Student Motivation & Engagement

Education news, analysis, and opinion about efforts to get students involved and active in learning and classroom activities
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 student and teacher fist bump. Trust, understanding, Credibility.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty
Teaching Opinion Teacher Credibility: The Do’s and Don’ts of Earning Your Students’ Respect
Students start sizing up a teacher from day one. Here’s how you can be ready.
Bill Waychunas, August 10, 2026
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4 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Teaching Opinion How to Turn Around Challenging Relationships With Your Students
Two veteran teachers share advice for connecting with each of your students.
Larry Ferlazzo, July 28, 2026
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5 min read
Housing HUD Time Limits 25197588934495
Nintendo Switches, like the one the teenage boy is using above, are being used in the Denver Public Schools in an esports program designed to improve student engagement. Education Week recently talked to one of the educators involved in that program, who gave a presentation about it at the ISTELive 26 + ASCD Annual Conference in Orlando, Fla., June 28 to July 1.
Lindsey Wasson/AP Photo
Classroom Technology Q&A How This District Is Using Esports to Increase Student Engagement
An education technology specialist discusses an esports development program she created.
Lauraine Langreo, July 9, 2026
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4 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Mathematics Opinion Everybody Is a Math Person. Now, Convince Your Students
Math educators offer tips on how to engage students on the subject.
Larry Ferlazzo, June 23, 2026
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7 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Teaching Opinion If You Don't See Value in an Assignment, Your Students Won't, Either
From reading to decisionmaking, educators offer ideas on how best to encourage learning.
Larry Ferlazzo, June 16, 2026
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14 min read
Teaching Opinion How I Revived My Classroom Culture for the Price of a Lobster Dinner
What began as a running joke injected real energy back into my classroom culture.
Kayla Alexander, June 8, 2026
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4 min read
Practical math in real word uses. Polynomials.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + iStock + Canva
Artificial Intelligence 'Personalized' Learning in Math Has Proved Elusive and Overhyped. Can AI Offer a Breakthrough?
Efforts to use the tech to customize lessons to students' individual interest demonstrate its potential—and the shortcomings.
Alyson Klein, May 4, 2026
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10 min read
Science Spotlight Spotlight on STEM That Sticks: How Schools Spark Curiosity and Build Future Skills
Find out how schools are cultivating enthusiasm for STEM learning through family STEM nights, low-cost innovations, and more!


May 1, 2026
vertical collage of scales weight knowledge comparison book stack artificial intelligence, AI cyber innovation, workload balance
iStock/Getty
Artificial Intelligence Opinion We Studied How AI Shapes Teachers’ Well-Being. Here’s What We Found
Stop asking if AI will help teachers save time. Ask if it will make the job more sustainable.
David T. Marshall & Tim Pressley, April 24, 2026
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4 min read
Student feedback. Teens holding empty colorful speech bubbles.
Getty via Canva
School & District Management How 4 Principals Use Student Voice to Improve School Culture
Principals share how to ensure students are true partners in shaping their schools.
Lauraine Langreo, April 14, 2026
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5 min read
a geometrical floor with the North Star in the center that becomes a space of listening. The colors of the floor enforce this idea of the meeting of the needs of education and students.
Francesca Gastone for Education Week
Teaching Opinion Students Don't Think School Matches Their Life Goals. How Can We Fix That?
Disengagement is not solved by overstuffed standards, tests, and pacing guides.
Robert C. Pianta, April 14, 2026
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5 min read
The concept of deeper math understanding. A dice iceberg with deeper math comprehension under the surface.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + iStock/Getty
Mathematics Opinion I Thought I Knew When Students Were Engaged in Math Class. I Was Wrong
Engagement is about more than participation; it’s about how students are thinking.
Michael Norton, April 13, 2026
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5 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week
Teaching Opinion We All Agree Student Voice Matters. But What Do You Actually Do With It?
Start by assuming that students come to the classroom with important things to say.
Larry Ferlazzo, March 18, 2026
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10 min read