Explainer

Go deeper on the latest education issues with these explainers from Education Week
Photograph of a group of young people holding their mobile phones together
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Classroom Technology Explainer Is the Gas App Safe? Here's What You Need to Know
Gas is billed as a positive, safer alternative to other popular social media apps. But experts see problems.
Alyson Klein, January 18, 2023
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2 min read
Young writer looking at a flash card showing a picture of a dog and writing various words that begin with a "D" like dog, donut, duck and door.
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Reading & Literacy Explainer 'Encoding' Explained: What It Is and Why It's Essential to Literacy
From children's earliest strokes on a page to letter formation and spelling, writing helps students connect speech to print.
Elizabeth Heubeck, January 17, 2023
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7 min read
Conceptual Illustration of artificial intelligence superimposed over paper documents.
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Classroom Technology Explainer What Is ChatGPT and How Is It Used in Education?
Some educators think the popular AI bot could revolutionize teaching. Others worry it will have the opposite effect.
Mark Lieberman, January 4, 2023
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2 min read
In this Sept. 7, 2018 photo, students socialize at Grant High School in Portland, Ore., after school let out. Portland Public Schools relaxed its dress code in 2016 after student complaints that the rules unfairly targeted female students and sexualized their fashion choices.
In this 2018 photo, students socialize at Grant High School in Portland, Ore., after school let out. Portland Public Schools relaxed its dress code in 2016 after student complaints that the rules unfairly targeted female students and sexualized their fashion choices.
Gillian Flaccus/AP
Equity & Diversity Explainer School Dress Code Debates, Explained
What are they, who do they serve, and do they need to be changed?
Eesha Pendharkar, December 27, 2022
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6 min read
Image of a classroom
Laura Baker/Education Week and Getty
School & District Management Explainer What to Know About PCBs in Schools: A Visual Primer
Key facts about a toxic chemical that continues to contaminate older schools.
Mark Lieberman, October 27, 2022
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12 min read
A close-up of a man's hands holding a small white nasal inhaler of naloxone, the opioid overdose drug, sealed in a clear plastic package.
A close-up of a small nasal inhaler of naloxone, a drug used to respond to opioid overdoses.
Leah Willingham/AP
Student Well-Being Explainer Why Districts Are Stocking Naloxone in Response to the Opioid Crisis
Districts are equipping schools with an overdose-reversal drug due to emergencies caused by fentanyl and other opioids.
Evie Blad, October 10, 2022
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5 min read
With only open windows and fans to cool the room down, students enter their non-air-conditioned classroom at Campbell High School in Ewa, Hawaii, on Aug. 3, 2015. Most of Hawaii's public schools don't have air conditioning, and record-high temperatures have left teachers and students saying they can't focus because of the heat. Hawaii lawmakers are saying it's time to cool Hawaii's public schools. A proposal being considered by the House Committee of Finance would fund air conditioning for Hawaii Department of Education schools and expedite the process to get cooling systems installed in classrooms.
Only open windows and fans cooled the room as students arrived at Campbell High School in Ewa, Hawaii, in August, 2015. Most of Hawaii's public schools don't have air conditioning, even as research shows that heat can depress student learning.
Marco Garcia/AP
Student Well-Being Explainer The School Year Is Getting Hotter. How Does Heat Affect Student Learning and Well-Being?
Climate change will lead to more hot school days, and experts say schools are not prepared.
Madeline Will, September 26, 2022
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10 min read
Image of a calendar, clock, and a red explanation point.
Misha Shutkevych/iStock/Getty
Teaching Profession Explainer Do Teachers Get Paid Maternity Leave? Do They Get Vacation Days? These Answers and More
Here's how teachers' sick leave and other benefits work—and how they're changing due to COVID-19 and other pressures.
Madeline Will, August 31, 2022
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8 min read
What Does a Paraprofessional Do?
School & District Management Explainer Who Are Paraprofessionals and What Do They Do?
Paraprofessionals are a vital part of the classroom team with a wide range of responsibilities and skills.
Vanessa Solis, June 15, 2022
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1 min read
Illustration of staff for a school.
Laura Baker/Education Week and treety and iStock/Getty
School & District Management Infographic School Staffing by the Numbers
How many people work in schools, what types of work do they do, and how much do they get paid? Education Week breaks it down for you.
Maya Riser-Kositsky, June 15, 2022
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5 min read
conceptual illustration of a classroom with colorful roots growing beneath the surface under the teacher and students
Vanessa Solis/Education Week and Getty Images
Teaching Explainer What Is Culturally Responsive Teaching?
Here's what it means to be a culturally responsive teacher and where critical race theory ties in—or not.
Madeline Will & Ileana Najarro, April 18, 2022
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17 min read
Explainer: What Is Culturally Responsive Teaching?
Teaching Video Explainer: What Is Culturally Responsive Teaching?
Plenty of educators say they use culturally responsive teaching in the classroom but many don't know its history or what it means.
Kaylee Domzalski, April 18, 2022
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3:02
Image shows a glowing futuristic background with lock on digital integrated circuit.
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Privacy & Security Explainer School Cyberattacks, Explained
Hackers are terrorizing schools with increasingly complex attacks, causing data breaches and more. Here’s what educators need to know.
Alyson Klein, February 11, 2022
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12 min read
sick leave 529156651 b
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School & District Management Explainer Teachers' COVID Sick Leave, Explained
Who gets paid? Are unvaccinated teachers eligible? How long should teachers be allowed to take off? Districts' answers will surprise you.
Mark Lieberman, January 11, 2022
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7 min read
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