Teaching Profession

What Teachers Were Reading This Year: Top 10 Stories

By Stacey Decker — December 19, 2023 2 min read
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What was top of mind for teachers in 2023? A scan of the most popular stories among teachers on edweek.org reveals a few major topics.

Teachers were interested in ways to improve math and reading instruction, while also navigating professional struggles. Stories on burnout, stress, and disrespect made the list of top stories this year. Rounding out the list is a roundup of the buzzwords teachers hate the most.

See Also

Second grade teacher Jacqueline Chaney answers questions during an activity at New Town Elementary School in Owings Mills, Md., on Oct. 25, 2023.
Second grade teacher Jacqueline Chaney answers students' questions during an activity at New Town Elementary School in Owings Mills, Md., on Oct. 25, 2023.
Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week
Teaching Profession The Teaching Profession in 2023 (in Charts)
Madeline Will, December 15, 2023
8 min read

The ranking below is based on a combination of how many people read the story, how much time they spent reading it, and how often it was shared.

Revisit the 10 stories that resonated most with teachers this year:

Kids Need to Know Their Math Facts. What Schools Can Do to Help

Illustration of a child in motion jumping easily across number block formations  and equations.

Teachers can optimize how they introduce math facts and teach strategies while not losing sight of conceptual knowledge.

Read the Story


Teachers Aren’t Burnt Out. They Are Being Set Up to Fail (Opinion)

Female adult standing on toppling dominoes.

Instead of scapegoating teachers, let’s look at the real causes of workplace stress and demoralization, writes best-selling author and teacher Alexandra Robbins.

Read the Story


Dear Students Here’s Why I Quit: A Teacher’s Moving Letter Explains Her Decision

Kerry Graham

Grief and stress soured Kerry Graham on her job, but not on her students.

Read the Story


A $60K Starting Salary for Teachers? Not a Single State Meets the Bar

Teacher at a chalkboard.

Raising teacher pay has become a bipartisan priority. Here’s how much teachers make and how it’s changed over time.

Read the Story


Teachers Are Facing an ‘Intentional Toxic Disrespect,’ Secretary Cardona Says

Miguel Cardona

Teachers deserve support, not to be cast as villains for political purposes, the education secretary told the largest teachers’ union.

Read the Story


Why Some Teachers’ Unions Oppose ‘Science of Reading’ Legislation

Addison Fleshman reads "Green Eggs and Ham" as students celebrate Dr. Seuss Week in Teresa Francis' kindergarten class Monday, Feb. 27, 2017, at Westview Elementary School in Jonesboro, Ind.

Several state unions say the mandates could limit teachers’ professional autonomy in the classroom.

Read the Story


We Gave ChatGPT 5 Common Teaching Tasks. Here’s How Teachers Say It Did

Monochromatic image of items on a teacher's desk, with vivid color on an apple and a plant.

EdWeek asked ChatGPT to generate a lesson plan, a response to a concerned parent, feedback on student work, and more.

Read the Story


Mississippi Students Surged in Reading Over the Last Decade. Here’s How Schools Got Them There

Illustration of Man helping a young guy up stairs into an open book as a metaphor for targeted literacy training.

Educators chalk it up to a multipronged effort, spurred by the state’s literacy law.

Read the Story


‘You Work for Us': How a Student’s Slight Captures the Disrespect Teachers Face (Opinion)

Opinion illustration of teachers and students, about job perceptions.

Compare the treatment of teachers with other public servants and you’ll notice a disturbing trend.

Read the Story


10 Buzzwords Teachers Can’t Stand

Buzzwords simple seamless pattern including the words Self-care, Fidelity, Woke, Differentiation, Data-driven, Pivot, Critical race theory, DEI, Mindset

The EdWeek Research Center polled educators from across the country to identify the buzzwords that drive them crazy.

Read the Story


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