Welcome to the start of a new school year and the 2021 edition of our Big Ideas report.
While returning children to school buildings safely and making the year as normal as possible is driving you and your work, we understand how much more complex your job has become.
The cover of this year鈥檚 report and the 10 essays inside reflect this complicated moment and the constellation of emotions we know you鈥檙e experiencing: hope, excitement, grief, urgency, trepidation, and determination.
With this year's report we chose to tackle big challenges and hard questions: What is the purpose of school? Are we leaning on districts too much? What will it take to upend racism in our education communities?
In a nationally representative survey, conducted by the EdWeek Research Center in July for this report, we asked how you were reducing stress and what you did well during the pandemic, among other topics.
We hope you鈥檒l find this edition of Big Ideas helpful, motivating, and thought provoking. Please connect with us on social media by using or by emailing bigideas@educationweek.org.
While returning children to school buildings safely and making the year as normal as possible is driving you and your work, we understand how much more complex your job has become.
The cover of this year鈥檚 report and the 10 essays inside reflect this complicated moment and the constellation of emotions we know you鈥檙e experiencing: hope, excitement, grief, urgency, trepidation, and determination.
With this year's report we chose to tackle big challenges and hard questions: What is the purpose of school? Are we leaning on districts too much? What will it take to upend racism in our education communities?
In a nationally representative survey, conducted by the EdWeek Research Center in July for this report, we asked how you were reducing stress and what you did well during the pandemic, among other topics.
We hope you鈥檒l find this edition of Big Ideas helpful, motivating, and thought provoking. Please connect with us on social media by using or by emailing bigideas@educationweek.org.
Education Funding Reported Essay Are We Asking Schools to Do Too Much?Schools are increasingly being saddled with new responsibilities. At what point do we decide they are being overwhelmed?
Equity & Diversity Reported Essay Our Student Homeless Numbers Are Staggering. Schools Can Be a Bridge to a SolutionThe pandemic has only made the student homelessness situation more volatile. Schools don鈥檛 have to go it alone.
Equity & Diversity Reported Essay What the Indian Caste System Taught Me About Racism in American SchoolsBorn and raised in India, reporter Eesha Pendharkar isn鈥檛 convinced that America鈥檚 anti-racist efforts are enough to make students of color feel like they belong.
Teaching Profession Reported Essay Teachers Are Not OK, Even Though We Need Them to BeThe pandemic has put teachers through the wringer. Administrators must think about staff well-being differently.
Teaching Profession Reported Essay Students Aren鈥檛 the Only Ones GrievingFaced with so many losses stemming from the pandemic, what can be done to help teachers manage their own grief?
School & District Management Reported Essay Principals Need Social-Emotional Support, TooBy overlooking the well-being of their school leaders, districts could limit how much their schools can flourish.
Ed-Tech Policy Reported Essay Remote Learning Isn鈥檛 Just for EmergenciesSchools were less prepared for digital learning than they thought they were.
Equity & Diversity Reported Essay Do Students Have What They Need? One Survey Looks to Answer That QuestionEven before the pandemic started, one state started thinking about how to understand student needs better. That plan accelerated with the virus.
Families & the Community Reported Essay Pandemic Parents Are More Engaged. How Can Schools Keep It Going?Families have a better sense of what their child is learning, but schools will have to make some structural shifts to build on what they started.
Policy & Politics Reported Essay What Is the Purpose of School?We can鈥檛 build resilient schools until we agree what education's core role should be. And right now, we don鈥檛 agree.
School & District Management From Our Research Center 91% of Educators Have Experienced Job-Related Stress, According to a SurveyA new nationally representative survey offers key takeaways from teachers, principals, and district leaders.
School & District Management 10 Ways to Tackle Education's Urgent ChallengesAs the school year gets underway, we ask hard questions about education鈥檚 biggest challenges and offer some solutions.
