Suburban Education

Education news, analysis, and opinion about suburban education and suburban schools
Meghan Kelly, a project manager with the Whirlpool Corp., works with students at Benton Harbor Charter School in Benton Harbor, Mich., on Dec. 3, 2019., to develop apps as part of the goIT computer science program.
Meghan Kelly, a project manager with the Whirlpool Corp., works with students at Benton Harbor Charter School in Benton Harbor, Mich., on Dec. 3, 2019., to develop apps as part of the goIT computer science program.
Don Campbell/The Herald-Palladium via AP
Equity & Diversity What the Research Says Suburban Segregation Is Rising. What States and Districts Can Do
New research finds existing policy levers have failed to stop rising suburban racial segregation.
Sarah D. Sparks, March 5, 2024
4 min read
Principal Bilma Bermudez looks at the virtual reality scene 8th grade student Miguel Rios created at Jefferson Elementary School in Compton, Calif., on Jan. 19, 2024.
Principal Bilma Bermudez looks at the virtual reality scene 8th grade student Miguel Rios designed at Jefferson Elementary School in Compton, Calif., on Jan. 19, 2024.
Lauren Justice for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Suburban Schools Reborn: Compton, Calif., Is Charting a Hopeful Path
An exclusive excerpt from a new book about America's fast-changing suburban schools by former Education Week Staff Writer Benjamin Herold.
Benjamin Herold, January 23, 2024
7 min read
Peggy Carr, Commissioner of the National Center for Education, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press about the National Assessment of Education Process on Oct. 21, 2022, in Washington.
Peggy Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press on Oct. 21, 2022, in Washington. She spoke at a Nov. 29, 2023, conference in Washington on the growing diversity of the nation's suburban schools.
Alex Brandon/AP
Equity & Diversity The Perception of Suburban Schools as White and Wealthy Needs to Change, Researchers Say
The student body of suburban schools roughly mirrors that of the nation. But a view of suburban schools as mostly white persists.
Libby Stanford, November 29, 2023
3 min read
Illustration of tug of war.
Illustration by Laura Baker/Education Week, SvetaZi, and iStock/Getty
School & District Management Divisive Politics Are Harming Schools, District Leaders Say
A new survey reveals how tough the politics are for some leaders, especially in the suburbs.
Denisa R. Superville, January 26, 2023
8 min read
Evanston, IL - August 24: Teacher DarLisa Himrod poses for a portrait in her classroom for ages 3-5 at Joseph E. Hill Early Childhood Center on Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022 in Evanston, Ill. Nimrod previously worked with ages 0-3 and completed a yearlong residency to receive her teaching certification.
After one of the most challenging years of her life, DarLisa Himrod landed a position as a certified preschool special education teacher at the Joseph E. Hill Early Childhood Center in Evanston, Ill.
Taylor Glascock for Education Week
Recruitment & Retention A New Teacher at 50: Inside the Struggle to Rebuild America's Black Teaching Workforce
A suburban Chicago school district was desperate to hire more teachers of color and root out racism. Enter DarLisa Himrod.
Benjamin Herold, October 11, 2022
25 min read
Conceptual image of a school door with projected shadows of students.
Collage by Laura Baker/Education Week (Images: iStock/Getty)
Equity & Diversity From Our Research Center Suburban Schools Saw Huge Drops in White Enrollment During the Pandemic
Suburban public schools lost 5 percent of their white students in a single year, a new EdWeek Research Center analysis found.
Benjamin Herold & Xinchun Chen, August 29, 2022
5 min read
Image of library shelves.
VTT Studio/iStock/Getty
Families & the Community As Book Bans Spread, Suburban Moms Who Oppose Them Are Fighting Back
These mothers have deployed a series of unique strategies to convince board members to keep books about racism and homophobia.
Eesha Pendharkar, February 17, 2022
4 min read
Despite a rapid explosion of suburban developments over the last 20 years, beef, grain and produce farms continue to operate near many schools in Chandler, Ariz., as seen on March 3, 2021.
Despite a rapid explosion of suburban developments over the last 20 years, beef, grain and produce farms continue to operate near many schools in Chandler, Ariz., as seen on March 3, 2021.
Ash Ponders for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Data The 'Dramatic' Demographic Shifts Reshaping Suburban Schools: 7 Key Data Points to Know
A new analysis by the EdWeek Research Center shows sharp declines in white enrollment in suburban schools.
Xinchun Chen, Yukiko Furuya, Alex Harwin & Benjamin Herold, March 17, 2021
3 min read
Equity & Diversity Collection The Changing Face of Suburban Schools
Dramatic demographic shifts in America's suburban schools have sparked tensions over diversity, equity, and inclusion.
March 17, 2021
Despite a rapid explosion of suburban developments over the last 20 years, beef, grain and produce farms continue to operate near many schools in Chandler, Ariz., as seen on March 3, 2021.
Despite a rapid explosion of suburban developments over the last 20 years, beef, grain and produce farms continue to operate near many schools in Chandler, Ariz., as seen on March 3, 2021.
Ash Ponders for Education Week
Equity & Diversity Suburban Public Schools Are Now Majority-Nonwhite. The Backlash Has Already Begun
Fierce fights over equity and inclusion have followed steep drops in white enrollment across America's suburban public schools.
Benjamin Herold, March 17, 2021
19 min read
Image of a suburb.
iStock/Getty
Equity & Diversity Suburban Schools Have Changed Drastically. Our Understanding of Them Has Not
A growing body of research has begun to document the demographic shift and inequities in suburban education, but more work remains.
Corey Mitchell, January 26, 2021
2 min read
Federal Two Black Democrats Beat Republican Incumbents to Transform a Suburban School Board
The school board in Gwinnett County, Ga., will shift from a 4-1 white Republican majority to a 3-2 Black Democratic majority, mirroring demographic changes in the county.
Mark Lieberman, November 4, 2020
3 min read
School Climate & Safety School Reopening Plans and the Suburban Challenge
Equity, innovations, and logistical challenges were among the patterns found in an analysis of 18 suburban districts' reopening plans as they cope with the pandemic.
Stephen Sawchuk, October 30, 2020
3 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
Jeffrey Smith for Education Week
School & District Management How the Fight for America's Suburbs Started in Public Schools
A heated school board election in the fast-changing Atlanta suburbs pits Black Lives Matter vs. the “Suburban Lifestyle Dream.”
Benjamin Herold, October 26, 2020
26 min read