Hope to See You in Chicago!
EWA is returning to the Windy City for its new seminar, "Teaching to a New Nation: Are Teachers Ready for the Modern Classroom?" Chicago Public Radio is hosting the meetingSept. 19-20 and registration is now open. The meeting is open only to reporters and will focus on writing about teachers, new models in teacher prep, teaching immigrant students, data-driven instruction and much more. Scholarships are available to cover hotel and travel costs. To see the brochure and to register online, go here.
Education Research and Statistics Bootcamp
The Education Writers Association will hold its fifth annual education and statistics bootcamp at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism Jan. 8-11, 2009. Most expenses are paid for the 20 journalists chosen for the program. The bootcamp covers education research and statistics and provides education reporters the opportunity to develop a data-based enterprise story.
Ode to Marc
EWA's "brainy and brawny hottie" Marc Dadigan is heading off to the University of Oregon to study long form non-fiction writing. Marc has worked as EWA's seminars coordinator for the past three years, leading regional seminars in Houston, Milwaukee, Chicago and other cities.
Those of you who have had a chance to work with Marc know he's a total hipster. He helped EWA understand the importance of podcasting, Twitter, MySpace/Facebook and AMC's Mad Men. We at the office have had several laughs at his expense, and will miss hearing stories of his far-flung travels across the globe, and seeing him talk excitedly about his new iPhone. Also, we'll never forget his stories about his weekly soccer games, and the time he played in 100 degree weather and ended up in the emergency room. He always seemed to come back to the office on Monday mornings with a new injury! While we are sad to see him go, we are excited about the new opportunities he'll have in Eugene. We know Marc will be successful in whatever he pursues. Remember, you can contact Raven Hill forEWA seminars.
The Energy Pinch
By ROBERT A. FRAHM
A former high school English teacher, covered education for 36 years before leaving the Hartford Courant
Schools, of course, are not immune to the downturn in the national economy, and educators are wringing their hands about one problem in particular the spike in energy costs.
If you haven’t already explored this story, you should.
“It’s a huge issue,” says Randy Collins, superintendent of the Waterford, Conn., public schools and the new president of the American Association of School Administrators.
In a recent AASA survey of school superintendents, virtually every respondent said rising energy costs are pinching school budgets, requiring steps such as consolidating bus routes, postponing repairs or cutting jobs.
Nearly six of 10 said their districts have stepped up energy conservation measures, more than one-third have cut back on heating and air conditioning and another one-third have cut back on supplies. A small number of districts have moved to a four-day school week.
In Collins’ own district, the sudden rise in fuel costs resulted in an unexpected shortfall of more than $400,000 resulting in the loss of one central office job and tentative plans to cut field trips.
“Trips the middle schools might have taken to Boston or to New York for plays are probably going to have to be eliminated,” he said.
Many schools planned their budgets before the sudden rise in prices. Diesel fuel (most school buses use diesel) cost $2.95 a gallon a year ago, but by early this August, a gallon cost $4.61, according to the American Automobile Association. Heating oil was $3.69 a gallon last March, up from $2.50 a year earlier, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
The problem is particularly acute in rural districts with long bus routes, says U.S. Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, who recently introduced a bill to help rural schools apply for relief if fuel costs rise by more than 20 percent a year.
The energy crisis is hitting college campuses, too. Many colleges began moving toward alternative energy sources or other conservation measures even before fuel prices spiked, says Terry Calhoun of the Society for College and University Planning. Earlier this year, USA Today reported that a handful of community colleges are moving to a four-day week and that one school, Ripon College in Wisconsin, gave new mountain bikes to students who agreed not to drive their cars.
So how can you approach this story? Here are some ideas.
- The first step, obviously, is to find out what measures your local schools or colleges are taking to mitigate rising costs. Among the long-term plans in Collins’ district, for example, is the conversion of school buildings to geothermal energy.
- Get the numbers. What does your district spend on energy now? What did it spend a year ago? Five years ago? What is the percentage of the total budget? How does the rate of increase compare to the pace of rising costs in other parts of the budget?
- Put the cost in context. If your district finds itself $400,000 short, what could that buy? How many teachers? How many library books? How does it compare to the cost of extracurricular or sports programs?
- Ask about the indirect effects. Officials say fuel costs are pushing up the cost of food and other supplies, too. As gas costs rise, will more high school students take the bus instead of driving to school? A recent story in the Wall Street Journal said that school bus manufacturers, too, are feeling the impact because schools have less money to replace older vehicles with new ones.
One reminder: When you write these stories, don’t forget to include the voices of those who are directly affected. If field trips or extracurricular activities are eliminated, talk to students and parents. If class sizes increase because of staff reductions, talk to teachers.
