EWA announces 22 fellows selected to attend 2009 Research and Statistics Bootcamp in Cambridge

New America Media partners with EWA to select ethnic media reporters for bootcamp

Washington, D.C., December 5, 2008 --The National Education Writers Association (EWA) has selected 22 journalists from newsrooms around the country to attend its fifth annual research and statistics training program.

EWA’s program which is held in conjunction with the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University and the Harvard Graduate School of Education assist journalists who a cover education in how to analyze data. Journalists are guided by journalists and college professors on the strengths and weaknesses of testing and how to gauge good research from bad. EWA and its faculty and mentors help them hone their ideas and examine their data, following along after the bootcamp as they do their stories.

This year’s fellows are a diverse pool of media from publications such as The New York Times, La Opinion, Chronicle of Higher Education, Minnesota Public Radio, Miami Herald and Singtao Daily News. In all, reporters hail from 13 states and include 12 daily newspapers, three radio stations, three online reporters and four ethnic media outlets.

The 2009 conference runs from January 8-11 at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism.

Reporters apply with a story in mind and bring the data they can use to analyze the outcomes. Their stories include timely topics ranging from whether gentrification leads to more middle-class students, highly qualified teachers and teacher pay, accommodations for special ed students and college accountability systems.

"Amidst debate about the future of journalism, newspapers and broadcast outlets have placed greater emphasis on "hyper-local" stories, leaving new editors and reporters struggling with the complexities of such issues as school funding, graduation rates, assessment and accountability measures," said EWA’s Executive Director Lisa Walker.

"The research and statistics training program is a key to telling those stories and this year’s competition for limited space shows its value."

New America Media, a national association of ethnic news organizations, helped recruit and select ethnic media journalists for the bootcamp. This year marks the first-ever bootcamp attended by members of the ethnic press.

Program costs are mostly underwritten by a grant from the Chicago-based Spencer Foundation, a foundation dedicated to the belief that research is necessary to the improvement of education.

You can read stories reported by this year's fellows below.  

Last year, fellows examined the achievement gap among ethnic groups in the San Jose area, small schools in Oregon, classroom disruption and suspension, students with autism in California schools, merit pay and bonuses in Florida.

The 2009 Fellows are:

Maria Virginia Alvarado-- Diario de Mexico

Eva-Marie Ayala-- Star-Telegram

Molly Bloom-- Austin American Statesman -  Students Who Fail TAKS Unlikely to be Held Back

Charlie Boss-- Columbus Dispatch - Free Lunch

Edwin Buggage-- New Orleans Data News Weekly

Michelle De La Rosa-- San Antonio Express-News - Speciality schools top performers

Charles Ding-- Singtao Daily News -  Parental Education Level Impacts Child Academic Performance

Icess Fernandez-- The Shreveport Times - Colleges and Universities Spend More on Salaries, Student Services and  College Officials Unsure How Funding Formula Will Affect Them

Kelly Field-- Chronicle of Higher Education - New Grants Have More Takers but are Still Below Goals

Lorraine Forte-- Catalyst Chicago

Cathy Grimes-- The Daily Press

Javier Herdandez-- The New York Times

Linda Lutton-- Chicago Public Radio -  Where They Are Why They're Gone: Three 9th Grade Dropouts

Ruben Moreno-- La Opinion

Jodie Mozdzer-- Hartford Courant - Special Education Staff Takes a Hit and 20 Years of Sheff

Michele Sager--Tampa Tribune

Nirvi Shah-- The Miami Herald

Melody Simmons-- WEAA-FM -

Edith Starzyk-- The Plain Dealer

Tom Weber-- Minnesota Public Radio - In White Bear Lake K-12 Schools are a Bright Spot in Budget Crisis and Minnesota's Longest Serving Teachers

Davin White-- Charleston Gazette

Helen Zelon-- City Limits - What Will It Take to Alter Make Up of Top Schools? and Is the Promise Real?