Teaching Research

ESL teacher Edmund Martinez keeps a graduation cap and gown in his classroom to inspire students to graduate in Russellville, Ala., on December 9, 2022.
A graduation cap and gown sit in an ESL teacher's classroom in Russellville, Ala. New research suggests some negative outcomes from grouping English learners together in high school, such as a lower likelihood of graduating on time.
Tamika Moore for Education Week
English Learners What New Research Reveals About Grouping English Learners Together
New research cautions districts from defaulting to grouping all English learners together.
Ileana Najarro, January 30, 2026
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4 min read
A classroom at Lafargue Elementary School in Effie, Louisiana, on Friday, August 22. The state has implemented new professional development requirements for math teachers in grades 4-8 to help improve student achievement and address learning gaps.
An elementary school classroom in Effie, La., shows how one of the learning goals is to master the ability to compare numbers, on August 22, 2025. New research points out steps teachers can take to memorize facts—through a combination of practice, drills, and playing with numbers.
Kathleen Flynn for Education Week
Mathematics 4 Research-Backed Tips for Mastering Math Facts
A new review of research offers evidence-based recommendations for classroom practice.
Sarah Schwartz, January 27, 2026
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5 min read
Casey Dupuis points to class work for a one of her 5th graders during a math class at Lafargue Elementary School in Effie, Louisiana, on Friday, August 22. The state has implemented new professional development requirements for math teachers in grades 4-8 to help improve student achievement and address learning gaps.
A 5th grader works on a problem during a math class at an elementary school in Effie, La., on Aug. 22, 2025. A position paper on teaching math published by the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics recently kicked off another round of conversations about what practices work best in the classroom—and what the ultimate goals of the subject even are.
Kathleen Flynn for Education Week
Mathematics Debates Over Math Teaching Are Heating Up. They Could Affect Classrooms
A controversial new movement promoting the "science of math" has come into the math establishment's crosshairs.
Sarah Schwartz, January 22, 2026
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9 min read
Word Cloud MATH terms: polygon, multiply, rectangle, ordered pair, place value, quadrilateral, subtract, algorithm, median, remainder, number line, factors, divide.
Education Week and Canva
Mathematics How the Vocabulary Math Teachers Use Affects Student Learning
A new study draws a link between teachers' use of a discrete instructional practice and student performance.
Sarah Schwartz, January 16, 2026
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4 min read
Anjanette McNeely teaches a reading block with her kindergarten students at Windridge Elementary School in Kaysville, Utah, on Dec. 4, 2025.
Anjanette McNeely teaches a reading block with her kindergarten students at Windridge Elementary School in Kaysville, Utah, on Dec. 4, 2025.
Niki Chan Wylie for Education Week
Reading & Literacy Video How Reading Instruction Evolved in 2025, and What’s Ahead
Throughout 2025, Education Week has covered how states and districts are continuing to incorporate new instructional methods and materials.
Sarah Schwartz & Kaylee Domzalski, December 30, 2025
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2:13
Students in Anjanette McNeely's class work on their letters during a reading block at Windridge Elementary School in Kaysville, Utah, on Dec. 4, 2025.
What's the best way to attend to all the elements of the 'science of reading' in a literacy block? Research doesn't specify a specific answer, but kindergarten teacher Anjanette McNeely has designed hers to incorporate foundational skills, content, and writing. McNeely's class works on their letters at Windridge Elementary School in Kaysville, Utah, on Dec. 4, 2025.
Niki Chan Wylie for Education Week
Reading & Literacy How to Build a Reading Block: Two Teachers Share Their Approaches
Studies don't prescribe how best to knit together components of reading—leaving it up to teachers to devise.
Sarah Schwartz, December 8, 2025
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7 min read
Image of a student reading in the library.
New research suggests that exercises in phonemic awareness may be more impactful when connected to print and purposeful phonics teaching.
Allison Shelley for All4Ed
Reading & Literacy A Popular Method for Teaching Phonemic Awareness Doesn't Boost Reading
In a new study, a highly used program didn't lead to improvements in students' word-reading abilities.
