The job of a school leader is multi-faceted. Take a look at the stories that resonated most with administrators in 2023 and you鈥檒l get a glimpse of the myriad issues they had to grapple with this year.
The list includes stories on curricular issues鈥攏amely how best to teach math and writing鈥攁s well as critical leadership advice. Stories on supporting, rewarding, and communicating with teachers made the list.
There鈥檚 also a powerful essay from NaTasha Woody-Wideman, a middle school principal in Atlanta, that gives insights into the school leader mindset this year.
鈥淚鈥檓 a leader that raggedly attempts to piece together my well-being daily,鈥 wrote Woody-Wideman, who goes on to plea for an 鈥渙verhaul in how school leaders are prepared, regarded, and supported.鈥
Get The Savvy Principal
The ranking below shows the stories on edweek.org that school leaders engaged with most this year. It鈥檚 based on a combination of how many people read the story, how much time they spent reading it, and how often it was shared.
Check out the list:
Kids Need to Know Their Math Facts. What Schools Can Do to Help
![Illustration of a child in motion jumping easily across number block formations and equations.](https://epe.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/beda9a7/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2680x1815+0+0/resize/335x227!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fepe-brightspot.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2F49%2Fb6%2F3907a3544421ac2ebf33d0a4a531%2Few-article2-final-v2.jpg)
Teachers can optimize how they introduce math facts and teach strategies while not losing sight of conceptual knowledge.
What School Leaders Can Do to Ease Teacher Stress
![Instructor Emily Daniels, left, raises her arms while leading a workshop helping teachers find a balance in their curriculum while coping with stress and burnout in the classroom, Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022, in Concord, N.H. School districts around the country are starting to invest in programs aimed at address the mental health of teachers. Faced with a shortage of educators and widespread discontentment with the job, districts are hiring more therapist, holding trainings on self-care and setting up system to better respond to a teacher encountering anxiety and stress.](https://epe.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0e2fd05/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1440x960+0+0/resize/335x223!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fepe-brightspot.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2F17%2Fbc%2F6534b7de46609afd395175ae2666%2F082622-teacher-mental-health-ap-bs.jpg)
New studies illuminate some factors that can help school leaders prevent or manage teachers鈥 stress levels.
The 4 Gifts Principals Should Give Teachers This Year (Hint: Not Another School Mug) (Opinion)
![A Large yellow bow across the foreground of a photo illustration group of teachers line up happily closely together along a wall](https://epe.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0b25b30/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1720x1150+0+0/resize/335x224!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fepe-brightspot.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fea%2F0a%2Fb37674c34a2faffc96233508f4db%2Fel-mekki-principal-back-to-school-gifts.png)
Instead of a staff pizza party or a school-branded mug, give them meaningful gifts that nourish their craft.
School Leaders Need Emotional Intelligence. Here鈥檚 How They Build It
![Suzan Harris, principal of Henderson Middle School, makes her morning rounds greeting students and speaking to teachers at the school in Jackson, Ga., on Oct. 16, 2023.](https://epe.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9b4dedd/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1440x960+0+0/resize/335x223!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fepe-brightspot.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2F40%2F12%2F52e021ed4fd2b49591e689cdeca0%2F101623-suzan-harris-09-dc-bs.jpg)
The stress of the last few years has made emotional intelligence a crucial trait for educational leaders.
4 Ways Reading and Writing Interlock: What the Research Says
![v42 19SR Reading Writing 4 Things to Know 1439825899](https://epe.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/13ed927/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x2000+0+0/resize/335x223!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fepe-brightspot.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2F92%2F5a%2F1f83fda64d19b8135467e84a7636%2Fv42-19sr-reading-writing-4-things-to-know-1439825899.jpg)
Here鈥檚 a cheat sheet for understanding what research tells us about how the two disciplines connect in literacy instruction.
Why Word Problems Are Such a Struggle for Students鈥擜nd What Teachers Can Do
![Illustration of some children arranging 10 apples in the foreground, while a group of children carry the word "ten" in the background.](https://epe.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d14fd56/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2680x1815+0+0/resize/335x227!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fepe-brightspot.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fc5%2F94%2F2376bb454a25908491fbcccb85db%2Few-article1-final-v2.jpg)
Story problems can help young learners grasp math concepts, but teachers must design and scaffold them carefully.
5 Ways to Inspire a Love for Learning in Students
![Kim King, an art teacher at Mansfield Elementary School in Mansfield, Conn., works with Ainsley Liebster, a pre-k student in her choice-based art class, on Feb. 13, 2023.](https://epe.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/909425c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1440x960+0+0/resize/335x223!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fepe-brightspot.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2F15%2Ff9%2Ff41a7fcf44e6b2683dda6ae7cc4e%2F021423-mansfield-kim-king-04-cc-bs.jpg)
Education researchers and classroom teachers weigh in on what works.
鈥業 Was Ready to Walk Away鈥: The Silent Scream of School Leaders (Opinion)
![Conceptual image of a leader lost in thought.](https://epe.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f29ec60/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1720x1150+0+0/resize/335x224!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fepe-brightspot.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fb2%2Fb2%2F452a46d54bbebcc71d42c2d66cf3%2F03132023-opinion-woody-wideman-principal-the-silent-scream-of-school-leaders.jpg)
How do we juggle the crushing demands of school management and then return home to be healthy parents, caregivers, spouses, and partners?
How Does Writing Fit Into the 鈥楽cience of Reading鈥?
![White and Black elementary girls sitting side by side at their desks and writing in their notebooks while having a class at school. Their classmates are in the blurred background.](https://epe.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7ccb3e2/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x2000+0+0/resize/335x223!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fepe-brightspot.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Ff4%2F83%2F0281b1434d45baab56c75e87a656%2Fv42-19sr-reading-writing-overview-1139435499.jpg)
Writing in the early grades is often segmented off from reading. Research suggests teaching them together is both efficient and effective.
10 Buzzwords Teachers Can鈥檛 Stand
![Buzzwords simple seamless pattern including the words Self-care, Fidelity, Woke, Differentiation, Data-driven, Pivot, Critical race theory, DEI, Mindset](https://epe.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/bc08fa2/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1720x1150+0+0/resize/335x224!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fepe-brightspot.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2F3c%2F1e%2F1bec52384f4da37c5295418ad2ba%2F102023-buzzwords-word-bubbles-speech-1367771355-2.png)
The EdWeek Research Center polled educators from across the country to identify the buzzwords that drive them crazy.