Explainers
Go deeper on the latest education issues with these explainers from 91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Week
91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Issues, Explained
Browse research-based background explainers on the most important education issues.
Special 91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ
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What Is an IEP? Individualized 91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Programs, Explained
What IEPs are, what their purpose is, and which students are eligible.
Professional Development
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Teacher Professional Development, Explained
What counts as PD? And is it effective? EdWeek breaks down current trends—and new research—in this explainer.
English-Language Learners
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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.
Equity & Diversity
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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.
Mathematics
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How Addition Fluency Develops: A Visual Explainer
From basic counting to automatic recall, see how students learn to grasp their addition facts.
Classroom Technology
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AI Literacy, Explained
Now that AI is expected to influence fields from medicine to policing, what do students need to understand about the technology?
Mathematics
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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.
Special 91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ
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How Special 91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Funding Actually Works
Special education is among the most complicated and misunderstood facets of America’s sprawling K-12 school landscape.
Equity & Diversity
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Equity Audits in School Districts: An Explainer
Equity audits are systemic examinations of data to understand where gaps to access and challenges to educational equity exist.
School Choice & Charters
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91ÖÆƬ³§ÊÓƵ Savings Accounts, Explained
Four states this year have passed laws allowing any parent to spend public dollars on private school tuition or other education expenses.
Curriculum
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How School Libraries Buy Books, Struggle for Funds, and Confront Book Bans: An Explainer
Schools are under fire from some parent groups over books they deem explicit. This is how those books end up in their library collections.
Reading & Literacy
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What Is Background Knowledge, and How Does It Fit Into the Science of Reading?
What a greater focus on content could mean for reading instruction.
Classroom Technology
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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.
Reading & Literacy
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'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.