Teaching Profession

What Teachers Were Reading This Year: Top 10 Stories

By Stacey Decker — December 19, 2023 2 min read
Blue colorized illustration of a teachers table
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

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


Related Tags:

Events

Jobs Regional K-12 Virtual Career Fair: DMV
Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
Making AI Work in Schools: From Experimentation to Purposeful Practice
AI use is expanding in schools. Learn how district leaders can move from experimentation to coordinated, systemwide impact.
Content provided by Frontline Education
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Well-Being & Movement Webinar
Building Resilient Students: Leadership Beyond the Classroom
How can schools build resilient, confident students? Join education leaders to explore new strategies for leadership and well-being.
Content provided by IMG Academy

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Teaching Profession Opinion Portrayals of Educators on Film and TV: The Good, the Bad, The Ugly
From "Lean on Me" to "Abbott Elementary," how realistic is Hollywood’s representation of schools?
14 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 Profession Download 5 Strategies for Supporting K-12 Teachers: Lessons From California
This resource discusses the main takeaways from a March 2026 live event hosted by Education Week and EdSource.
1 min read
Attendees and panelists partake in breakout sessions during the State of Teaching event in San Francisco in March 2026.
Attendees and panelists partake in breakout sessions during the State of Teaching event in San Francisco in March 2026.
Andrew Reed/EdSource
Teaching Profession Q&A Teach For America's Tutoring Focus Is Now Helping Drive Teacher Recruitment
The education corps is rebounding from pandemic losses, thanks in large part to a burgeoning tutor focus.
4 min read
Teach for America teacher Channler Williams with kindergartners at Templeton Elementary School in Riverdale, MD on April 12, 2016. Teach for America has seen its applicants drop in each of the last three years so they are retooling the way they recruit students. One thing they are doing is taking prospects to see TFA teachers at work. Today, students from Georgetown and George Washington University got a glimpse of life in the classroom and Mrs's Williams class was among those visited.
Teach For America has had success getting undergraduates to tutor, some of whom later go into its teaching corps. The organization is seeking ways how to respond to newer teachers' needs and expectations. TFA teacher Channler Williams works with her kindergartners at Templeton Elementary School in Riverdale, Md. on April 12, 2016.
Linda Davidson/The Washington Post via Getty
Teaching Profession 2026 Teacher of the Year Preps History Students for a Diverse and Divisive World
Leon Smith of Pennsylvania engages high school students in new angles on seemingly well-trodden topics and events.
3 min read
Teacher of the Year Leon Smith on March 25, 2026 Haverford High School in Pennsylvania.
The 2026 Teacher of the Year, Leon Smith, in his classroom at Haverford High School in Pennsylvania on March 25, 2026,
Courtesy of the Council of Chief State School Officers