We bring you this year’s Big Ideas in Education in the spirit of change and transformation. This report, written by Education Week reporters and editors, questions some basic assumptions about how you do your work, whether you’re a teacher, school or district leader, or a policymaker. And it is likely to even make you feel a bit uncomfortable, but we hope it will also inspire you to think about how and why you do the work that you do. Many of the essays also include original survey data from more than 1,000 teachers who shared their opinions on the role of robots in the classroom, the goal of big technology, the cause of math anxiety, the messiness of school governance, and more. Let us know your thoughts by using #K12BigIdeas.
School & District Management 10 Uncomfortable Truths About U.S. EducationIn the latest edition of Big Ideas, Education Week reporters and editors question some of the basic assumptions that underpin public education and stand in the way of transformation.
Social Studies Reported Essay Sure, We Teach History. But Do We Know Why It's Important?It’s always been a struggle to teach history in a way that resonates with students—especially when we can’t agree on why we should.
Assessment Reported Essay Who's to Blame for the Black-White Achievement Gap?Why don’t black students perform as well as white students on tests? One reporter considers her personal history to understand this disparity.
Artificial Intelligence Reported Essay Teachers, the Robots Are Coming. But That's Not a Bad ThingIgnoring artificial intelligence won’t keep it out of the classroom. Instead, teachers should be actively shaping it.
Curriculum Reported Essay The Myth Fueling Math AnxietyOne in 4 teachers feel anxious doing math. This is having a big impact on what happens in the classroom.
Curriculum Reported Essay Studying Religious Texts in School Is Bad. And GoodStudying the Old Testament taught me to be intellectually rigorous, one reporter writes. But is it really possible to separate the religious text from the religion?
Law & Courts Reported Essay It's One of the Most Fraught Words in Education. What Does It Mean?Loaded or empirical? Incendiary or honest? Unavoidable or misleading? There’s a big disconnect around how we use the word “segregation.”
School & District Management Reported Essay Face It, School Governance Is a MessCenturies of fighting over racial justice, federalism, and taxation has left us a tangled web of K-12 governance. It’s time to start untangling.
School & District Management Reported Essay Local Journalism Is in Crisis. That's a Big Problem for EducationLocal journalism and education are cornerstones of a functioning democracy. What happens when one crumbles?
Ed-Tech Policy Reported Essay What Does Big Tech Want From Schools? (Spoiler Alert: It's Not Money)As Amazon, Apple, Google, and Microsoft make themselves increasingly indispensable in education, teachers are getting worried. Should they be?
Families & the Community Reported Essay Why Don't Parents Always Choose the Best Schools?School quality isn’t always the primary driver of parent decisionmaking. So what is?
