Parents

Education news, analysis, and opinion about how parents and other family members interact with schools and their children’s education
New York School Cellphone Ban 25119009936115
A student uses a cellphone after unlocking the pouch that secures it from use during the school day at Bayside Academy in San Mateo, Calif., on Aug. 16, 2024. Experts say schools can give parents valuable advice about how to make sure their children are not spending too much time viewing screens.
Lea Suzuki/San Francisco Chronicle via AP
Families & the Community How Schools Can Help Parents Manage Kids' Screen Time
From bullying to losing sleep, what kids do at home on screens affects their learning.
Arianna Prothero, July 21, 2026
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8 min read
Front view of a group of wooden cubes with icons representing persons. The main focus is on an angry person who has a cube over his head with a thought bubble full of insults
Education Week + iStock/Getty
School & District Management Q&A School Leaders Face More Parental Threats Than Teachers
Parental violence went up after the pandemic, directed most towards school administrators.
Olina Banerji, July 21, 2026
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5 min read
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Katrina Fernandez, lower school principal at Capital City Public Charter School, helps organize these preschoolers as they practice along with high school seniors during a graduation rehearsal at Capital City Public Charter School in Washington, DC on June 11, 2026. The school's pre-K classes practice "looping," in which 3- and 4-year-olds share a classroom and stay with the same teacher for two years.
Marvin Joseph/Education Week
Early Childhood Why Keeping the Same Pre-K Teacher for Two Years Benefits Kids
As states seek to expand pre-K and teachers report students' lack of readiness, looping may help.
Elizabeth Heubeck, July 20, 2026
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5 min read
Signs reading "NO ICE ACCESS" taped to the front doors of Valley View Elementary School, on Feb. 3, 2026, in Columbia Heights, Minn.
Signs taped to the front doors of Valley View Elementary School declare that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents can't enter the building, on Feb. 3, 2026, in Columbia Heights, Minn. District leaders across the country are now regularly requesting emergency contact information from families in the wake of heightened immigration enforcement.
Liam James Doyle/AP
School & District Management ICE Raids Are Making Emergency Contacts Essential for Schools
Educators say schools can help families plan for what happens if parents are detained by ICE.
Ileana Najarro, July 16, 2026
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5 min read
AI driving back to school creativity with books bus balloons clock charts and fun classroom props 3d rendering.
Getty
Artificial Intelligence How to Stay Ahead of the AI Curve: Lessons From Two Very Different Districts
District leaders share lessons learned, challenges faced, and practical insights from AI rollouts.
Lauraine Langreo, July 14, 2026
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4 min read
West Bloomfield team members huddle as defensive line coach Justin Ibe leads a team prayer before the game against Eisenhower, Friday, Oct. 21, 2022, in West Bloomfield, Mich.
West Bloomfield team members huddle as defensive line coach Justin Ibe leads a team prayer before a game Oct. 21, 2022, in West Bloomfield, Mich. A federal religious liberty commission recently called for "know your rights" posters to inform public school students of their rights to prayer and religious expression.
Carlos Osorio/AP
Federal See What's in Trump Commission's Religious Freedom Agenda for Schools
Panel recommends federal guidance on parents' opt-out rights, Ten Commandments displays, and other features.
Evie Blad, July 2, 2026
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8 min read
Students play during a TK class at First Street Elementary School in Los Angeles, on April 22, 2026.
Students play at First Street Elementary School in Los Angeles, on April 22, 2026. Principals leading schools with preschool programs often don’t have enough runway to learn skills and theories before they’re tasked with leading early grades.
Ethan Swope/AP
Early Childhood How Principals Can Make Preschools Better
Principals need to adopt strategies that help their youngest learners thrive.
Olina Banerji, June 29, 2026
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5 min read
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A middle school history class in Sapulpa, Okla., uses whiteboards and worksheets during a tech-free day on April 7, 2026. EdWeek Research Center survey data show that relatively few schools are pairing back their investment in tech, despite pressure from some parents.
September Dawn Bottoms for Education Week
Classroom Technology Are Schools Actually Scaling Back Tech in Response to a Rising Backlash?
An EdWeek Research Center survey asked educators about efforts to pull back on digital tools.
