Q&A

These Q&As feature some of the field's most prominent education scholars, leaders, and practitioners talking about important education issues
Collage of a high school student with words in background and a white hand drawn line image of graduation cap.
Liz Yap for Education Week + Getty
College & Workforce Readiness Q&A Why 'Portrait of a Graduate' Initiatives Struggle to Transform Instruction
Researchers examined how 15 districts are working to build "portrait of a graduate" expectations.
Lauraine Langreo, September 16, 2026
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6 min read
"I'm trying to use 9/11 as a way to help them understand how historians do their work." Sari Beth Rosenberg, a teacher at M400 High School for Environmental Studies in Manhattan, carrying the lesson plan for her 11th Grade class on 9/11. New York, September 2026.
Sari Beth Rosenberg, a U.S. history teacher at M400 High School for Environmental Studies in Manhattan, carries the 9/11 lesson plan for her 11th grade class, in New York City on Sept. 9, 2026. "I'm trying to use 9/11 as a way to help them understand how historians do their work," she said.
Oliver Farshi for Education Week
Teaching Q&A Teaching 9/11 When Students—and Their Parents—Don't Remember It
A New York City teacher shares how her lesson on the terrorist attacks has evolved over the past 25 years.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, September 9, 2026
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5 min read
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Students at a high school in Plymouth, Ohio work on how to properly prompt the Gemini AI app on Aug. 28, 2026. A new report of the American Psychological Association warns that student engagement with tech apps should not be conflated with benefits for learning.
Ruddy Roye for Education Week
Classroom Technology Q&A Students’ Tech Engagement Doesn’t Equal Learning, Psychologists Warn
A panel of psychologists shares recommendations for ensuring technology promotes meaningful learning.
Lauraine Langreo, September 4, 2026
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6 min read
WASHINGTON,DC - JUNE 10: Dr. Aaron Spence, Superintendent, Loudoun County Public Schools and Dr. Macquline King, Superintendent and CEO of Chicago Public Schools speak during 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.
Dr. Aaron Spence, Superintendent, Loudoun County Public Schools, and Dr. Macquline King, Superintendent and CEO of Chicago Public Schools, speak during a House Education and Workforce Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on June 10, 2026, in Washington, D.C. Superintendents believe pre-K is a priority for their districts, but it doesn't often translate to actively supporting early grades.
Jabin Botsford For Education Week
Early Childhood Q&A If District Leaders Support Pre-K, Then Why Is It Not a Top Priority?
Superintendents can empower other leaders to nurture and grow their district's pre-K program.
Olina Banerji, September 2, 2026
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6 min read
In this Friday, March 13, 2020 photo, Pre-K students Nivayeh O'neal, 4, left, and Harper Lietchy, 5, go through the lunch line at Rivermont elementary school in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Pre-K students go through the lunch line at Rivermont Elementary School on March 13, 2020, in Chattanooga, Tenn. As a growing number of states plan to expand access to publicly funded pre-K, experts question its impact and direction.
Troy Stolt/Chattanooga Times Free Press via AP
Early Childhood Q&A The Pre-K Push: Are Current Preschool Models Heading the Wrong Way?
Dale C. Farran has spent five decades studying early education, and shares her insights with EdWeek.
Elizabeth Heubeck, August 31, 2026
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7 min read
A student raises her hand to ask a question in her third grade classroom at Highland Elementary School in Columbus, Kan., on Oct. 17, 2022. The arm of the government that oversees education data which tracks educational outcomes for students, faces major challenges ahead due to financial cuts.
A student raises her hand to ask a question in her 3rd grade classroom at Highland Elementary School in Columbus, Kan., on Oct. 17, 2022. Federal education data-gathering, like the Condition of Education report, includes baseline information on students and schools. But cuts to the Education Department's statistics wings and mounting criticism of how it operates raise questions about how it can best fulfill its mission.
Charlie Riedel/AP
Federal Q&A Education Data Collection Has Cratered Under Trump. Can It Be Rebuilt?
Ed. Dept.'s data-gathering agency is too unstable to adapt to changing needs, a new report claims.
Sarah D. Sparks, August 25, 2026
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6 min read
MEAD, CO - AUGUST 18: Parents watch and and take photos of their kids as they enter the school during their first day of class at the Big Sky PK-8 School in Mead on Aug. 18, 2026.
Parents watch their kids as they enter the school on the first day of class at the Big Sky PK-8 School in Mead, Colo., on Aug. 18, 2026. As schools face growing backlash from parents over their use of educational technology, a school communications professional has some pointers on how schools can communicate with parents about how they're using technology.
