and which ones they are choosing to play.
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Rebekah Bruesehoff, 14, poses for a portrait in New Jersey, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021. The transgender teenager competes on her middle school field hockey team and hopes to keep playing in high school. "It’s all been positive,” she said. “The coaches have been really helpful.”
Rebekah Bruesehoff poses for a portrait in New Jersey, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021. The now 16-year-old transgender teenager said playing field hockey gives her "confidence, strength, and a place to belong," during a press conference on a bill to limit transgender youth participation in sports on March 8, 2023.
Matt Rourke/AP
Equity & Diversity With No Action From Biden, House GOP Seeks to Ban Trans Girls From School Sports
The Biden administration last June proposed protections for LGBTQ students, but hasn't said those protections apply to trans athletes.
Libby Stanford, March 8, 2023
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4 min read
Photographic negative image of aggressive spectators shouting at each others while others intervene.
iStock/Getty Images + EdWeek
Families & the Community Parents' Bad Behavior at School Sports Events Has Gotten Extreme
A adult brawl with deadly consequences at a boys' basketball game has renewed concern.
Elizabeth Heubeck, February 3, 2023
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4 min read
Judge gavel on law books with statue of justice and court government background. concept of law, justice, legal.
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Law & Courts West Virginia Law Barring Transgender Girls From School Sports Upheld by Federal Judge
The decision is a turnabout for the judge, who cast doubt on the law in 2021 and issued an order allowing a transgender girl to compete.
Mark Walsh, January 6, 2023
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4 min read
Buffalo Bills players and staff pray for Buffalo Bills' Damar Hamlin during the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Monday, Jan. 2, 2023, in Cincinnati. The game has been postponed after Buffalo Bills' Damar Hamlin collapsed, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced.
Players and staff pray for the Buffalo Bills' Damar Hamlin after the 24-year-old athlete suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed during the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Joshua A. Bickel/AP
Student Well-Being Cardiac Arrests Can Happen to Student-Athletes, Too. How Schools Can Be Ready
The cardiac arrest of NFL safety Damar Hamlin has heightened awareness that schools need to be prepared for such health emergencies.
Elizabeth Heubeck, January 4, 2023
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4 min read
Image of columns.
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Law & Courts The 8 Most Consequential Developments in Education Law in 2022
The list includes major decisions from the U.S. Supreme Court, a transition on the high court, and several lower court decisions.
Mark Walsh, December 22, 2022
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6 min read
A multiple exposure of a wooden gavel and a long row of columns from a courthouse.
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Law & Courts Appeals Court Upholds Connecticut's Pro-Transgender Student Athletics Policy
The court hinted its agreement that Title IX protects transgender athletes who seek to compete consistent with their gender identity.
Mark Walsh, December 16, 2022
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3 min read
Equity & Diversity Spotlight Spotlight on Inclusion
This Spotlight will help you evaluate the negative treatment LGBTQ+ students experience, discover the positives of unified sports, and more.

December 15, 2022
Physical Education teacher Amanda DeLaGarza instructs students how to stretch during 7th grade P.E. class at Cockrill Middle School on Nov. 9, 2016 in McKinney, Texas.
Schools in the United States earned a D-minus grade in 2022 in an international ranking from the Physical Activity Alliance for how well they facilitate access to physical activity for students. Research shows that physical activity, such as participation in sports, improves mental health.
Ting Shen/The Dallas Morning News via AP
Student Well-Being Sports Coaches Want More Training on How to Address Young Athletes' Mental Health
A survey found that only 18 percent of coaches feel confident that they know how to connect their athletes to mental health supports.
Arianna Prothero, November 30, 2022
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4 min read
A high school football player in a blue helmet with an orange arrow on it tackles a player in a white and green uniform.
A player from the Westlake High School Warriors in Thousand Oaks, Calif., plays football in a helmet with an arrowhead logo. California has banned only certain Native American-themed mascots, but other states have passed broader restrictions.
Alex Gallardo/AP
Equity & Diversity More States Push Schools to Drop Native American Mascots
At states' urging, schools will drop Native American mascots, citing the harm of racist stereotypes. The changes bring logistical and political challenges.
Evie Blad, November 28, 2022
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6 min read
Josh Sargent of the United States controls the ball during the World Cup, group B soccer match between the United States and Wales, at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Monday, Nov. 21, 2022.
Josh Sargent of the United States controls the ball during the a World Cup match between the United States and Wales in Doha, Qatar, on Nov. 21.
Francisco Seco/AP
Curriculum The World Cup as Teachable Moment? How One Teacher Approached It
It's not just a game: Geopolitics are inscribed into the soccer championship, giving teachers an opportunity to host rich discussions.
Stephen Sawchuk, November 22, 2022
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3 min read
Giovannie Tanella, third from left, and Averill Zimmer, share a moment during a Unified Physical Education class at Saratoga Springs High School in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022.
Giovannie Tanella, third from left, and Averill Zimmer, share a moment during a unified physical education class at Saratoga Springs High School in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Heather Ainsworth for Education Week
Student Well-Being Briefly Stated 6 Rules for Engaging Students With Intellectual Disabilities in Sports
Here's how to get started with unified sports, where students with and without intellectual disabilities can play together.
Sarah D. Sparks, November 21, 2022
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3 min read
Saratoga Springs High School Physical Education teacher, Colleen Belanger, left, instructs Hunter Fiorillo, during a Unified Physical Education class at Saratoga Springs High School in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. "I've been teaching for a long time and this is one of the best things I've ever done," said Belanger of teaching Unified P.E.
Saratoga Springs High School physical education teacher Colleen Belanger, left, instructs Hunter Fiorillo, during a unified physical education class at Saratoga Springs High School in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022. "I've been teaching for a long time and this is one of the best things I've ever done," said Belanger of the unified class.
Heather Ainsworth for Education Week
Special Education Unified Sports Level the Playing Field for Students With Disabilities
Interest is growing in unified sports, where students with and without intellectual disabilities can play and compete together.
Sarah D. Sparks, November 8, 2022
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7 min read
A police officer stands between rows of caution tape outside of a white high school football stadium that is brightly lit against the night sky.
A Tulsa Police officer films the area outside of the McLain High School football stadium in Tulsa, Okla., after a shooting during a Sept. 30 football game.
Mike Simons/Tulsa World via AP
School Climate & Safety A School Safety Challenge: Keeping Crowds Secure Under the Glare of Friday Night Lights
Districts aim to keep students and spectators safe during sporting events, which draw large crowds to a less predictable environment.
Evie Blad, October 27, 2022
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5 min read
The Michigan City High School Girls Varsity Basketball team hosted a Future Wolves basketball camp for elementary and middle school girls on Saturday, March 5, 2022 at the high school.
The varsity girls basketball team at Michigan City High School in Michigan City, Ind., hosted a basketball camp for elementary and middle school girls last spring.
Kelley Smith/The News Dispatch via AP
Student Well-Being School Sports Participation Drops, Raising Concern About 'Physical Learning Loss'
But interest in e-sports and inclusive teams is rising.
Sarah D. Sparks, September 28, 2022
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5 min read
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