Student Motivation & Engagement

Education news, analysis, and opinion about efforts to get students involved and active in learning and classroom activities
Student Well-Being & Movement Opinion Harnessing the IKEA Effect for Student Motivation
Laziness is universal, but so is the upside to effort. Asking more from students, research shows, makes them care more about their work.
Angela Duckworth, November 17, 2020
3 min read
Young people celebrate the presidential election results in Atlanta. Early data on the 2020 turnout show a spike in youth voting, with Georgia, which faces a pair of senatorial runoffs, an epicenter of that trend.
Young people celebrate the presidential election results in Atlanta. Early data on the 2020 turnout show a spike in youth voting, with Georgia, which faces a pair of senatorial runoffs, an epicenter of that trend.
Brynn Anderson/AP
School Climate & Safety As Election 2020 Grinds On, Young Voters Stay Hooked
In states like Georgia, the push to empower the youth vote comes to fruition at a time when “every vote counts” is more than just a slogan.
Evie Blad, November 13, 2020
6 min read
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Images: Getty
Personalized Learning Personalized Learning: Same Subject. Same Teacher. 3 Different Student Experiences
Tailoring instruction to the needs of individual students is hard. It takes a lot of planning.
Mark Lieberman, November 4, 2020
4 min read
Magdalena Estiverne graduated from high school this past spring during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is currently taking online community college classes.
Magdalena Estiverne graduated from high school this past spring during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is currently taking online community college classes.
Eve Edelheit for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness From Our Research Center COVID-19's Disproportionate Toll on Class of 2020 Graduates
The pandemic hit college-bound members of the class of 2020 from low-income homes much harder than it did their better-off peers, our survey found.
Alex Harwin, October 20, 2020
6 min read
Magdalena Estiverne graduated from Evans High School in Orlando, Fla., this past spring during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Magdalena Estiverne graduated from Evans High School in Orlando, Fla., this past spring during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eve Edelheit for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness Coping With Disruption at School and at Home
A 2020 high school graduate struggles to continue her education despite a disrupted senior year, a move to a new home, and spotty internet access.
Alex Harwin, October 20, 2020
3 min read
Mashea Ashton, principal and founder of Digital Pioneers Academy in Washington, D.C., interacts with colleagues remotely from her Virginia home.
Mashea Ashton, principal and founder of Digital Pioneers Academy in Washington, D.C., interacts with colleagues remotely from her Virginia home.
Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week
School Climate & Safety The Essential Traits of a Positive School Climate
A breakdown of four key features of a healthy school culture and how principals can build and sustain them.
Arianna Prothero, October 13, 2020
9 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement Video Ideas for How to Build Confident, Engaged Learners Now
The Education Week newsroom explores a few of the practical & promising approaches to incorporate character education during the pandemic.
Jaclyn Borowski, September 28, 2020
18:11
Student Well-Being & Movement Online Summit Character Education & COVID-19: How to Build Confident, Engaged Learners Now
Learn practical and promising approaches for incorporating elements of character education into educational experiences and why it matters.
September 22, 2020
Students in Candace Fikis’s class at West Chicago Community High School hold up red, yellow, or green objects to show if they agree, oppose, or are undecided about the topic under debate in their remote class.
Students in Candace Fikis’s class at West Chicago Community High School hold up red, yellow, or green objects to show if they agree, oppose, or are undecided about the topic under debate in their remote class.
Courtesy of Candace Fikis
Social Studies Talking Civics in Remote Classes in 2020: What Could Go Wrong?
Students are almost certain to have a tougher time feeling comfortable sharing contradictory views in virtual settings, especially in the current political environment.
Alyson Klein, September 21, 2020
8 min read
Student Well-Being & Movement Is Online Learning Worse Than Being in School? Majority of Teens Say Yes
Even so, only 19 percent of teenagers say that instruction should be fully in-person this fall.
Arianna Prothero, September 18, 2020
2 min read
The San Francisco skyline in the distance behind Crissy Field is barely visible due to smoke from wildfires Sept. 9.
The San Francisco skyline in the distance behind Crissy Field is barely visible due to smoke from wildfires Sept. 9.
Eric Risberg/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement A New Layer of Trauma for the Nation's Children: Dangerous Wildfires
Amid the continued threat of COVID-19, fires are now roaring across 10 states, causing experts to worry about how much stress children can handle.
Catherine Gewertz, September 15, 2020
6 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Taylor Callory for Education Week
School & District Management Opinion How I Found My Confidence as a Teen Activist
Adults have a role to play in helping, rather than discouraging, student-activists like me, writes Brandon Griggs.
Brandon Griggs, September 9, 2020
3 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Taylor Callory for Education Week
Student Well-Being & Movement Opinion Students Deserve a Voice in Our Pandemic Response. Here's How to Give It to Them
The pandemic has underscored the need for student leadership, writes Robyn Lingo. What does that mean for schools?
Robyn Lingo, September 9, 2020
3 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Taylor Callory for Education Week
Student Well-Being & Movement Opinion What Happens When Students Have Ownership Over Their Success
Young people are experts in their own lives, writes Nicole Williams Beechum. Start treating them that way.
Nicole Williams Beechum, September 9, 2020
4 min read