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

Estes Elementary School kindergarten students Evelyn Bolmer, front left; Jase Bellamy, back right; and Eric Guarneros, front right, listen as their teacher Faith Harralson assists Bolmer with a math equation, as they ride pedal desks at school in Owensboro, Ky., Jan. 19, 2016. New research shows students who start kindergarten behind in reading and math are unlikely to catch up by 3rd grade.

A copy of one of the National Reading Panel's work products is shown in this June 17, 2026 photo. The influential report, now more than 25 years old, has long served as a cornerstone of the “science of reading” movement, shaping state legislation, curriculum, and teacher professional development.

An educator at Holcomb Elementary School in Oregon City, Ore. works with students on phonics and phonemic awareness on Feb. 5, 2025. New studies point to the mix of factors teachers should consider when selecting texts for students.

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.

Owen, a 1st grader at Trumbauersville Elementary School in Quakertown, Pa., stands in front of the TV screen that streamed a Q&A from the International Space Station between Pennsylvania elementary students and NASA astronaut Chris Williams on Feb. 5, 2026. Experts say these kinds of real-world STEM experiences can spark students' interest in the field.

Jeff Simon, center, works with math students using online AI tools to check their algebra work at Sage Creek High School in Carlsbad, Calif. on Oct. 22, 2024. EdWeek Research Center data show that fractions and fluency in basic operations are among the areas that most confuse middle and high school students.

State Board of Education Vice Chair Pam Little votes on a proposed required reading list during a meeting at the Barbara Jordan Building in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday, June 23, 2026. Critics have argued that both the list and proposed social studies standards attempt to embed religious teaching in public school classrooms.

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.

A third-grader practices his cursive handwriting at a school in the Queens borough of New York. At least half of the nation’s states have adopted cursive writing instruction in recent years, reversing a sharp decline in teaching of that skill after the Common Core, launched in 2010, omitted it from its standards.