Books

Learn more about assigned books students read for school and how teachers use books in their curriculum
Zoe Kozina stands at a microphone and reads her book, Your Beautiful Mind, to students.
Special Education Video A Student Wrote a Book About Her Learning Disability. Now, She Has Advice for Teachers
Zoe Kozina, 17, is the author of Your Beautiful Mind, a children’s book published this year.
Sarah Schwartz & Jaclyn Borowski , November 30, 2023
•
1 min read
Retired teacher Ann Freemon is pictured in Everett, Wash., on November 24, 2023.
Retired teacher Ann Freemon is pictured in Everett, Wash., on November 24, 2023.
Chona Kasinger for Education Week
Curriculum In Their Own Words Why I Kept Teaching To Kill a Mockingbird When Others Wouldn't
A recently retired English teacher explains why she continued to teach the classic novel after it was challenged in her district.
Elizabeth Heubeck, November 27, 2023
•
6 min read
Scholastic reversed its decision to silo books about LGBTQ+ characters and people of color into an optional collection starting next January, based on feedback from authors and illustrators.
Scholastic reversed its decision to silo books about LGBTQ+ characters and people of color into an optional collection called "Share Every Story, Celebrate Every Voice," starting next January, based on feedback from authors and illustrators.
Photo courtesy of Debby Vandersande
Reading & Literacy Scholastic Reverses Controversial Decision to ‘Segregate’ Diverse Books
Four public school librarians and two experts said Scholastic's reversal on making diverse books optional is a step in the right direction.
Eesha Pendharkar, October 25, 2023
•
7 min read
Gabrian McDaniel and Jhi'marcion Owens, both 9, look at books during a book fair at Dixie Elementary School in Tyler, Texas, on Sept. 19, 2017.
Gabrian McDaniel and Jhi'marcion Owens, both 9, look at books during a book fair at Dixie Elementary School in Tyler, Texas, on Sept. 19, 2017.
Chelsea Purgahn/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP
Reading & Literacy Scholastic Book Fairs, Explained: How They Work and Who Benefits
What you need to know about what students can find at book fairs, who organizes them, who selects the books for them, and more.
Eesha Pendharkar, October 20, 2023
•
6 min read
Gabrian McDaniel, 9, picks out a book at a book fair at Dixie Elementary School in Tyler, Texas, on Sept. 19, 2017.
Gabrian McDaniel, 9, picks out a book at a book fair at Dixie Elementary School in Tyler, Texas, on Sept. 19, 2017. This year, Scholastic debuted a collection of diverse books schools can choose not to include at book fairs, citing legislation restricting these kinds of books.
Chelsea Purgahn/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP
Reading & Literacy Scholastic Says Schools Can Exclude Diverse Titles From Book Fairs
The separate collection is a response to states with laws restricting learning materials on race, gender, and sexuality.
Eesha Pendharkar, October 16, 2023
•
5 min read
Education Week opinion letters submissions
Gwen Keraval for Education Week
Reading & Literacy Letter to the Editor No, Book Bans Are Never ‘Reasonable’
Our stories and histories deserve to be told without censorship, says this letter to the editor.
October 10, 2023
•
1 min read
Books targeted in school challenges are stacked at an exhibit at the American Library Association's annual conference, Saturday, June 24, 2023, at McCormick Place in Chicago. Attendees are invited to climb atop a giant chair to read their favorite banned book.
Banned books are stacked at an exhibit at the American Library Association's annual conference, Saturday, June 24, 2023, in Chicago. Book challenges increased by 20 percent compared to last year, according to ALA data from January to August.
Claire Savage/AP
Reading & Literacy Challenges to Books in Public Schools Aren't Slowing Down
As book bans continue to increase in 2023, experts say it’s crucial for educators, parents, and students to fight bans in their districts.
Eesha Pendharkar, October 6, 2023
•
3 min read
Collage of a young student reading a book.
Laura Baker/Education Week via Canva
Equity & Diversity Researchers Find Need for More High Quality, Culturally Relevant Curriculum
A new report from The Education Trust examines the limited complexity of representation in children's books deemed to be high quality.
Ileana Najarro, September 25, 2023
•
5 min read
Image of an open book, and a hand drawing a character of the content.
Canva
Curriculum Download DOWNLOADABLE: Choosing Grade School Books With Complex Representation of People and Topics
A new tool from The Education Trust helps educators think deeply about what complex representation of people, cultures, and topics means.
Ileana Najarro, September 25, 2023
•
1 min read
Manipulated image of old hardcover books flying on white background
Liudmila Chernetska/iStock + Education Week
Reading & Literacy Opinion What Should We Really Make of Book Bans?
Opinions are divided on the significance of recent (and not-so-recent) efforts to remove certain books from schools.
Mary Hendrie, September 20, 2023
•
5 min read
Tidy vector hand drawn background with Books, Vintage cozy elements, printed publications, volumes of literature, retro library flying objects, decor textile, wrapping paper, wallpaper, textured pattern
Olga Kurbatova/iStock
Reading & Literacy Opinion Don’t Worry About 'Book Bans'
So-called “book bans” are a lot rarer—and more reasonable—than you might think, argue Max Eden and Jay P. Greene.
Max Eden & Jay P. Greene, September 15, 2023
•
5 min read
Alexi Giannoulias, Illinois secretary of state, talks with Chairman Richard Durbin, D-Ill., right, and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled "Book Bans: Examining How Censorship Limits Liberty and Literature," in Hart Building on Tuesday, September 12, 2023.
Alexi Giannoulias, Illinois secretary of state, talks with Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., right, and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled "Book Bans: Examining How Censorship Limits Liberty and Literature," on Sept. 12, 2023.
Tom Williams/AP
Federal A Senate Committee Takes Up School Book Wars, Complete With Sharp Partisan Divisions
The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on "book bans" included one Republican senator reading sexually explicit passages.
Mark Walsh, September 12, 2023
•
4 min read
A wall of 19 banned books with a bright blue AI button illuminating over top.
Visualization by Gina Tomko/Education Week + Getty
Reading & Literacy An Iowa District Used AI to Figure Out Which Books to Ban
An Iowa school district used AI to decide which books to ban to comply with a state law that bans materials with depictions of sex.
Eesha Pendharkar, August 21, 2023
•
7 min read
Four of the 30 copies of the six Harry Potter books remain on a shelf at the Crawfordsville District Public Library in Crawfordsville, Ind., on July 18, 2007. The newest release, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" will not even make it to the shelf when it is released on Saturday because of a waiting list to check out the book, according to a library spokesman in Crawfordsville.
Harry Potter books sit on a shelf at the Crawfordsville District Public Library in Crawfordsville, Ind., on July 18, 2007. Some educators are rethinking their inclusion of the popular book series in their classrooms because of the author's comments about transgender people.
Michael Conroy/AP
Reading & Literacy Is It Time to Retire 'Harry Potter'-Themed Classrooms and Libraries?
Author J.K. Rowling's comments on transgender people have left some educators uneasy about promoting the series.
Madeline Will, August 21, 2023
•
6 min read
Load More ▼