The Latest by Subject Area: Reading & Literacy, Science, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Curriculum

Julie Celestial, center, teaches her kindergarten class a literacy lesson at Mark Twain Elementary School in Long Beach, Calif. on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. Proponents of a "speech-to-print" phonics approach say it works more efficiently than other methods. But research evidence is inconclusive.

Sixth graders read a passage and give constructive feedback to their partners during Nancy Barajas' class at Fairview Elementary School on May 6, 2026, in Modesto, Calif. New research shows the nation's 6th graders' reading scores have flatlined, and the lowest-performing students are losing ground.

U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., left, listens as U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., speaks during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committee meeting at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on July 30, 2026. The committee advanced two bills related to reading, as well as another opposing the transfer of certain U.S. Department of Education offices to other agencies.

The desktop of a student at the Wells Preparatory Elementary School reflects the literature they're studying in Charlotte Owens' fifth grade class on Friday, March 8, 2024, in Chicago. Research supports children reading over the summer—but not specifically assigning reading lists or holding kids accountable for completing them.

K-2 students at South Fayette Township Elementary School in Pennsylvania used data science to pick a name for a cow they adopted to follow at a local farm. A teacher from the school talked to other educators about how she used the cow to teach about data science, AI, and chemistry during the ISTELive 26 + ASCD Annual Conference in Orlando, Fla., on July 1, 2026.

A 4th grade student vies for the attention of a turtle during her class’s weekly visit to the Da Vinci Science Center on May 18, 2026, as part of the center’s partnership with the Allentown school district’s Central Elementary STREAM Academy.

Spectators look on from the A. Max Brewer Bridge as NASA's Artemis II moon rocket lifts off Wednesday, April 1, 2026, as seen from Titusville, Fla. With the launch of Artemis II, educators discuss the integration of arts and science.

Fifth grade teachers from left, Traci Meyers, Autumn Mayer, Lakisha Smith, and Allison King take part in training to teach math at West Forest Intermediate School in Opelika, Ala., on Nov. 4, 2021. New research suggests anxiety about teaching math could affect students' achievement in the subject.

Children look at the Star Spangled Banner, the flag that inspired the lyrics of the American national anthem, at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History on June 10, 2025, in Washington.

Students at Hudson Primary School study about what it means to be a citizen in this March 24, 2026 photo. The Pasco County school district is expanding its civics education program amid a state and national push to do so.

An 18-year-old plays with building blocks with campers at LASOS summer camp at Bel Air High School in Bel Air, Md., on July 24, 2025. High costs prevent nearly half of children whose parents want them in summer programs from attending.

Lewis Ferebee, the then-chancellor of the District of Columbia public schools, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Raymond Elementary School on the first day of school, on Aug. 28, 2023, in Washington. Ferebee was announced as EdReports’ new chief executive officer in May.

Students return from the Ephrata, Pa. district's "maker bus" to their classrooms at Fulton Elementary School as teacher Joel Bischoff leads them on April 29, 2026. The Ephrata district parks the mobile makerspace at each of its elementary schools a few weeks at a time to allow students to complete hands-on projects. The district has oriented its teaching around projects that allow students to demonstrate skills like empathy and creativity alongside content knowledge.