IEN’s annual roundup of year-end reviews of top education stories and issues includes discussions of “tectonic” shifts in education related to AI and the actions of the current administration in the US as well as continuing concerns like the use of cellphones in schools, chronic absenteeism, learning loss, and students’ mental health. Here at IEN, major changes also include our exploration of ways to use AI to help us find and share articles related to educational policy, practice, and improvement around the world. Some of those results are included below. Next week’s post will focus on news and media stories discussing predictions and anticipated issues and trends for 2026. To see how education in 2025 compared to previous years, see the end-of-the-year scans for 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019 part 1, and 2019 part 2.
Around the world
The top 15 Education for All blogs of 2025, GPE
The ‘quiet’ revolution in schools: more and more countries are locking up phones – Part 1, World Education Blog
Are phone bans working? Part 2, World Education Blog
Singapore: The top stories for education in 2025, Straits Times
“Issues like teachers’ heavy workloads and the use of gen AI came to the fore in Singapore’s education landscape in 2025.”
End of UGC, two board exams and global campuses: How education in India changed in 2025, The Indian Express
In 2025, Nigeria’s education sector experienced many reforms, challenges, Premium Times
Ghana: Education in Review: 2025 marks turning point, Ghana Web
“The year 2025 will be remembered as a defining period for Ghana’s education sector—a year marked by difficult choices, honest national reflection, and the beginning of a deliberate reset.”
Review of the year in England: Why we were all at sixes and sevens in 2025, School Management Plus
2025 review: A defining year for further education and skills in England, FE Week
In the US
2025 Research Roundup: 3 Pressing Themes Shaping Early Care and Education, The74
Looking back: What were the big events this year and how might they impact the field of comparative education? The FreshEdPodcast
The top 10 education stories of 2025, Alexander Russo
California K-12 schools brace for another year of uncertainty: 2025 in review, CalMatters
Top higher ed campus safety stories from 2025: Hazing, Charlie Kirk, and Title IX, Campus Safety Magazine
2025 Year-in-Review: AI’s impact on campus security technology, Campus Safety Magazine
Looking back at Colorado education in 2025,Chalkbeat Colorado
Year in review: Our top stories of 2025, District Administration
School boards: These topics were high priority in 2025, District Administration
5 education innovation trends to watch in 2025, eSchool News
“Traditional classroom settings are evolving, integrating tools and techniques that prioritize active participation and collaboration.”
The top 20 education next articles of 2025, Education Next
From classrooms to Sacramento: The education stories that defined 2025, EdSource
Revealing the top EdSurge K-12 stories of 2025, Rebecca Koenig, EdSurge
Most Popular EdSurge Early Education Stories of 2025, Lauren Coffey, EdSurge
The 10 most significant education studies of 2025, Edutopia
The top 10 EdWeek stories of 2025, Education Week
Trump’s Education Policies Spurred 71 Lawsuits in 2025. How Many Is He Winning? Education Week
EdWeek’s Must-See videos of 2025, EdWeek
Here’s how AI is reinventing the end-of-year performance review, Forbes
How Trump 2.0 upended education research and statistics in one year, The Hechinger Report
5 early ed highlights from 2025, The Hechinger Report
Philanthropy Awards 2025, Inside Philanthropy
“[I]t’s hard to see much overall change from 2024. As we wrote this summer, “everything has changed — except the funding priorities.” Most grantmakers have only modestly increased payout, despite record gains in the stock market, and few have upended long-standing priorities to free up more resources for the emergency at hand.“
The K-12 Dive Awards for 2025, K-12 Dive
Inside 2025: A year of urgency and the wins that mattered most New America
2025 Year in Review: Year of change, tumult in public education, The North State Journal
The year in education: 25 of our top stories about schools, students and learning, The 74
“When it comes to education news, 2025 was unprecedented. Tectonic shifts to education policy and child welfare were set in motion — and at a dizzying pace. Plus, many other storylines were playing out, including literacy, the state of teacher pay and the challenges educators face as they grapple with the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence.”
Vax Rates, ESAs and Cell Phone Bans: 12 Charts That Defined Education in 2025, The 74
Why 2025 was a good year for education reform, Michael J. Petrilli, Thomas B. Fordham Institute
The 8 biggest education stories of 2025, Word in Black
International Education News 