Student Motivation & Engagement

Education news, analysis, and opinion about efforts to get students involved and active in learning and classroom activities
Kate Maxlow works with Ava Gomez, 8, left and Khalid Baldwin, 8, right, on a “breakout room” activity in Jade Austin’s second grade classroom at Samuel P. Langley Elementary School in Hampton, Va., on January 12, 2024.
Kate Maxlow, director of curriculum, instruction, and assessment at Hampton City Schools, works with Ava Gomez, 8, left and Khalid Baldwin, 8, right, on a “breakout room” activity in a 2nd grade classroom at Samuel P. Langley Elementary School in Hampton, Va.
Sam Mallon/Education Week
Student Achievement Leader To Learn From An Unorthodox Plan to Pay Students to Write Curriculum Is Raising Achievement
For Kate Maxlow, the director of curriculum in Hampton City, Va., engaging students and improving academic achievement go hand in hand.
Caitlynn Peetz, February 5, 2024
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9 min read
Kate Maxlow, director of curriculum, instruction, and assessment at Hampton City Schools, who helped give students a voice in curriculum redesign, works in her office on January 12, 2024.
Kate Maxlow is the director of curriculum, instruction, and assessment in Virginia's Hampton City school district. She worked with students to give them a voice in shaping curriculum.
Sam Mallon/Education Week
Curriculum Q&A Why One District Hired Its Students to Review Curricula
Virginia's Hampton City school district pays a cadre of student interns to give feedback on curriculum.
Caitlynn Peetz, February 5, 2024
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3 min read
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Teaching Should Students Get Rewards for Doing Their Work? What Teachers (and a Researcher) Think
The debate about giving rewards vs. fostering intrinsic motivation continues.
Madeline Will, January 31, 2024
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5 min read
Images shows a stylized artistic landscape with soothing colors.
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Teaching Opinion Angela Duckworth on What the Research Says About Active Learning
What students think works best for their learning isn't necessarily what does.
Angela Duckworth, January 31, 2024
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2 min read
Images shows colorful speech bubbles that say "Q," "&," and "A."
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Teaching Opinion School Is Relevant. How to Help Students See That
Students often say they don't know why they have to learn something. Try these strategies to help them understand and care.
Larry Ferlazzo, January 26, 2024
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9 min read
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
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Teaching Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Productive Struggle?
Answer 6 questions about productive struggle.
Content provided by MIND Education
Image of an exterior school door and shadows of student crossing the view.
Collage by Laura Baker/Education Week and Getty
School & District Management How These Principals Nip Apathy in the Bud After Winter Break and Long Weekends
Cellphone bans, Instagram posts and shout-outs are small fixes to the growing problem of student apathy.
Olina Banerji, January 19, 2024
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6 min read
Images shows a stylized artistic landscape with soothing colors.
Getty
Student Well-Being Opinion Students Like Easy Work. Here's How to Break That
Don’t assume students avoid effort because they’re lazy. They may be confusing effort with failure to make progress.
Angela Duckworth, January 17, 2024
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1 min read
Second grade teacher Jacqueline Chaney works with students during a small groups reading activity at New Town Elementary School in Owings Mills, Md., on Oct. 25, 2023.
Jacqueline Chaney works with her 2nd grade students during a small-group reading activity at New Town Elementary School in Owings Mills, Md., on Oct. 25, 2023.
Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week
Reading & Literacy Q&A How This Teacher Sparks a Love of Reading for Pleasure
A 2nd grade teacher shares her tips for hooking students on reading for pleasure.
Elizabeth Heubeck, January 15, 2024
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5 min read
Image of books on a shelf.
Illustration by Laura Baker/Education Week via Canva
Reading & Literacy How to Build Students' Reading Stamina
Building stamina—the attention span and endurance to read texts for sustained periods—is critical to support reading comprehension.
Stephen Sawchuk, January 15, 2024
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9 min read
Concept of math problem with a pencil with broken point.
Malerapaso/E+
Mathematics Students See Value in Math Class. But Many Also Find It Boring
A new survey of nearly 90,000 high school students demonstrates American teenagers’ deep ambivalence about how math is taught in schools.
Sarah Schwartz, January 8, 2024
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5 min read
Liliana Barrera, a third-grader and other students at Roy DeShane Elementary School and members of the Environmental Club, point excitingly to a mother duck and her ducklings as they make their way across a pond in Armstrong Park in Carol Stream, Ill., on May 12, 2023.
Liliana Barrera, left, and other students in the Environmental Club at Roy DeShane Elementary School point excitedly at a mother duck and her ducklings as they make their way across a pond in Armstrong Park in Carol Stream, Ill., on May 12, 2023. The club's teacher participated in a one-year professional development program on incorporating climate change into education that's being offered by the Community Consolidated School District 93 in Bloomingdale, Ill.
Jamie Kelter Davis for Education Week
Teaching Photos Through EdWeek’s Lens: Our Top Photos of the Year
A look at K-12 education in 2023, as documented by Education Week photographers across the U.S.
Jaclyn Borowski , December 18, 2023
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1 min read
Teaching Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Student Engagement?
Answer 7 questions about student engagement.
December 1, 2023
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