Student Motivation & Engagement

Education news, analysis, and opinion about efforts to get students involved and active in learning and classroom activities.
Image of a student with books in a huge classroom with equations everywhere.
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Mathematics Opinion Math Trauma Is Real. Here's How You Can Prevent It
When people hear I teach math, they often recount the one bad classroom experience that made them “check out” of math permanently.
Viveka Vaughn, March 19, 2023
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5 min read
Thu., March 16, 2023, 2:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. ET
Student Well-Being K-12 Essentials Forum How to Motivate All Students and Keep Them Engaged
Join us for this forum highlighting strategies schools and educators are using to keep K-12 students on track academically.
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March 16, 2023
Math Gains FCG
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School & District Management Opinion How Changing District Culture Improved Math Scores
Professional development, relevant data, tutors, and student engagement were all in play.
Mark Benigni, March 13, 2023
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6 min read
Photograph of child's hand drawing a bright smiling sun.
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Student Well-Being Q&A This Teacher Shares Trauma-Informed Strategies on TikTok. Here Are Her Top Insights
Trauma-informed care starts with meeting kids' basic needs for connection, food, and motivation.
Hayley Hardison, March 9, 2023
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9 min read
Close-up photograph of a young person's hand writing in a notebook.
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Teaching Teachers Explain Why Letting Students Redo Assignments Is Problematic
Students say the opportunity to redo assignments would motivate them to do better in school. But the practice also comes with downsides.
Hayley Hardison & Arianna Prothero, March 7, 2023
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4 min read
Teacher and student fist-bumping.
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Student Well-Being From Our Research Center What Would Motivate Teens to Work Harder in School? The Chance to Redo Assignments
If you thought being enthusiastic and personable were the best ways to motivate teenagers, then think again.
Arianna Prothero, February 23, 2023
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2 min read
Kim King, an art teacher at Mansfield Elementary School in Mansfield, Conn., works with 1st grader Aubrey Torres, center, in her choice-based art class, on Feb. 13, 2023.
Kim King, an art teacher at Mansfield Elementary School in Mansfield, Conn., works with 1st grader Aubrey Torres, center, in her choice-based art class, on Feb. 13, 2023.
Christopher Capozziello for Education Week
Special Report Student Motivation & Engagement: What Works and How to Put It Into Action
Explore strategies and tactics for motivating and engaging all students to see the value of working hard in school.
February 21, 2023
A nurse supervises a young student standing at the foot of a hospital bed chatting about the medical chart that she is holding.
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College & Workforce Readiness Want to Motivate Students? Give Them a Meaningful Taste of the Working World
Work-based learning experiences can help students understand why the classes they are taking are relevant to their future success.
Alyson Klein, February 21, 2023
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7 min read
Happy African American teacher receives applause from her students while lecturing them in the classroom.
Drazen Zigic/iStock + Education Week
Teaching You Don't Need to Be the Hollywood Version of a Teacher. Here's What Motivates Students
Everyone has had a teacher who has that special something: they are entertaining and inspiring. Can those qualities be taught?
Arianna Prothero, February 21, 2023
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4 min read
Phil Yordy, left, works with freshman Derek Shallow, 15, right, during the Hawks Take Flight mentorship program after school at Oregon High School in Oregon, Ill., on Feb. 15, 2023. Yordy teaches world history, civics, and freshman seminar and volunteers as a program mentor.
Teacher Phil Yordy, left, works with freshman Derek Shallow, 15, right, during an after school mentoring program at Oregon High School in Oregon, Ill., in February. Yordy teaches world history, civics, and freshman seminar and volunteers as a program mentor.
Laura McDermott for Education Week
Student Well-Being How One School's Mentorship Program Paid Off Big in Academic Gains
A high school mentoring program led to a huge drop in the number of failing grades among freshmen.
Madeline Will, February 21, 2023
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4 min read
Kim King, an art teacher at Mansfield Elementary School in Mansfield, Conn., works with Ainsley Liebster, a pre-k student in her choice-based art class, on Feb. 13, 2023.
Kim King, an art teacher at Mansfield Elementary School in Storrs Mansfield, Conn., works with Ainsley Liebster, a pre-K student in her choice-based art class in February.
Christopher Capozziello for Education Week
Teaching 5 Ways to Inspire a Love for Learning in Students
Education researchers and classroom teachers weigh in on what works.
Elizabeth Heubeck, February 21, 2023
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6 min read
A group of high school students and their teacher crowd around a laptop and read the screen together.
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Student Well-Being From Our Research Center Student and Teacher Motivation, in Charts
Survey data show significant differences in student and teacher motivation.
Arianna Prothero, February 21, 2023
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1 min read
Carrying crosses emblazoned with photos and names of the city’s victims of gun violence, high school senior D’Angelo McDade, front right, leads a march in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood during a nationwide student walkout to protest gun violence, on March 14, 2020.
Carrying crosses emblazoned with photos and names of the city’s victims of gun violence, high school senior D’Angelo McDade, front right, leads a march in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood during a nationwide student walkout to protest gun violence, on March 14, 2020.
Martha Irvine/AP
Student Well-Being What the Research Says Can School Violence Desensitize Students? An Explainer
As children witness more violence on social media and in places where they study, worship, and play, questions grow about effects on them.
Sarah D. Sparks, February 13, 2023
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4 min read
Smiling older white male teacher and back of white male student greeting with a hand shake in the school hallway.
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Teaching 4 Steps for Building Strong Relationships With Students and Colleagues
Psychologist and author Adam Saenz outlines what it takes to make connections with students and co-workers.
Arianna Prothero, February 7, 2023
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3 min read
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