This infographic analyzes student behavior on Newsela during the 2020–21 school year, examining which topics, texts, and content types captured student interest and supported engagement.

The findings help educators understand how content choice impacts motivation, autonomy, and skill development—especially in remote and hybrid learning environments.

Key Findings

• 61% of administrators ranked student engagement and motivation as a very high priority for improvement
• Students demonstrated autonomy by actively searching for interest-driven topics
• Popular student search topics included video games, animals, sports, science, history, and current events
• High-engagement texts spanned health, law, science, arts, and culture
• Every article read included a standards-aligned reading comprehension quiz, reinforcing skill development

Who Should Use This Resource?

This resource is designed for:

• District and school administrators
• Curriculum and content leaders
• Instructional coaches
• Educators focused on student engagement strategies