5 Numbers That Explain Education in 2016

From record-high graduation rates to the percentage of students who attend charters, here are some figures that help tell the story of U.S. schools over the last year.

• Emily DeRuy
• 5:00 AM ET

The Irony of Inclusivity

The ABC sitcom Speechless offers a meaningful critique of overwrought calls for diversity in schools.

• Hayley Glatter
• Dec 30, 2016

How the Justice System Pushes Kids Out of Classrooms and Into Prisons

The playwright and professor Anna Deavere Smith explored the link between schools and incarceration in her one-woman show Notes From the Field.

• Alia Wong
• Dec 28, 2016

How Comedy Became Education's Best Critique

Late-night hosts including John Oliver and Samantha Bee devoted air time to school-related issues this year, pushing the topics into mainstream conversation.

• Alia Wong
• Dec 27, 2016

Where the 'Bad Kids' Go to School

A 2016 documentary magnifies an often ignored part of the education world.

• Emily DeRuy
• Dec 26, 2016

Sixteen in ‘16: Our Favorite Education Stories

Take a stroll down memory lane, a scroll through some #TBTs, or whatever the school kids are calling a throwback these days. Here are our favorite education stories The Atlantic published this year.

• Alia Wong, Emily DeRuy, and Hayley Glatter
• Dec 23, 2016

The Common High-School Tool That's Banned in College

Why are students still using calculators?

• William Pang
• Dec 22, 2016

A Wisconsin Legislator Models Political Correctness for Students

Instead of selectively attacking views they find objectionable, students, administrations, and elected officials could try defending the principle of free speech.

• Conor Friedersdorf
• Dec 21, 2016

Ending Extracurricular Privilege

One man’s mission to make college admissions sane (and fair) again

• Olga Khazan
• Dec 21, 2016

School Discipline in a Post-Obama World

It’s unclear whether the Trump administration will also see the issue as a matter of civil rights.

• Emily DeRuy
• Dec 20, 2016

Where Do Schools Close Most Often for Weather?

The forecast has to be more frightful to cancel classes in some states than in others.

• Hayley Glatter
• Dec 19, 2016

From SATs to Sports: This Week’s Top 7 Education Stories

The best recent writing about school

• Hayley Glatter
• Dec 16, 2016

How Praise Became a Consolation Prize

Helping children confront challenges requires a more nuanced understanding of the “growth mindset.”

• Christine Gross-Loh
• Dec 16, 2016

Colleges Really Need to Rethink the Career Advice They Deliver

A new report suggests most graduates don’t find the current offerings very helpful.

• Emily DeRuy
• Dec 15, 2016

Mentoring's Promise and Limits

Research on the long-term effects of advisers is mixed, and some programs are now relying on video-game networks and other technology to forge stronger relationships.

• Larry Gordon
• Dec 14, 2016

The Applied Learning of War

The hands-on approach of the U.S. Naval War College prepares students to learn faster and retain the information longer.

• Jon Marcus
• Dec 13, 2016

Why Doesn't Public School Start at Birth?

The economist James Heckman argues in a new paper that early-childhood education should commence at the very beginning of life.

• Emily DeRuy
• Dec 12, 2016

The American Obsession With Parenting

Parents of all income and education levels are spending more time promoting their kids’ development—yet socioeconomic gaps in childrearing behavior are growing.  

• Alia Wong
• Dec 12, 2016

How to Predict a Baby's First Word

A new study suggests what a toddler sees plays a major role.

• Emily DeRuy
• Dec 9, 2016

Video-Game Addicts and Football Fanatics: This Week in Education Writing

Seven days of stories about school

• Hayley Glatter
• Dec 9, 2016