Professional educators are charged with the daunting task of transferring the wealth of human knowledge to a younger generation. The methodologies and potentially controversial topics about how that younger generation receives this knowledge are vast. This can make it hard for some essayists to find just the right educational topic that they can both connect with and connect to their intended readers.
While researching a topic or a school of thought try to think of examples you can cite in the body of the essay. This might be a historical example from the era the philosopher lived in or a real-world example that is pertinent today. A concept that was pertinent when it was originally written and is still relevant now will lend strength to your essay.
Tips for Writing an Educational Essay
Ideally, you want to select an educational topic for your essay that you have familiarity with or one that you can research thoroughly. This research will provide you with a suitable intellectual foundation to make a strong and well-supported point.
When composing an educational topic essay it is best to write from a third-person point of view. This gives the essay an objective perspective that engages the reader while sending them a clear message that you are not writing under the influence of personal bias. This is especially helpful if the topic you selected has a strong public opinion attached to it. Anytime you offer up a factoid make sure to quote the source directly, and document when and where it originated.
Elements of an Educational Essay
Most educational topic essays should be structured using the standard five-paragraph structure. If the length requirements are substantial, you can simply expand the number of body paragraphs as needed. Using this type of structure will give your educational essay a natural flow that makes it easy for the reader to follow.
The introduction of an effective educational essay needs to directly state the topic while delivering. It’s best to use authoritative language, while also making sure that you are directly addressing the reader. Your introduction also needs to include a strong and clearly worded thesis. The end of the introduction should include one to two sentences that flow into the first body paragraph.
The first body paragraph of your educational essay should build on the thesis statement by offering strong supporting evidence. This might include a direct quote from a well-known educator, or an august body of professional research.
The following body paragraphs should also contain their own ideas that support the thesis. They should also include well-documented examples. Each of your educational essay’s body paragraphs should end with a sentence of two that leads into the next body paragraph’s central idea. Most educational essays will have three body paragraphs, though you can always add additional paragraphs for an essay with greater length requirements.
The conclusion of your educational topic essay should have an assertive tone while providing a definite answer to the topic or thesis statement. For a topic where there might be some lingering debate, you should try to encourage the reader to reexamine their own personal opinions about it.
Educational Essay Topics
Finding the right educational essay topic can be challenging. Especially these days when there are hotly debated subjects in the education realm. In some cases, it can help to break the topic down by the age range of the students. This might help you dial two or three topics that catch your interest and get you started in the critical research process.
Pre-K Education Topics
- Should Early Childhood Family Education be free as part of public school funding?
- Should preschool be free as part of public school funding?
- Is there gender bias against men in ECFE curriculum?
- Should there be more advanced screening for special needs children at the Pre-K level?
- The best methods for encouraging a growth mindset in Pre-K children.
- Introducing dual language learning in the Pre-K years.
- The best methods for empathy-building in preschool.
- Should mindfulness be taught in the Pre-K years?
- How to identify executive function disorders in Pre-K years.
- The importance of speech pathology training & therapy in preschool years.
Elementary School Topics
- Should recess be replaced by an academic activity in elementary school?
- Should elementary school cafeterias introduce foods that challenge children’s preferences?
- Does traditional homework have educational value in elementary school?
- Does the introduction of tablets & iPads enhance or reduce the elementary school experience compared to traditional books?
- Should technology use in elementary school count against a child’s daily “Screen Time” allotment at home?
- Is enough being done to encourage physical education in elementary schools?
- Should standardized tests have more emphasis in elementary school?
- Should cursive writing be taught in elementary school?
- Should mandatory vaccinations be removed from elementary school enrollment requirements?
- Should elementary schools have a later start time to let young children get their necessary sleep?
- Should critical race theory be removed from all elementary school curricula?
- Does recess play an important role in elementary education?
- Should elementary education encompass STEAM rather than just STEM?
- Should earth science be taught in elementary schools?
- Are the reading requirements for fourth grade and below sufficient?
Middle School Topics
- Should sexual education be taught in Middle School?
- Does cursive writing have educational value in the middle school years?
- Should the middle school have a mandatory dress code?
- Should the reading requirements in middle school be increased or decreased?
- Should agricultural topics be taught in the middle school years?
- Should gender identity freedom of choice be encouraged in middle school?
- Is enough being done in the middle school years to help children prepare for the transition to adolescents?
