Vaccines

Education news, analysis, and opinion about the health and policy aspects of vaccines and vaccination
A hand wearing a blue latex glove lifts a syringe out of a small metal bin labeled "Moderna" that rests on a table next to bins that say "Pfizer" and "flu."
A worker prepares syringes at a free COVID-19 and flu vaccination event in Lynwood, Calif., last month. States are not adding COVID-19 to the list of required immunizations children must receive to attend public school.
Mark J. Terrill/AP
States Plans to Require Student COVID-19 Vaccinations Flopped. Here's Why
Policies mandating COVID-19 vaccines for school attendance have largely failed to materialize three years into the pandemic.
Evie Blad, February 13, 2023
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5 min read
A student looks back at his mother as he is vaccinated at a school-based COVID-19 vaccination clinic for students 12 and older in San Pedro, Calif., on May 24, 2021. California lawmakers amended a bill Thursday, June 16, 2022, that would have let preteens be vaccinated without their parents consent, instead raising the proposed minimum age to 15.
A student looks at his mother as he is vaccinated at a school-based COVID-19 vaccination clinic for students 12 and older in San Pedro, Calif., in May 2021.
Damian Dovarganes/AP
Student Well-Being Support for School Vaccine Mandates Is Declining, Survey Shows
A growing share of parents say they oppose routine childhood vaccines as a prerequisite for school attendance.
Elizabeth Heubeck, December 16, 2022
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3 min read
Doctor putting a band aid on woman's arm.
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Student Well-Being Goodbye to COVID Vaccine, Testing Mandates. What That Means for Schools
The changes come after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relaxed its COVID-19 guidance for schools.
Lauraine Langreo, September 16, 2022
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3 min read
Vaccine record.
Bill Oxford/iStock/Getty
Student Well-Being NYC School Vaccination Study Shows Differences Based on Race and Community
Schools serving a majority of Asian students had the highest vaccination rates.
Alyson Klein, September 15, 2022
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2 min read
An information sign is displayed as a child arrives with her parent to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children 5 to 11-years-old at London Middle School in Wheeling, Ill., Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021.
A child arrives at London Middle School in Wheeling, Ill., in November to receive the COVID-19 vaccine for children 5 to 11. The White House is urging schools to continue hosting vaccine clinics for COVID as well as more-routine shots.
Nam Y. Huh/AP
Student Well-Being Messaging About Vaccines and Boosters: 3 Best Practices for School Districts
Officials expect the COVID-19 vaccine to become as routine as the annual flu shot. Here's what schools can do to prepare families.
Libby Stanford, September 1, 2022
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4 min read
Young child wearing a mask getting a vaccine.
E+/Getty
Student Well-Being What the Research Says Student Absences May Spike Due to Low Vaccination Rates, Weaker Immunity
School leaders should brace for waves of respiratory infections this fall.

Sarah D. Sparks, August 30, 2022
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4 min read
A second grade student is given a COVID-19 rapid test at H.W. Harkness Elementary School in Sacramento, Calif., on Feb. 11, 2022. As a new school year approaches, COVID-19 infections are again on the rise, fueled by highly transmissible variants, filling families with dread. They fear the return of a pandemic scourge: outbreaks that sideline large numbers of teachers, close school buildings and force students back into remote learning.
A 2nd grade student is given a COVID-19 rapid test at H.W. Harkness Elementary School in Sacramento, Calif., in February. The Biden administration plans to send millions of COVID-19 tests to school districts over the 2022-23 school year as part of its COVID-19 response.
Rich Pedroncelli/AP
Student Well-Being White House Outlines Key COVID-Prevention Strategies for This School Year
Prevention best practices focus on testing, vaccinations, and school building ventilation.
Libby Stanford, August 17, 2022
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4 min read
Image of young boy wearing a mask getting a bandage applied after a vaccine.
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Student Well-Being What the Research Says COVID Vaccination Rates for Kids Are Stalling. What It Means for Schools
What's a school to do when just 1 in 3 elementary students are on track to be fully vaccinated by the end of the school year?
Sarah D. Sparks, May 24, 2022
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5 min read
Unvaccinated and vaccinated cutout people with vaccine syringe. Illustration showing 3 out of 10 not boosted.
Collage by Gina Tomko/Education Week and Getty
School & District Management From Our Research Center 3 in 10 Educators Haven't Gotten a COVID Booster Shot
Some educators don't believe boosters are worth the potential side effects, or that they need one after having gotten COVID.
Mark Lieberman, May 5, 2022
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3 min read
Image of young boy wearing a mask getting a bandage applied after a vaccine.
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Student Well-Being Anti-Vaccine Ideology Gains Ground as Lawmakers Seek to Erode Rules for Kids’ Shots
Experts say the movement has gained momentum amid the pandemic, boosting the reach of high-profile anti-vaccine activists.
Sandy West, Kaiser Health News, April 26, 2022
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6 min read
Conceputal image of school disruptions from COVID-19, from 2020 to 2022.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week and Getty Images
School & District Management Forever Changed: A Timeline of How COVID Upended Schools
COVID-19 has shaken the education landscape. Here are key milestones.
Laura Baker & Education Week Staff, April 5, 2022
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1 min read
An information sign is displayed as a child arrives with her parent to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children 5 to 11-years-old at London Middle School in Wheeling, Ill., on Nov. 17, 2021.
A child arrives with her parent to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at London Middle School in Wheeling, Ill., in November.
Nam Y. Huh/AP
Student Well-Being COVID Vaccine Uptake Has Stalled for Young Children. What Schools Can Do to Help
Overall, only about 1 in 5 children ages 5-11 in the United States are fully inoculated against COVID-19.
Arianna Prothero, January 24, 2022
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4 min read
Anti-vaccine mandate protesters rally outside the garage doors of the Los Angeles Unified School District, LAUSD headquarters in Los Angeles on Sept. 9, 2021. The Los Angeles board of education voted to require students 12 and older to be vaccinated against the coronavirus to attend in-person classes in the nation's second-largest school district.
Anti-vaccine mandate protesters rally outside the Los Angeles Unified School District headquarters in September, 2021.
Damian Dovarganes/AP
Student Well-Being Q&A Communications Expert Explains: How to Talk to Parents About COVID Vaccination
A Johns Hopkins University expert discusses a new training project on how to communicate about the sensitive issue.
Sarah D. Sparks, January 19, 2022
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7 min read
Members of the Supreme Court pose for a group photo last April.
The U.S. Supreme Court blocked a federal vaccine mandate for large employers, including school districts in about half the states.
Erin Schaff/The New York Times via AP
Law & Courts Supreme Court Blocks Biden Vaccine Mandate Applying to Schools in Much of the Country
The justices ruled 6-3 to stay an Occupational Health and Safety Administration rule that covered schools in 26 states and two territories.
Mark Walsh, January 13, 2022
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4 min read
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