Message From EWA's Executive Director

Each year, EWA is proud to honor its members’ hard work through the National Awards for Education Reporting. The contest is an opportunity to recognize the contributions of education journalists who parse complicated issues for the benefit of the public, who dig deep to challenge conventional wisdom, and who seek out new angles that make for compelling, consequential and illuminating coverage.

Our distinguished panel of judges had their work cut out for them: This year’s strong crop of 340 entries yielded 61 honorees representing outlets of all sizes and media. I encourage you to set aside time today and in the weeks ahead to take in these stories. They represent some of the best journalism produced in 2011 on any beat.

All the first-prize winners honored today are eligible for the contest's top award, the Fred M. Hechinger Grand Prize for Distinguished Education Reporting, which will be announced at EWA's 65th National Seminar in Philadelphia. All contest winners will be honored at a May 19 awards banquet, the capstone of the three-day conference.

Thanks to everyone who entered, and congratulations to our 2011 contest winners!

All the best,

Caroline Hendrie

Deciding Diversity: The Supreme Court Reconsiders Affirmative Action
Thursday, March 22
1 p.m.
Register

This fall, the U.S. Supreme Court will take on the issue of affirmative action in college admissions for the first time since 2003. The plaintiff in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin argues that her race was the deciding factor when she was denied admission to the school. Regardless of the outcome, this case will have major consequences for schools around the country for years to come.

To examine the impact the ruling might have, EWA's upcoming webinar, Deciding Diversity: The Supreme Court Reconsiders Affirmative Action, will feature two veteran education journalists who will discuss Fisher, the history of affirmative action in higher ed, and the key points of this story education reporters need to understand. Scott Jaschik, editor of Inside Higher Ed, will talk about the case's effect on postsecondary admissions, while Mark Walsh, Education Week's veteran Supreme Court reporter, will focus on the stories K-12 reporters should think about.

Click here to register!

Registration Now OPEN For EWA's 65th National Seminar

Learning From Leaders: What Works for Stories and Schools will take place May 17-19, 2012, in Philadelphia. An estimated 250 reporters, authors, producers, editors, researchers, bloggers, and others will gather for three days of in-depth discussions, site visits, newsmaker speeches, and interactive workshops on education and its coverage. EWA's flagship conference is being co-hosted by the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education and the American Educational Research Association. As ever, the event will be tailored to meet the unique needs and interests of journalists who cover education at all levels.

Click here to register. For sponsorship and advertisement opportunities, please contact Stephanie Cvetetic at scvetetic@ewa.org.

Get Smart on Teacher Issues

If teachers affect student learning more than any other factor in schools, how are we doing at recruiting, training, and retaining the best? How can we tell if teachers are effective? Should they be paid for performance? How much should experience count?

These are just some of the questions explored in the totally revamped teachers section of EWA’s online Resource Center. To help you get smarter on the issues, we’ve assembled reports, news stories, research, and other information under three subtopics: teacher effectiveness, evaluations, and the pipeline into the field. Click here to access all three and get up to speed—fast.

Catch Up With Past EWA Events!

Did you know we have wrap-ups of every EWA seminar and conference on EWA.org? Stop by our Tips from Past Events section for links to blog items, videos, and relevant news stories drawn from events like our 2011 Teacher Evaluation Seminar and Higher Education Seminar. And be sure to stop by our Webinars page to watch any of our recent online training sessions.