What the Research Says

From the pages of Education Week: a roundup of recent education studies
Image of a teacher drawing outside of the lines of a whiteboard.
<b>Katie Thomas for Education Week</b>
Teacher Preparation What the Research Says Is Math Teacher-Prep Not Teaching Enough of the Basics?
A report says the programs should provide future teachers more training number sense, algebraic reasoning, and other foundations.
Sarah D. Sparks, April 8, 2025
6 min read
Hispanic schoolteacher reading aloud to her young students
E+ / Getty
Reading & Literacy What the Research Says Want to Improve Early Reading Comprehension? Start With Sentence Structure
We speak differently than we write. For comprehension development, children need exposure to syntax common to both.
Sarah D. Sparks, April 2, 2025
2 min read
Image of innovative solutions around staffing.
Laura Baker/Education Week and Andrii Yalanskyi/iStock/Getty
Recruitment & Retention What the Research Says Teacher Shortages Are Improving—With Two Big Exceptions
New job posting data suggests staffing support needs to be targeted at particular areas.
Sarah D. Sparks, March 17, 2025
4 min read
A black female teacher cheerfully answers questions and provides assistance to her curious and diverse group of adolescent students as they work on an assignment in class.
E+/Getty
Teaching Profession What the Research Says Want Novices to Keep Teaching? Focus on Their Classroom-Management Skills
Some skills matter more than others for educator at the start of their careers.
Sarah D. Sparks, January 22, 2025
3 min read
A female leader attracts people with a magnet.
iStock/Getty Images Plus
Recruitment & Retention What the Research Says What 4 New Studies Say About How Districts Can Attract—and Retain—Teachers
New insights on teachers' starting salaries, working conditions, and contract work can help leaders better hire and retain teachers.
Sarah D. Sparks, January 10, 2025
5 min read
A teacher talks with seventh graders during a lesson.
Black and Hispanic teachers are diversifying the workforce more slowly than their students or other similar professions.
Allison Shelley for All4Ed
Teaching Profession What the Research Says The Teaching Pool Isn't Diversifying As Quickly as Other Workers. Why?
Teachers used to be more diverse than their college-educated peers. New national and state data show how that's changing.
Sarah D. Sparks, December 12, 2024
3 min read
Teaching and tutoring online to a young child at home.
Getty/E+
Reading & Literacy What the Research Says What’s in the ‘Secret Sauce’ That Made This Virtual Reading Tutoring Work?
High attendance, well-trained tutors, and trusting relationships helped close learning gaps.
Sarah D. Sparks, December 5, 2024
4 min read
An empty elementary school classroom is seen on Aug. 17, 2021 in the Bronx borough of New York. Nationwide, students have been absent at record rates since schools reopened after COVID-forced closures. More than a quarter of students missed at least 10% of the 2021-22 school year.
An empty elementary school classroom is seen on Aug. 17, 2021 in the Bronx borough of New York. Nationwide, students have been absent at record rates since schools reopened after COVID-forced closures. Now research suggests the phenomenon may be depressing teachers' job satisfaction.
Brittainy Newman/AP
Teaching Profession What the Research Says The More Students Miss Class, the Worse Teachers Feel About Their Jobs
Missing kids take a toll on teachers' morale, new research says. Here's how educators can cope with absenteeism.
Sarah D. Sparks, November 14, 2024
4 min read
Woman of color exiting out of a door.
iStock/Getty Images Plus
School & District Management What the Research Says Four Ways to Stop Teacher Turnover From Hamstringing School Improvement
Staffing instability can unravel the social fabric of schools, experts say, unless leaders work to keep connections strong.
Sarah D. Sparks, October 30, 2024
6 min read
Illustration of students
Muhamad Chabib alwi/iStock/Getty
College & Workforce Readiness What the Research Says How Well Do Dual-Credit Students Do in College? A Look in Charts
New data show some students get more access—and more leverage—from taking postsecondary classes in high school.
Sarah D. Sparks, October 18, 2024
3 min read
Education Week Math Mini-Course, Resource Page, Illustration by Eglė Plytnikaitė for Education Week
Eglė Plytnikaitė for Education Week
Mathematics What the Research Says Teaching Math: A Resource Guide
See more than two dozen resources on math instruction from Education Week's new mini-course on that topic.
Sarah D. Sparks, September 25, 2024
2 min read
Rear view of classroom with two teachers in front of a whiteboard with math equations.
E+/Getty
Teaching Profession What the Research Says Teachers Want Sustainable Workplaces. State Policies Make it Harder
Greater opportunities for collaboration could boost teacher retention, national group finds.
Sarah D. Sparks, September 17, 2024
3 min read
Paper cut outs of people with one not included in the chain. On a blue background.
E+/Getty
Student Well-Being What the Research Says More Children Are Living in Poverty. What This Means for Schools
New Census data show children are increasingly vulnerable.
Sarah D. Sparks, September 12, 2024
2 min read
Jennyerin Steele Staats, a special education teacher from Jackson County, W.Va., joins other striking teachers as they demonstrate outside the state capitol in Charleston, W.Va., on Feb. 27.
Jennyerin Steele Staats, a special education teacher from Jackson County, W.Va., joins other striking teachers as they demonstrate outside the state capitol in Charleston, W.Va., on Feb. 27, 2018. New research suggests U.S. teacher strikes have been effective at increasing wages.
Craig Hudson/Charleston Gazette-Mail via AP
Teaching Profession What the Research Says Do Teacher Strikes Increase Pay?
New research finds the majority of teacher strikes in the last decade did boost wages and benefits.
Sarah D. Sparks, August 30, 2024
4 min read