Books

Learn more about assigned books students read for school and how teachers use books in their curriculum
bible lying on a school desk with a lesson plan and calendar
tamaw/E+
Curriculum Should the Bible Be Taught in Public Schools?
Are recent pushes to include the Bible about cultural literacy—or a pretext for politicians who want Christianity in public schools?
Evie Blad, July 15, 2024
10 min read
Woman reading book in hammock
Liz Yap/Education Week and iStock/Getty
Teaching Profession Teachers' Favorite Reads This Summer
Teachers shared some of their summer book selections, with a wide variety of subject matter and genres.
Elizabeth Heubeck, July 12, 2024
2 min read
Students at Mount Vernon Library in Raleigh, N.C., pose with free books after their book fair. School librarian Julia Stivers started the free book fair eight years ago, in an effort to make the traditional book fair more equitable. Alternative versions of book fairs have been cropping up as a way to help students' build their own personal library, without the costs associated with traditional book fair models.
Students at Mount Vernon Library in Raleigh, N.C., pose with free books after their book fair. School librarian Julia Stivers started the free book fair eight years ago, in an effort to make the traditional book fair more equitable. Alternative versions of book fairs have been cropping up as a way to help students' build their own personal library, without the costs associated with traditional book fair models.
Courtesy of Julia Stivers
Equity & Diversity School Librarians Are Creating Free Book Fairs. Here's How
School librarians are turning to free book fairs in an effort to get more books to children in poverty.
Brooke Schultz, June 24, 2024
9 min read
Photo of book fair.
iStock
Equity & Diversity Download Want to Start Your Own Free Book Fair? Here's How You Can Get Started
Book fairs may shut out families in poverty. Here's how some school librarians are making free versions.
Brooke Schultz & Gina Tomko, June 24, 2024
1 min read
Conceptual illustration of hand holding books and digital devices showing podcasts.
Conceptual: Liz Yap/Education Week and iStock/Getty Images
School & District Management Interactive Principals, a Summer Reading and Listening List Just for You
10 edifying, entertaining, and enriching books and podcasts for the break.
1 min read
A pedestrian passes by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals Courthouse, June 16, 2021, on Main Street in Richmond, Va.
A person walks near the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit's courthouse in Richmond, Va. A panel of the court denied an injunction seeking to restore religious parents' opportunity to opt their children out of LGBTQ+ "storybooks" in a Maryland district.
Steve Helber/AP
Law & Courts District Can Deny Opt-Outs on LGBTQ+ Books, Court Rules
Religious parents objected to a Maryland district's policy ending opt-outs for elementary school 'storybooks' with LGBTQ+ themes.
Mark Walsh, May 15, 2024
5 min read
3D rendered illustration of the moment an artificial intelligence becomes sentient.
E+/Getty
Classroom Technology The Best Science Fiction to Teach About AI, From Teachers
Science fiction can help students understand AI and its potential impacts, teachers say.
Alyson Klein, April 23, 2024
6 min read
Vector illustration concept of young person listening to an audiobook.
iStock/Getty
Reading & Literacy High Schools Kids Barely Read. Could Audiobooks Reverse That Trend?
Audiobooks, long considered by some educators as "cheating," are finding a place in the high school curriculum.
Elizabeth Heubeck, April 10, 2024
4 min read
Ana Pasarella, the director of family and community engagement for Alvin ISD, oversees an activity as Micaela Leon, 3, a student in Alvin ISD’s READy Program, draws on a piece of paper on Alvin ISD’s STEM bus in Manvel, Texas, on Dec. 8, 2023.
Ana Pasarella, the director of family and community engagement for the Alvin Independent school district in Texas, oversees an activity as Micaela Leon, 3, a student in the district's READy Program, draws on a piece of paper inside the district's STEM bus in Manvel, Texas.
Callaghan O’Hare for Education Week
Families & the Community Leader To Learn From A Former Teacher Turns Classroom Prowess Into Partnerships With Families
Ana Pasarella maximizes her community's assets to put students first.
Ileana Najarro, February 5, 2024
8 min read
Books are displayed at the Banned Book Library at American Stage in St. Petersburg, Fla., Feb. 18, 2023. In Florida, some schools have covered or removed books under a new law that requires an evaluation of reading materials and for districts to publish a searchable list of books where individuals can then challenge specific titles.
Books are displayed at the Banned Book Library at American Stage in St. Petersburg, Fla., Feb. 18, 2023. In Florida, some schools have covered or removed books under a new law that requires an evaluation of reading materials and for districts to publish a searchable list of books where individuals can then challenge specific titles.
Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times via AP
Curriculum One School District Just Pulled 1,600 Books From Its Shelves—Including the Dictionary
And the broadening book ban attempts may drive some teachers out of the classroom.
Elizabeth Heubeck, January 24, 2024
6 min read
Illustration of students in a vibrant happy welcoming library
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
Reading & Literacy Opinion 6 Best Practices to Make Your School Library a Place of Joy
There are many challenges school librarians can’t control—book bans, for instance—but here are some productive areas we can focus on.
Donna Gray, January 18, 2024
5 min read
Books sit in a cart and on shelves in an elementary school library in suburban Atlanta on Aug. 18, 2023.
Books sit in a cart and on shelves in an elementary school library in suburban Atlanta on Aug. 18, 2023.
Hakim Wright Sr./AP
Families & the Community Parents Trust School Librarians to Select Books, But There's a Catch
A new survey shows what parents think of school libraries and librarians following efforts throughout the country to remove books.
Libby Stanford, January 16, 2024
5 min read
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