TIPS FROM EWA's National Seminar:"Running in Place: Can We Overcome Mediocrity?"

April 24-26, 2008, Chicago

More than 220 participants attended the"Running in Place: Can We Overcome Mediocrity?" conference including reporters from around the country who shared advice on covering their beats, investigating school budgets, examining childhood obesity and much more.

Steve R. James, creator and producer of the documentary Hoop Dreams kicked off the conference with a talk on narrative and following a where a story leads. Learning Matters host John Merrow interviewed D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee about her challenges leading a chronically struggling, urban school system. University of California at Berkeley professor David Kirp led a lunchtime discussion on pre-K issues and gave tips to journalists on how to recognize successful classrooms. And no participant will forget the spirited debate between Leonard Sax, president and founder of the National Association for Single Sex Public Education, and Lise Eliot, a neuroscientist at Rosalind Franklin University for Medicine and Science's Chicago Medical School, over brain research and gender difference.

Below you'll find materials from many of the speakers at the meeting. You can also read EWA’s blog from Chicago to find out what reporters said about this year’s meeting. If you would like to hear audio recordings of the sessions, go here.

You can review the meeting agenda, and browse through our brochure. Sponsors and advertisers can also find some helpful information.

Audio Recordings Available:
Michelle Rhee: Revamping a Failing School District
The Hidden Costs of College
Paid to Perform? How Should Teachers be Measured
Higher Education: Reporting on Undercovered Stories
College Sports: Boom or Bust for Higher Ed?

Coverage of the Meeting:

• "What I Said At EWA Today " by Alexander Russo, This Week in Education blog
• 2 Million Minutes. Or, our death by 1,000 cuts? by Kent Fischer, Dallas Morning News Education blog
• Fireworks over gender and education by Scott Elliott, Dayton Daily News , Get on the Bus Education blog
• Rhee on the Road in Chi-town by Dion Haynes, Washington Post , DC Wire blog
• Challenged D.C. Schools Chief Bringing Reform Story to Academia, National Media , by Ronald Roach, Diverse Issues In Higher Education
• The Hidden Cost of College by Erica Perez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Education Blog
• Education conference sheds light on important school needs by Michael Brindley, Nashua Telegraph's Learning Curve Column
• Learning Matters host and EWA board member, John Merrow featured Michelle Rhee's talk in Learning Matters this Weeke-newsletter

Presentations:
New Reporters Orientation: Getting a Handle on the Basics - Gaining an understanding of all the debates, policies and movements affecting the education beat can be an overwhelming task for a new reporter. Veteran reporters Cathy Grimes of the Newport News Daily Press , David Hunn of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and EWA Public Editor Linda Perlstein helped about 25 new reporters set up their beats, hone their knowledge of local policy and law and debriefed them on key education topics.
You can download their comprehensive guide on organizing your beat, The Learning Curve. You can also download the following topic guides that helps you report on the following issues:
* The Achievement Gap
* High School Dropouts
* English Language Learners
* The No Child Left Behind Act
* Special Education
* Standardized Testing

For Higher Ed:
* Financial Aid
* Remedial Education

Powerpoints from Hunn's presentations on tracking and using data and prioritizing your coverage are also available. Hunn also led a session on scrutinizing school budgets and discussed how he discovered a local superintendent had laundered $85,000 in school money into his retirement and insurance accounts.

You can also check out these videoson how to observe classroom teaching from the Cotsen Family Foundation and the Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media.

Breaking Down College Graduation Rates
Education Sector's Kevin Carey talked about his research into college graduation rates , which he found to be worse than the country's much maligned high school graduation rates.

College Sports: Boom or Bust for Higher Ed?
During the college sports session, Asbury Park Press reporter Fraidy Reiss discussed her investigation into perks for athletes and jock curriculums at Rutgers University, which led to a surprising reaction from the institution's top brass. Listen to the entire session here.

Using Online Tools for Marketing, Blogging and Reaching Your Audience
As part of a session for associate members, Gabriela Fitz, co-director of Issuelab, provided advice on using new media and online tools to reach your audience. If you want to know how put together a good multi-media presentation check out Brad Piper's tips.

Why Should Education Reporters Care about Childhood Obesity?
Adam Becker, executive director of the Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children, presented on the confluence of factors that leads to obesity and what can be done to stem the tide. Emily Hagedorn, reporter at the Bakersfield Californian , explained how her paper produced its in-depth series "Weighed Down," which followed four teenagers grappling with obesity for several months. She also provided a list of helpful sources for reporters looking to examine the issue locally.

The Hidden Costs of College
Economist Sandy Baum from Skidmore College and the College Board discussed costly non-tuition expenses, such as housing and books, that can drive students even further into debt. During the Navigating the Financial Aid Maze panel, she walked reporters through the nebulous world of financial aid using case studies to show how students rely on many sources of aid to pay for school. As part of the Hidden Costs of College panel, Luke Swarthout revealed ways college textbook companies drive up the costs of textbooks for students. Listen to the session here.

Special Reporters' Session on New Media Session
During the multimedia reporting session at the Chicago Tribune, Bakersfield Californian reporter Emily Hagedorn spoke about her paper's use of blogs, audio recordings and flash animation for its project on childhood obesity, "Weighed Down. " The paper followed four teenagers struggling with their weight and gave each an audio recorder to use as a confessional.

On Blogging
Dayton Daily News reporter Scott Elliot, one of the newspaper industry's first education bloggers, gave reporters tips on how to start a blog, how to promote it and how to use it to augment their coverage and interact with readers. Kent Fischer, a blogger for the Dallas Morning News' popular Dallas ISD blog, spelled out the anatomy of a blog .

Teacher Distribution: Do Contracts Define the Issue?
Tim Daly of The New Teacher Project discussed the effect teacher contracts and archaic rules within them can have on teacher quality, placement and hiring.

On School Budgets
Kent Fischer, of the Dallas Morning New, gave reporters tips on investigating school contracts, employee credit card usage and more.

Hispanic Students: Myths and Realities
Richard Fry, senior scholar at the Pew Hispanic Center, debunked common myths about Hispanics and English language learners with reporters.

Nobody's Kids: Looking at Alternative High Schools
Stanford University's Milbrey McLaughlin and Jorge Ruiz de Velasco discuss alternative high schools they studied in California and the practices they found led to the best outcomes for the most at-risk students. Jim Walsh of the Minneapolis Star Tribune provided tip sheets on how to cover alternative schools and how to track what type of education they provide.

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