Sarah Schwartz, November 4, 2025
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5 min read
Students in Saxon Brown's 9th grade English class take turns reading as the different characters in To Kill A Mockingbird during class at Bel Air High School in Bel Air, Md., on Jan. 25, 2024.
Students in Saxon Brown's 9th grade English class take turns reading as the different characters in <i>To Kill A Mockingbird</i> during class at Bel Air High School in Bel Air, Md., on Jan. 25, 2024. Teachers say several tips help them build the scaffolding and stamina kids need to tackle complex novels like Harper Lee's masterpiece.
Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week
Reading & Literacy These Teachers Have Their Students Read Multiple Novels a Year. How They Do It
Making time for reading, checking for understanding, and presenting works in context are top priorities.
Sarah Schwartz, October 21, 2025
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5 min read
Students at R. Brown McAllister Elementary School use telephones for phonemic awareness during literary instruction on March 19, 2025, in Concorn, N.C.
Students at R. Brown McAllister Elementary School use telephones for a phonemic awareness lesson on March 19, 2025, in Concorn, N.C. Researchers are homing in on the qualities of high-quality intervention for students who continue to struggle after regular teaching.
Cornell Watson for Education Week
Reading & Literacy What Makes an Effective Reading Intervention? One Researcher's 5 Criteria
Studies highlight targeting specific skills and offering opportunities for practice, among others.
Sarah Schwartz, October 10, 2025
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4 min read
Students at R. Brown McAllister Elementary School use different strategies in phonemic awareness during literary instruction on March 19, 2025, in Concorn, N.C.
Students at R. Brown McAllister Elementary School use different strategies in phonemic awareness during literacy instruction on March 19, 2025, in Concorn, N.C. Teaching spelling in foundational-skills lessons can improve students' reading, research shows.
Cornell Watson for Education Week
Reading & Literacy Why Teaching Spelling Can Boost Students' Reading Skills
New evidence suggests some types of spelling instruction offer bigger payoffs for reading than others.
Sarah Schwartz, October 6, 2025
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3 min read
Collage illustration of a brain with gears, lightbulb, and dot patterns.
DigitalVision Vectors
Teaching What the Research Says The Top 5 Myths Elementary Teachers Believe About the Science of Learning
Most teachers worldwide still believe myths about learning decades after they have been debunked. Here are the most common.
Sarah D. Sparks, September 16, 2025
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4 min read
AI Skeptic 1244482154
iStock/Getty
Artificial Intelligence What the Research Says How AI Simulations Match Up to Real Students—and Why It Matters
New research suggests teachers should be cautious when using AI tools to personalize learning for students.
Sarah D. Sparks, September 10, 2025
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4 min read
A student works a problem in a second grade math class at Place Bridge Academy, May 20, 2025, in Denver.
A student works a problem in a 2nd grade math class at Place Bridge Academy, May 20, 2025, in Denver. The math instructional strategies that teachers employ can vary depending on whether they trained as general or special educators—a divide researchers say could hurt struggling students.
Rebecca Slezak/AP
Mathematics How Should We Teach Math? General and Special Ed. Researchers Don't Agree
The divide makes it less likely that students who struggle will get access to proven strategies, researchers argue in a new study.
Sarah Schwartz, August 21, 2025
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8 min read
First grade students listen as their teacher Megan Goes helps them craft alternate endings for stories they wrote together at Moorsbridge Elementary School in Portage, Mich., on Nov. 29, 2023.
First grade students listen as their teacher Megan Goes helps them craft alternate endings for stories they wrote together at Moorsbridge Elementary School in Portage, Mich., on Nov. 29, 2023. In reading classrooms nationwide, teachers tend to mix core and supplemental materials—whether out of necessity or by design.
Emily Elconin for Education Week
Curriculum The Many Reasons Teachers Supplement Their Core Curricula—and Why it Matters
Some experts warn against supplementing core programs with other resources. But educators say there can be good reasons to do so.
Sarah Schwartz, August 8, 2025
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7 min read
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