Explainers

Go deeper on the latest education issues with these explainers from Education Week
Photograph of office supplies with a bright yellow paper that reads "what you need to know."
Education Issues, Explained
Browse research-based background explainers on the most important education issues.
Visit the Page
schoolboy sitting on a chair isolated in a hallway
DigitalVision/Getty
School Climate & Safety Explainer What Is Restraint and Seclusion? An Explainer
Restraint and seclusion are dangerous practices that are used to control students with disabilities, experts say.
Eesha Pendharkar, November 14, 2023
•
8 min read
Collage illustration of a leader thinking about something surrounded by images and iconography representing emotional intelligence
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty Images
School & District Management Video Video: Emotional Intelligence, Explained
A look at what emotional intelligence is and why it matters for educational leaders.
Kaylee Domzalski, November 6, 2023
•
4:56
Striking teachers hold a rally outside City Hall in Oakland, Calif., on May 4, 2023. More than 3,000 teachers and other workers in the Oakland Unified School District went on strike, saying the district failed to bargain in good faith on a new contract that asks for more resources for students and higher pay for employees.
Striking teachers hold a rally outside City Hall in Oakland, Calif., on May 4, 2023. More than 3,000 teachers and other workers in the Oakland Unified School District went on strike, saying the district failed to bargain in good faith on a new contract that asks for more resources for students and higher pay for employees.
Terry Chea/AP
Teaching Profession Explainer Teacher Strikes, Explained: Recent Strikes, Where They're Illegal, and More
Here's what to know about educator labor actions and how they've evolved since the 20th century.
Madeline Will, October 30, 2023
•
8 min read
Illustration of people climbing stacks of books. There are 3 stacks of books at different heights with people helping people climb up.
iStock/Getty
Special Education Explainer MTSS: What Is a Multi-Tiered System of Supports?
MTSS, or multi-tiered system of supports, is a widely used framework meant to offer students personalized education that meets their needs.
Eesha Pendharkar, October 13, 2023
•
7 min read
Image of staffing.
Andrii Yalanskyi/iStock/Getty
School & District Management Explainer What Does a School Principal Do? An Explainer
Learn about the principal workforce, what makes principals effective, and how schools can retain the best leaders.
Sarah Schwartz & Maya Riser-Kositsky, September 22, 2023
•
6 min read
Illustration of a dollar sign falling over a cliff.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Education Funding Explainer 3 Steps to Keep Tutoring Going When ESSER Money Runs Out
Schools may lose more than $1,200 per student as enrollment falls and federal COVID relief funds expire next year.
Sarah D. Sparks, August 28, 2023
•
4 min read
Photo of students taking test.
F. Sheehan for EdWeek / Getty
Standards Explainer What’s the Purpose of Standards in Education? An Explainer
What are standards? Why are they important? What's the Common Core? Do standards improve student achievement? Our explainer has the answers.
Sarah Schwartz, July 31, 2023
•
11 min read
Special Education teacher Amy Kenyon goes over a reading assignment with her students at Harrison Elementary School in Twin Falls, Idaho, on March 8, 2018. All special education students follow individualized education programs, which are tailored to their special needs.
Special Education teacher Amy Kenyon goes over a reading assignment with her students at Harrison Elementary School in Twin Falls, Idaho, on March 8, 2018. All special education students follow individualized education programs, which are tailored to their special needs.
Pat Sutphin/The Times-News via AP
Special Education Explainer What Is an IEP? Individualized Education Programs, Explained
What IEPs are, what their purpose is, and which students are eligible.
Eesha Pendharkar, July 27, 2023
•
1 min read
Image shows a silhouette of a person learning, and the components to make that work is represented by gears.
iStock/Getty
Teaching Profession Explainer Teacher Professional Development, Explained
What counts as PD? And is it effective? EdWeek breaks down current trends—and new research—in this explainer.
Sarah Schwartz, July 26, 2023
•
9 min read
Conceptual illustration of people and voice bubbles.
Getty
English-Language Learners Explainer What Is Translanguaging and How Is It Used in the Classroom?
Research into the best instructional approaches for students classified as English learners has pointed to the concept of translanguaging.
Ileana Najarro, July 13, 2023
•
1 min read
Activists demonstrate as the Supreme Court hears oral arguments on a pair of cases that could decide the future of affirmative action in college admissions, in Washington, Oct. 31, 2022. As the Supreme Court decides the fate of affirmative action, most Americans say the court should allow consideration of race as part of the admissions process, yet few believe students' race should play a significant role in decisions.
Activists demonstrate as the U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments on a pair of cases that could decide the future of affirmative action in college admissions on Oct. 31, 2022. Most Americans say the court should allow consideration of race as part of the admissions process, yet few believe students' race should play a significant role in decisions.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Equity & Diversity Explainer What Is Affirmative Action? How a Supreme Court Decision Could Impact K-12 Schools
Experts talk about what affirmative action is, how it's worked, and what's at stake—including for K-12 schools.
Ileana Najarro, Eesha Pendharkar & Mark Walsh, June 20, 2023
•
1 min read
Illustration of a giant red addition symbol on a field of numbers
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
Mathematics Explainer How Addition Fluency Develops: A Visual Explainer
From basic counting to automatic recall, see how students learn to grasp their addition facts.
Vanessa Solis & Stephen Sawchuk, May 11, 2023
•
1 min read
Photo collage of computer with pixelated image of girl.
F. Sheehan for Education Week / Getty
Classroom Technology Explainer AI Literacy, Explained
Now that AI is expected to influence fields from medicine to policing, what do students need to understand about the technology?
Alyson Klein, May 10, 2023
•
10 min read
Conceptual Illustration of various math symbols floating above a grid and waves.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty Images
Mathematics Explainer What Is Math 'Fact Fluency,' and How Does It Develop?
Here's why math fact fluency matters, and what we know from research about teaching strategies and timed exercises.
Stephen Sawchuk, May 1, 2023
•
6 min read
Load More ▼