Curriculum Blog

Curriculum Matters

This blog covered news on the common core, literacy, math, STEM, social studies, the arts, and other curriculum and instruction topics. This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: common core, reading & literacy, mathematics, STEM, social studies, and curriculum.

Education Need a Primer on Education Week's Civics Project? Listen to This EWA Podcast
Listen to the Education Writers Association's interview with reporter Stephen Sawchuk on the core themes in Education Week's Citizen Z civics education reporting project.
Stephen Sawchuk, May 22, 2019
•
2 min read
Social Studies Ways to Improve Civic Engagement and Student Voice: An EdWeek Chat
Take in the highlights and strategies from Education Week's recent online chat on improving civics education and student voice.
Stephen Sawchuk, May 15, 2019
•
6 min read
Reading & Literacy Students Increasingly Are Not Reading Over the Summer, Poll Finds
The Scholastic survey also finds that knowledge helps: Parents who know about "summer slide" make more efforts to help their child keep reading.
Sasha Jones, May 8, 2019
•
3 min read
Third-grade students, from left to right, Peyton C., Landen H., Jeremiah W., and Sophie M., participate in a social studies lesson focused on the history and symbolism of the American flag at Freedom Elementary School in Colorado Springs, Colo. The school district is focused on teaching students to do history rather than passively receive it.
Third-grade students, from left to right, Peyton C., Landen H., Jeremiah W., and Sophie M., participate in a social studies lesson focused on the history and symbolism of the American flag at Freedom Elementary School in Colorado Springs, Colo. The school district is focused on teaching students to do history rather than passively receive it.
Nathan W. Armes for Education Week
Social Studies History Instruction Indicted: Too Much Memorization, Too Little Meaning
Students in U.S. classrooms are startingly ignorant of American history, but it's not because their teachers have failed them. It's because the curriculum in most schools focuses on memorizing "irrelevant, boring" names and dates, a new study finds.
Catherine Gewertz, May 7, 2019
•
2 min read
Science This Tool Can Help Identify 'STEM Deserts.' But It Needs Your Feedback
The National Math and Science Initiative's new tool aims to help the field look for patterns in STEM data, so educators and policy folks can fill in holes.
Stephen Sawchuk, May 3, 2019
•
2 min read
School & District Management Battle Over Reading: Parents of Children With Dyslexia Wage Curriculum War
A program to teach children with dyslexia how to read, will now be used with every child in Arkansas. Parents led the way—forcing the state to rethink reading.
Lisa Stark, May 1, 2019
•
2 min read
Reading & Literacy High School Paper Publishes Article on Student in Porn Industry After Censorship Fight
The Bruin Voice plans to publish their sex-worker story this week, despite the school district's attempts to screen the content beforehand.
Sasha Jones, April 30, 2019
•
3 min read
Social Studies Youth Activists Petition for 2020 Presidential Candidate Debate on Environmental Policy
The petition drive has so far received more than 51,000 signatures and support from five Democratic presidential candidates.
Sasha Jones, April 28, 2019
•
3 min read
Social Studies Teaching Kids About Online Political Engagement Works. Should We Do It More?
Helping kids understand and engage in politics online makes them more likely to keep doing it. But is that a good thing?
Stephen Sawchuk, April 17, 2019
•
5 min read
Reading & Literacy Meet the Moms Pushing for a Reading Overhaul in Their District
Two Pennsylvania moms had kids who were struggling readers; now they're advocating for their district to overhaul its entire approach to literacy.
Stephen Sawchuk, April 3, 2019
•
16 min read
Curriculum Lawsuit Takes Aim at Arizona's 'Anti-Gay' Curriculum Law
Arizona is one of seven states where teachers are prohibited from portraying homosexuality in a positive way.
Stephen Sawchuk, March 29, 2019
•
2 min read
Social Studies Parkland Students Led Surge in Youth Turnout. But Some of Their Votes Didn't Count
Young Parkland residents had much higher rates of having their ballots go uncounted or rejected than did young people in other parts of Florida.
Stephen Sawchuk, March 25, 2019
•
2 min read
Social Studies Tensions Over Teaching About the Middle East Resonate in Lawsuit
A Massachusetts lawsuit seeks to remove specific texts from a district's curriculum on the Middle East, and singles out individual teachers.
Stephen Sawchuk, March 21, 2019
•
8 min read
Social Studies Students Swarm the Capitol Grounds to Protest Climate Change
Hundreds of students protested by the U.S. Capitol as part of an international movement to demand policies to curb climate change.
Stephen Sawchuk, March 15, 2019
•
5 min read
Load More ▼

Reprints, Photocopies and Licensing of Content

All content on Education Week's websites is protected by copyright. No part of this publication shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic or otherwise, without the written permission of the copyright holder. Readers may make up to 5 print copies of this publication at no cost for personal, non-commercial use, provided that each includes a full citation of the source. For additional print copies, or for permission for other uses of the content, visit www.edweek.org/help/reprints-photocopies-and-licensing-of-content or email reprints@educationweek.org and include information on how you would like to use the content. Want to seamlessly share more EdWeek content with your colleagues? Contact us today at pages.edweek.org/ew-for-districts-learn-more.html to learn about how group online subscriptions can complement professional learning in your district or organization.

Copyright © 2025 by Editorial Projects in Education, Inc. All rights reserved.