- Should important life skills such as swimming be required in the middle school years?
- Should CPR be taught in middle school?
- Should there be more cultural exposure curriculum in middle school
- Is enough being done to prepare middle schoolers for the high school experience
- Do middle schoolers have the personal responsibility to be able to take home tablets and other digital learning devices without worrying about damaging them.
- Is online or distance learning capable of providing middle school-age kids with the same academic value as in-person learning?
- Should extra-curricular sports be reduced during the middle school years?
- Should middle schools have recess?
High School Education Topics
- Should physical education be taught up to Senior year?
- Should high school students be given a “Recess” time to socialize with friends?
- Does extra-curricular athletics get in the way of academics?
- Are academic standards for high school athletes too lenient?
- Should there be academic standards for non-athletic extracurricular activities?
- Should there be a mandatory dress code in high school?
- Should cyberbullying be considered grounds for suspension & expulsion from school, or is social media protected by the right to free speech?
- Should high schools have a later start time to let adolescents get sufficient sleep?
- Should mandatory vaccinations in high school be eliminated?
- Should there be greater or decreased emphasis on standardized testing?
- Should critical race theory only be taught in high school years?
- Should Art & Music be mandatory curriculum in high school rather than an elective?
- Should students be given more elective choices after 9th grade?
- Should driver’s education be taught as a standard high school curriculum?
- Should home economics be reintroduced into the high school curriculum?
- Should there be more real-world finances classes about things like filing your taxes or investing for retirement?
- Should gardening and agriculture be taught in schools?
- Should farming topics be taught in high schools?
- Should foreign language requirements be added to graduation criteria?
- Should philosophy be a required course in high school?
- What can be done to reduce high school dropout rates?
- Does the digital divide affect academic performance?
- Should gender identity choice be encouraged or discouraged in the high school years?
- Should climate change be taught in high school?
- Should high school students be required to be fluent in at least one-second language?
Special Education Topics
- Should special needs children be given an alternative school via public funding?
- Is enough being done to screen for ADHD in young children?
- Is enough being done to screen for Autism in young children?
- Should the ADA be updated to modern standards for older public schools?
- Should there be separate standardized testing for students with special needs based on their specific disability?
- Should there be separate schools for special needs students that are paid for by public education funding?
- Is enough being done to provide children on the autism spectrum with a mainstream education?
- Are there sufficient resources for special needs students in inner-city school districts?
- Is the collaborative learning approach the most viable way to meet academic standards for children with special needs?
- How an inclusive environment helps children with speech problems.
- Is enough being done to provide speech pathologists with the tools they need to help children with speech impediments?
- The importance of peer and social interactions for special needs children in schools.
- How can educators help special children stay away from bullying when in school?
- What can parents of special needs children do to promote academic performance and self-confidence?
- Do mainstream teachers have the tools and training they need to help educate children with special needs?
College Education Topics
- Do athletic scholarships reduce the academic value of a university education?
- Should academic requirements be increased or decreased for college athletes?
- Should required classes be eliminated due to a lack of relevance to a major, such as math classes for a communication major, or speech classes for someone seeking a physics degree?
- Should physical education be included in university-required courses?
- Does racial bias play a role in university acceptance requirements?
- Should university education be free?
- Would a free university education reduce the value of an academic scholarship?
- Would a free university education reduce the value of an athletic scholarship?
- Do online classes have the same academic value as in-person classes?
- Do online universities offer the same quality of education as traditional universities?
Educational Theory Topics
- Should the A for “Art” be included in STEM to encourage STEAM curriculum in schools?
- The importance of keeping Critical Race Theory in modern academics.
- Is there enough emphasis on computer learning in schools to close the digital divide?
- What can be done to address the underfunding problem in inner-city schools?
- Should there be strict limits on student participation in extracurricular activities?
- The importance of socio-emotional learning in public schools.
- Is enough being done to prevent cyberbullying?
- The importance of moral development in schools.
- Do private schools provide a more well-rounded education compared to public schools?
- Should private school athletes be allowed to participate in public school athletics if their chosen sport is not offered in the private school they attend?
- Does homeschooling have the same academic value as public school education?
- The benefits of augmenting a homeschooling education with online classes.
- Should homeschooling have more oversight via standardized testing?
- The academic value difference between online classes and distance learning.
- Should the Department of Education publish universal standards for distance learning, Should need to be used in the future?