Ed Reporter: April 17, 2012
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
By: Glen Baity

Ed Reporter: April 17, 2012

 Message From EWA's Executive Director

Philadelphia is the place to be May 17-19, when EWA gathers an outstanding line-up of journalists and education experts for “Learning from Leaders: What Works for Stories and Schools.” 

The early bird deadline has been extended to April 20, so register here today!

The conference will offer three jam-packed days of discussions and hands-on training covering the most pressing topics in education journalism today. Some highlights:

• Top speakers including Steve Brill and U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, as well as leading researchers and educators
• Site visits to noteworthy Philadelphia-area schools
• Debates on topics such as affirmative action, college costs, common standards, school choice and online learning
• A fast-paced forum for high-octane speakers to explore all aspects of the push to reform the teaching profession
• Practical sessions on mining data, observing classrooms, producing enterprise stories on the fly and new-generation tech tools for journalists
• Presentation of the prestigious 2011 National Awards for Education Reporting, where the winner of Fred M. Hechinger Grand Prize for Distinguished Education Reporting also will be announced

Journalists are eligible for subsidies to cover registration, hotel and transportation costs. Click here to apply for a travel scholarship.  The hotel reservation deadline is April 25, so go ahead and make your arrangements. Contact Stephanie Cvetetic, Marketing and Development Coordinator, at scvetetic@ewa.org or 202.677.4271 with questions or for additional information.

Looking forward to seeing you in Philly!

Caroline Hendrie

 Take Part in National Reporting Project

The federal School Improvement Grant program is one of the most aggressive and expensive investments ever made toward fixing the nation’s most struggling schools. But is it working?

That question needs addressing, and it’s why EWA, Education Week and The Hechinger Report, in collaboration with news outlets across the country, are looking at how states, districts and individual schools are using the influx of money from the program.

The national overview stories produced by the project may be published as early as this Sunday, April 15, and it's not too late for news organizations to sign on. For more information, please email erichmond@ewa.org. If you would like to view a 15-minute webinar explaining the project in more detail, click here.

Videos from EWA School Turnarounds Seminar

We now have six videos from the March 24 seminar on School Turnarounds. View them here!

While you're at it, check out the EWA Research Brief on School Turnarounds.

Latino Ed Beat Looks at Pre-K Funding and College Completion

The rapid rise in the Hispanic population is challenging the nation’s school systems in many different ways, according to new posts on EWA’s Latino Ed Beat blog. For example, Hispanic students continue to struggle with lower college graduation rates when compared with other groups, according to a new study that examines rates in all 50 states. The study also lists programs in each state that are working to close the gap. Also, several states with high percentages of Latino residents have cut their pre-K funding. Many low-income Latino students are affected by access to such programs. Another study finds that the number of Latino children identified with autism spectrum disorders is rising. What are your local schools or districts doing to educate Latino parents about autism and how to screen their children? Visit Latino Ed Beat for more information about these issues along with ideas on how to cover these topics in your region.

Ed Beat Eyes 'Bully,' Pell Grants and Paying for Pre-K

Policy developments and discussions unfolding in D.C. can offer useful insights, and sources, for education journalists across the country. With that in mind, EWA's Ed Beat blog offers periodic coverage of such events, highlighting various perspectives on big-picture education issues.

In recent posts, for example, Ed Beat looks at the Pell Grant program and whether funding for this financial aid staple should be scaled back. We also examined new figures warning that prekindergarten enrollment is increasing while state spending on such programs are on a downhill slide.

With the movie 'Bully' opening in theaters nationwide this weekend, Ed Beat re-examined the statistics surrounding bullying while looking at its human toll, after the consequences of bullying were discussed at a Washington screening of the film sponsored by the nation’s two largest teachers' unions.

Many news organizations no longer have Washington bureaus, it's true. But you still have EWA!

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.