Academic Achievement

Read more about how students are performing academically
Diverse elementary students reading in the classroom
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School & District Management Q&A This City Can Claim a NAEP Distinction No Other City Can. Here's What Happened
While American students saw another decline in 4th grade reading scores on the Nation's Report Card, this city was an exception.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, February 10, 2025
6 min read
Collage illustration of students learning to read, literacy
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + iStock/Getty Images
Reading & Literacy Opinion Don’t Blame ‘Science of Reading’ for Low Scores
We need better teacher training, the right materials, and engaging literacy-rich programs for schools, writes Angélica Infante-Green.
Angélica Infante-Green, February 10, 2025
5 min read
A man places his hand on top of his head as he looks up at an upwardly pointing arrow turning downward as it turns a corner.
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School & District Management Do Students Suffer When a Superintendent Leaves? A New Study Has an Answer
A new study is the first in a while to explore how students fare academically when there's turnover in the district's top office.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, February 7, 2025
5 min read
An open book with scattered letters, graphs, math symbols and shapes floating on a dark blue background.
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Student Achievement Big Cities See Bright Spots on NAEP, But Worry About Keeping Up Interventions
The large districts that receive separate NAEP scores recorded a mixed bag last year, but largely followed national trends.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, January 30, 2025
7 min read
Point Roberts Elementary School teacher Jessie Hettinga works with a group of first, second and third graders on reading at the school in Point Roberts, Wa., on Sept. 28, 2017.
Point Roberts Elementary School teacher Jessie Hettinga works with a group of first, second and third graders on reading at the school in Point Roberts, Wa., on Sept. 28, 2017.
Philip A. Dwyer/The Bellingham Herald via AP
Student Achievement Video What the Dismal Nation's Report Card Means for Reading and Math
The latest results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress show declines in students’ reading with some modest progress in math.
Stephen Sawchuk & Lauren Santucci, January 30, 2025
5:05
Piles of white books decreasing in number showing a downward trend.
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Student Achievement Why Are Reading Scores Still Falling on the Nation’s Report Card?
Education Week spoke with experts to dig into the factors that could be shaping the results.
Sarah Schwartz, January 29, 2025
9 min read
Illustration of a ruler tilted downward with books, a plus symbol and a number 1 starting to slide off. There is an educator pushing the number one in an effort to keep things behind it from sliding off.
Gina Tomko/Education Week + Getty
Student Achievement Reading Scores Fall to New Low on NAEP, Fueled by Declines for Struggling Students
A third of 8th graders and 40 percent of 4th graders did not meet a "basic" reading level.
Sarah Schwartz, January 29, 2025
8 min read
A group of high school girls work together to solve an algebra problem during their math class.
A group of high school girls work together to solve an algebra problem during their precalculus class. Nearly 4 in 10 educators said the level of unfinished learning in secondary math was “severe” or “very severe,” a new survey shows.
Allison Shelley for All4Ed
Student Achievement From Our Research Center Learning Recovery Has Stalled. What Should Schools Do Next?
Students are still not fully caught up, educators said in a new survey.
Olina Banerji, January 28, 2025
4 min read
Kindergarteners in a play-based learning class raise their hands while participating in an activity at Symonds Elementary School in Keene, N.H. on Nov. 7, 2024.
Kindergarteners raise their hands while participating in an activity at Symonds Elementary School in Keene, N.H., on Nov. 7, 2024.
Sophie Park for Education Week
Student Achievement Project For Too Many Boys, School Isn’t Working. Solutions Are in Reach
A special reporting project explores why boys, overall, are doing worse in school than girls—and what can be done to reverse the trend.
January 27, 2025
Student Achievement Interactive Boys Are Falling Behind Girls in School. See How
The data are clear: Girls, on average, find more success at school than boys.
1 min read
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Student Achievement 'Sharp, Steep Declines': U.S. Students Are Falling Behind in Math and Science
And among American students, gaps among high and low performers are growing wider.
Sarah Schwartz, December 4, 2024
4 min read
Photo of Latino teen studying in library.
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English Learners What New Research Shows About the Academic Success of Former English Learners
A new study offers a more nuanced look at English learners' academic performance in high school by disaggregating data.
Ileana Najarro, November 20, 2024
4 min read
Image of a bullseye, darts, and money.
Laura Baker/Education Week with DigitalVision Vectors
Budget & Finance ‘Money Matters. Now What?’: How Districts Get More Funding for Poor Students
Targeting more funding to students who are most in need has a measurable effect on their academic performance, according to new research.
Mark Lieberman, October 14, 2024
7 min read
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School Choice & Charters Private School Choice: What the Research Says
Private school choice programs are proliferating as debates continue about their effects on low-income students and public schools.
Mark Lieberman, October 10, 2024
7 min read