Teaching & Learning

Education news, analysis, and opinion about teaching and teachers
Assessment This State Banned Nonzero Grading Policies. Why Some Schools Use Them
A new law bans "grading floors," which require a minimum grade of 50% for assignments or grading periods.
Evie Blad
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6 min read
Teaching Opinion What Makes a Good Teacher? Lisa Delpit and Christopher Emdin Go Deep
The popular educators expound on race and education in their new book, The Sacred Art of Teaching.
Larry Ferlazzo
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7 min read
Teaching Opinion Are Schools Squandering Teacher Planning Periods?
Protecting teachers’ planning time can’t solve burnout if nobody teaches them how to use that time.
Carla Erskin
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4 min read
Reading & Literacy What is 'Linguistic' Phonics and Why Are Some Schools Adopting It?
A new question is emerging in the "science of reading": Is one type of phonics instruction better than another?
Sarah Schwartz
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8 min read
Julie Celestial, center, teaches her kindergarten class a literacy lesson at Mark Twain Elementary School in Long Beach, California on Tuesday, May 6, 2025 . A new bill could change how literacy is taught in elementary schools by providing transitional kindergarten through fifth-grade teachers with training and textbooks that stress what's known as science of reading, an approach to literacy that focuses heavily on phonics and foundational reading skills to combat California's literacy crisis. Though other states have shifted to this evidence-based reading, California's reading instruction has largely been left to the control of school districts, many of which have not made the switch. The school has begun their shift to a science of reading approach and are seen as an example for other California districts.
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.
Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via TNS
Early Childhood Trump Admin. Moves to Dismantle Head Start Quality Standards
The Trump administration announced plans to dismantle the federal regulations that have defined Head Start for decades.
Elizabeth Heubeck
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5 min read
Karen Locken plays with children in an Early Head Start program in Pasadena, California on Friday, April 18, 2025 .
Karen Locken plays with children in an Early Head Start program in Pasadena, California on Friday, April 18, 2025 .
Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS
College & Workforce Readiness AI Gains Ground as a College-Search Tool for Parents
A survey of parents of high school students finds more are turning to AI for information about college choices.
Mark Walsh
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2 min read
Students, from left, Araiza Maldonado Basilio, Alexa Velasquez Mendoza and Leslie Sandoval Reyes, open letters in 2023 informing them which Minnesota colleges and universities they were pre-accepted to as part of the state's Direct Admissions program.
From left, students Araiza Maldonado Basilio, Alexa Velasquez Mendoza, and Leslie Sandoval Reyes open letters in 2023 informing them which Minnesota colleges and universities they were pre-accepted to as part of the state's Direct Admissions program. As families conduct college searches, AI is playing a growing role in helping families understand and discover college choices, a new survey found.
Anthony Soufflé/The Minnesota Star Tribune/TNS
Early Childhood Could Public Preschool for 2-Year-Olds Become the Next Pre-K?
New York City and New Mexico have started "2-K" programs. But are they sustainable?
Jennifer Vilcarino
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4 min read
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks during a press conference on Universal Child Care at Bedrock Preschool on August 04, 2026 in the Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx borough in New York City. Mayor Mamdani was joined by Gov. Kathy Hochul, Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels, and other elected officials on the day families of 2,000 toddlers received their 2-K offers for the program beginning in September across five school districts. More than 5,700 families applied for New York City's inaugural preschool program for 2-year-olds. Mamdani said the city plans to expand capacity to 12,000 children and include Staten Island in the program.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks during a press conference about the city's pre-K program at Bedrock Preschool in New York City on Aug. 4, 2026. The city is expanding public preschool to 2,000 2-year-olds, with plans to expand it to 12,000 in 2027.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

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More Teaching & Learning

  • 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.
    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.
    Annie Barker/AP
    Reading & Literacy Middle Schoolers' Reading Scores Are Still Stuck at Post-Pandemic Lows
    New data shows that the lowest-performing students are falling the furthest behind.
    Sarah Schwartz, August 4, 2026
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    4 min read
    Michelle Ayala, 18, plays with building blocks with campers at LASOS summer camp at Bel Air High School in Bel Air, Md., on July 24, 2025.
    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.
    KT Kanazawich/AP
    Curriculum High Costs Keep 12.6 Million Kids Out of Summer Programs, Report Finds
    The Afterschool Alliance report recommends greater public and private funding of summer programs.
    Mark Walsh, August 3, 2026
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    3 min read
    An illustration of a teacher and student overlooking blocks that represent bar charts going up, filled with illustrations of numbers, letters, math problems and books.
    Illustration by Robert Neubecker for Education Week
    Mathematics The ‘Science of Reading’ Movement Is Evolving. Is Math Next?
    Schools can expect more change—and continued debate—as the push for evidence-based instruction continues.
    Sarah Schwartz, August 3, 2026
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    10 min read
    AT LEFT, US Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) listens as US Senator Tim Kane (D-VA) speaks regarding the Special Education Administration Act (S. 5038), and the profit the transfer of certain offices to other Federal Agency (S.5046) Act during a Health, Education, Labor and Pension Executive Session at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill, Washington, DC on Thursday, July 30, 2026.
    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.
    Demetrius Freeman for Education Week
    Reading & Literacy Federal 'Science of Reading' Bill Advances
    A Senate committee also passed a proposal to classify dyslexia separately under federal disability law.
    Sarah Schwartz, July 31, 2026
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    5 min read
    MJ20749
    Marvin Joseph/Education Week
    Mathematics Tracker Which States Are Overhauling Math Education? See Our Tracker
    Our tracker follows and summarizes states legislation shaping math teaching, instruction, and intervention.
    Evie Blad, Sarah Schwartz, Stephen Sawchuk & Maya Riser-Kositsky, July 31, 2026
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    1 min read
    Students, including Isaac De Oliviera Matielo, center, listen as kindergarten teacher Christin Labriola, left, reads the book "Dumpling Soup" to her class, incorporating Asian American and Pacific Islander subjects in her class at Webster Hill Elementary School in West Hartford, Conn., on Dec. 2, 2025.
    Students listen as a kindergarten teacher reads the book "Dumpling Soup" to her class at Webster Hill Elementary School in West Hartford, Conn., on Dec. 2, 2025. When it comes to kindergarten readiness, boys generally score lower than girls—a gap that tends to widen over time.
    Jessica Hill/AP Photo
    Early Childhood Why Boys Start Kindergarten Behind Girls
    Kindergarten readiness data tell us that gender gaps start as soon as school does.
    Elizabeth Heubeck, July 31, 2026
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    4 min read

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College & Workforce Readiness Spotlight Spotlight on What Works: How District Leaders Are Redefining Student Readiness
See how districts are balancing college prep, career pathways, AI, and academic rigor to prepare students for success.
Professional Development Spotlight Spotlight on the New Playbook for Professional Learning: Coaching, Collaboration, and Technology
Learn how sustained, collaborative PD, high-quality instructional materials, and emerging AI tools are reshaping educator learning.
Special Education Spotlight Spotlight on the Future of Special Education: Compliance, Data, and Transformation
Special ed is evolving fast, driven by compliance, data, accessible tech, and smarter supports for students with disabilities.