Essential Reading for Educators: Back-to-School 2024 Edition
Get up-to-speed on big K-12 topics for the new academic year
As schools open for a new academic year, teachers, staff, and administrators face big challenges—and exciting opportunities—to provide engaging environments and experiences for all students to learn and thrive.
Some issues are familiar (think: student engagement, cellphone management), while others may feel more unique to the moment (think: a historic presidential election).
To help educators prepare for and navigate the year ahead, EdWeek editors curated a list of key reads around four widely relevant themes:
- Steering students and staff through the 2024 presidential election
- Motivating and engaging students
- Managing big changes to cellphone policies
- Understanding artificial intelligence
We also selected three Opinion essays written by current and former teachers that are excellent reads to start the year off right.
Teaching the 2024 election
Social Studies
Teaching the 2024 Election: Learning Opportunity or Landmine?
As the presidential campaign heats up and school starts soon, social studies teachers weigh in on whether and how to cover it in class.
Student Well-Being
Pause Before You Post: A Social Media Guide for Educators in Tense Political Times
5 tips for educators and their students to avoid making harmful or false statements online that they later regret.
Optimizing student engagement
Student Well-Being
The Influential Allies These Schools Are Enlisting to Boost Attendance
A newly formed group of school districts will rely on the help of their communities to craft absence-fighting strategies.
Student Achievement
Students' Lack of Focus Is the Top Barrier to Learning, School Leaders Say
COVID-19's lingering impact on schools includes a lack of student focus, per the National Center for Education Statistics.
Teaching
A Teacher Asked and Students Answered: What Motivates You to Learn?
Motivation is a key part of learning. But what sparks students’ motivation can be elusive.
Teaching Profession
Bruh, Teachers Are 'Low Key' Trying to Stay on Top of Student Slang
Teachers use curiosity and humor to stay in tune with kids' constantly evolving language.
Managing cellphones
Ed-Tech Policy
Q&A
Why Many Schools' Strict Cellphone Policies May Not Go Far Enough
A national advocacy group says schools need all-day bans on devices.
Classroom Technology
How to Manage Cellphones in Schools: 6 Tips From Teens (Download)
Three teenagers talk about how schools should think about and manage students' cellphone use.
Navigating artificial intelligence
Classroom Technology
1 in 3 College Applicants Used AI for Essay Help. Did They Cheat?
Generative AI tools like ChatGPT have put a high-tech twist on decades-old questions of fairness in the college admissions process.
IT Infrastructure & Management
Los Angeles Unified's AI Meltdown: 5 Ways Districts Can Avoid the Same Mistakes
The district didn't clearly define the problem it was trying to fix with AI, experts say. Instead, it bought into the hype.
Opinion
Classroom Technology
Opinion
Why I Changed My Mind About Cellphones in the Classroom
A decade ago, I championed smartphones as a powerful learning tool—but a lot has changed since then.
Teaching
Opinion
Let Kids Be Weird. They Learn Better That Way
The more opportunities students have to showcase their personalities and creativity, the better off students (and teachers) will be.
Teaching
Opinion
How to Ace Your First Year of Teaching
A veteran teacher offers 9 tips for how to make your classroom calm and productive right from the start.