Joel Solis/MediaNews Group/Boulder Daily Camera via Getty Images
Classroom Technology Q&A Facing 'Techlash,' How Should Schools Talk to Parents About Tech Use?
A school communications expert explains how schools should approach their messaging around tech.
Arianna Prothero, August 21, 2026
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5 min read
An 8th grader works on a class project at Paw Paw Middle School on Dec. 2, 2021, in Paw Paw, Mich. The students were asked to write a word that was important to them and their work in the classroom. They then added the words to a poster to serve as a class "contract." The district has upped its social-emotional curriculum during the pandemic, as more students struggle.
An 8th grader works on a project as part of a social-emotional learning curriculum at Paw Paw Middle School in Paw Paw, Mich., on Dec. 2, 2021. The new CEO of one of the nation's most prominent organizations promoting social-emotional learning says academics alone aren't sufficient to help kids thrive in an increasingly complex world.
Martha Irvine/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement Q&A What's Next for SEL? A Conversation With the Field's New Chief Champion
One of the nation's most prominent groups promoting social-emotional learning has a new leader.
Arianna Prothero, August 20, 2026
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5 min read
Conceptual image of gears drawn in flowing line art being tethered together and a lasso bounding box.
Laura Baker/Education Week + Getty
Curriculum Q&A Should State Boards Have More Oversight of Curricula?
A more active role would help schools select strong, research-based curricula, an expert argues.
Evie Blad, August 17, 2026
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5 min read
Long Beach, CA - March 20 : Teacher Monica Alvarado, left, leads activities with staff in the infant class at Educare Los Angeles at Long Beach , a very high-quality child care center in Long Beach on Wednesday, March 20, 2024 in Long Beach, CA.
Teacher Monica Alvarado, left, leads activities with staff in the infant class at Educare Los Angeles at Long Beach, a very high-quality child care center in Long Beach on Wednesday, March 20, 2024 in Long Beach, Calif. Head Start programs for early childhood education will no longer promote bilingualism under a proposed rule change.
Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times via TNS
Federal Q&A What Head Start's English-Only Rule Could Mean for English Learners
Research shows it's not necessary to lose a home language to learn English.
Ileana Najarro, August 17, 2026
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3 min read
Ninth-graders Charley Mays, left, and Grace Coleman work on iPads during an honors physical science class at Minnetonka High School on Oct. 30, 2019 in Minnetonka, Minnesota .
Ninth-graders Charley Mays, left, and Grace Coleman work on iPads during an honors physical science class at Minnetonka High School on Oct. 30, 2019 in Minnetonka, Minn. Some experts caution schools not to go too far in dialing back the use of classroom technologies, a trend called the "techlash" that is driven by concerns about the overuse of technology in schools.
Jerry Holt/The Minnesota Star Tribune via TNS
Classroom Technology Q&A Why a 'Blunt Force' Approach to Screen Time May Be Problematic
District and state leaders should avoid one-size-fits-all mandates on screen time, expert argues.
Alyson Klein, August 17, 2026
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3 min read
Collage of book and symbols of planning pages, sharing of viewpoints, dialogue, and collaboration.
Laura Baker/Education Week + Canva
School & District Management Q&A Many Teachers Are Bored in Team Meetings. Here's How to Keep Them Engaged
Author Elisa MacDonald says meetings are about adults learning, not sticking to an agenda.
Olina Banerji, August 14, 2026
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4 min read
Xerius Jackson, 7, gets an MMR vaccine at a vaccine clinic put on by Lubbock Public Health Department on March 1, 2025 , in Lubbock, Texas .
A 7-year-old receives an MMR vaccine at a clinic hosted by the Lubbock Public Health Department on March 1, 2025, in Lubbock, Texas. A recent executive order modifying federal vaccine recommendations may sow confusion for parents and add administrative burdens for school nurses amid rising nationwide measles cases.
Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images via TNS
School Climate & Safety Q&A Trump's Order on Vaccines Sows Confusion as School Starts
The president of the National Association of School Nurses warns of vaccine confusion and pushback.
Elizabeth Heubeck, August 14, 2026
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6 min read
Numberpad visible on keyboard of ASUS CX1 Chromebook, Lafayette, California, October 27, 2025.
The Canon-McMillan school district in Pennsylvania is one of a growing number of school districts that are scaling back students’ classroom screen time. Students in grades K-2 will no longer have regular access to school-issued laptops or tablets, and students in grades 3-8 will have limited access through Chromebook carts.
Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Sipa via AP Images
Classroom Technology Q&A Why This District Is Getting Rid of Chromebooks for K-2 Students
Some parents, educators, and even students are souring on the ubiquitous presence of the technology.
Lauraine Langreo, August 11, 2026
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6 min read