Sean Cavanagh & Jessica Cuellar, June 29, 2026
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2 min read
Art teacher Lindsay Johnson, second from left, teaches students how to ask Canva for help during a summer class at Roosevelt Middle School, on June 25, 2025, in River Forest, Ill.
Art teacher Lindsay Johnson, second from left, teaches students how to ask Canva for help during a summer class at Roosevelt Middle School on June 25, 2025, in River Forest, Ill. Many parents are supportive of the use of tech in school that enhances learning.
Nam Y. Huh/AP
Classroom Technology Parents Don't Hate Ed Tech. They Just Want More Balanced Use
New survey reveals nuanced views about tech use in school among parents.
Arianna Prothero, June 26, 2026
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3 min read
Education Rural Schools 25323724091271
Students work together on a science, technology, engineering and mathematics challenge, facilitated by the Kentucky Science Center, in Simpsonville Elementary School, Nov. 18, 2025, in Simpsonville, Ky. Many schools across the country are now being asked to justify their use of technology in instruction.
Jon Cherry/AP Photo
Classroom Technology Tech Backlash Prompts Responses From Leader of Top Ed-Tech Group
Rebuilding trust with communities on tech concerns must be a high priority, CEO says.
Alyson Klein, June 25, 2026
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4 min read
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A staff member from a district school carts away food and household items to donate to student families in St. Paul, Minn., February 23, 2026. Across the Twin cities, teachers and school administrators adapted to support families affected by heightened immigration enforcement.
Tim Evans for Education Week
Families & the Community As ICE Activity Rises, Schools Focus on Family Support
Since 2025, school districts have quickly adapted to shifting effects from federal immigration enforcement.
Ileana Najarro, June 22, 2026
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7 min read
The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating how 43 school districts in three states teach about sexuality and gender identity and whether they give parents the opportunity to opt their children out of lessons that conflict with their religious beliefs on June 16, 2026.PICTURED, Protesters gather outside the Glendale Unified School District headquarters in Glendale, California, on June 20, 2023. Over 300 people gathered outside the Glendale Unified School District headquarters, as protests continued over the issue of teaching children about same-sex parents and queer issues.
Protesters gather outside the Glendale school district in Glendale, California, on June 20, 2023 over the issue of teaching children about same-sex parents and queer issues. The U.S. Department of Justice is now investigating three other school districts over LGBTQ+ themes in sex ed. and beyond. (The Glendale district is not one of them.)
DAVID SWANSON / AFP via Getty Images
Federal Trump's Justice Dept. Investigates Dozens of Districts Over LGBTQ+ Curricula
The investigations target how schools discuss sexuality and gender identity and whether parents can opt their children out of lessons.
Evie Blad, June 16, 2026
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8 min read
WASHINGTON,DC - JUNE 10: Dr. Macquline King, Superintendent and CEO of Chicago Public Schools speaks with Mr. Johnathan Smith, Managing Director, Education and Federal Strategic Advocacy, National Center for Youth Law and Dr. Aaron Spence, Superintendent, Loudoun County Public Schools with US Representative Mark Takano, Democrat from California, before a House Education and Workforce Committee hearing titled “Breaking Trust: Attacks On Parental Rights, Inappropriate Content, And Legal Abuses In America’s Schools” on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, June 10, 2026 in Washington, DC.
Chicago Superintendent Macquline King speaks with Johnathan Smith, the managing director for education and federal strategic advocacy at the National Center for Youth Law, and Loudon County, Va. Superintendent Aaron Spence, before a hearing on parents rights in schools on Capitol Hill on June 10, 2026 in Washington.
Jabin Botsford/For Education Week
Families & the Community Lawmakers Grill Superintendents on Transgender Student Policies
The districts' policies around transgender students were repeatedly questioned.
Evie Blad, June 10, 2026
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5 min read
Students follow along in their copies of “Among the Hidden” by Margaret Peterson Haddix in a seventh grade reading class at in Bow, N.H., on Oct. 29, 2025.
Seventh graders follow along in their copies of <i>Among the Hidden</i> by Margaret Peterson Haddix in a reading class at in Bow, N.H., on Oct. 29, 2025.
Sophie Park for Education Week
Reading & Literacy How Family Reading Time Can Help Older Students Thrive
EdWeek readers offer suggestions about how to get older students reading more.
Marina Whiteleather, June 5, 2026
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1 min read