Here are some sources to give your story a broader perspective:
American Association of School Administrators: www.aasa.org
Association of School Business Officials International: www.asbointl.org
National School Boards Association: www.nsba.org
National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services: www.nasdpts.org
American School Bus Council (lobbyists for the school bus industry): www.americanschoolbuscouncil.org
American Automobile Association (for latest fuel prices): www.fuelgaugereport.com (national figures) and www.aaa.com (state and local figures)
National Association of College and University Business Officials: www.nacubo.org
Society for College and University Planning: www.scup.org
APPA: The Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers: www.appa.org
Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education: www.aashe.org
Robert Frahm is serving as an interim public editor over the summer while Linda Perlstein enjoys her new baby boy. If you need help on a story contact Bowler or any of the public editors directly. Or contact Mesha Williams at 202-452-9830 or publications@ewa.org.
Reports: Helicopter Parents, Guyland, and Testing
Cutting the Cord
Colleges and K-12 schools know it will take students a couple of weeks to adjust to their new school life. But students aren’t the only ones who need help transitioning this time of year. Parents need help too as their children leave home. The mainstream media puts a spotlight on parents, children and independence.
You can take your pick of “helicopter parent” features this month. Helen Johnson, author of Don’t Tell Me What to Do, Just Send Money, offers advice to parents on Washington Post.com about “knowing how to let go gracefully.” Clinical psychologists and other experts tell CNN.com that parents can do considerable harm to kids if they try to micromanage them too much. If you think parents are less frenzied once students leave the nest, fat chance. Employers say they are dealing with more parents, and are tailoring job brochures and other information to meet interest.
Also check out Theresa Walsh Giarrusso’s blog at the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. Giarrusso is a former editor and mother of three, discusses her son’s big new adventure in kindergarten, and raises questions to readers about what college is like for parents. You can see what readers say to Giarruso about visiting her son’s school when he has a bad day. However, if you think this parenting style is over the top, you may want to read this piece by New York Sun columnist Lenore Skenazy, about why she let her 9-year-old son take the NYC subway alone. The piece ran in April and Skenazy has since started The Free Range Kids, a blog that encourages “sane parenting.”
Some experts say parents from affluent backgrounds maybe more prone to hover. To shed some light, The New York Times does a piece on $10,000 sleep away camps, and the special accommodations some parents want counselors to make for children. We all miss summer (big sigh), but parents act the same throughout the year. Ed reporters, are there stories you can find of parents going overboard in after-school extra-curricular activities?
College Corner
Just as students were heading to campus, some 100 college presidents started a national debate about lowering the
drinking age. If you are covering higher ed you know that’s not the only “hot-button” issue affecting campuses this year.
With the economy in a pinch, college transfer programs are being adversely affected because of budget cutbacks. To ease financial woes, college administrators will continue to push for more sustainability on campuses to lower energy costs.
The student loan industry continues to dominate the spotlight. More college graduates are having problems making loan repayments. School administrators and Congress hope that with the U.S. Department of Education having more oversight over the industry that graduates won’t have such a difficult time.
If you want some light features, see what courses, majors and jobs students are pursuing. If you want to delve more into campus life, then head to the college dorm. Much has been made of college roommates, and a new study says they can be beneficial.
Looking Ahead, Looking Back
Officials who administer the
ACT and
SAT say more high school students took both tests last year. The ACT had 1.4 million test takers while the SAT had 1.5 million test takers. The percentage of students who took the ACT met or surpassed benchmarks in math (43 percent), reading (53 percent), and science (28 percent). The national average composite score for students has changed little, going to 21.1 this year, compared to 21.2 from last year. SAT test takers remained steady, too, with students averaging a 502 for reading; 515 for math and 494 for the writing section. Both the ACT and SAT had an increase of minority test takers in 2008.
Teacher Pay
Teacher compensation continues to be hot a topic. A Duke University economist says the practice of paying teachers for credentials earned should be re-examined, in favor of paying teachers higher salaries and larger raises at the beginning of their careers. Jacob Vigdor, an associate professor of public policy studies and a faculty research fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research, says shifting a teacher’s lifetime compensation toward the beginning of their career would make the profession more attractive to highly qualified recruits. You can find Vigdor’s research "Scrap the Sacrosanct Salary Schedule" in Education Next. Vigdor’s report is taking a hit from Barnett Berry, president of the Center for Teaching Quality who will be speaking at EWA’s regional seminar in Chicago. Berry says the author contradicts himself from his previous research.
Growing Up Male
Young men are having a harder time growing into manhood because they are getting mixed messages about masculinity today. Michael Kimmel of Stony Brook University-New York explores young male culture in his new book, Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men. Young men are wrestling with several issues. They question how they can win respect, while trying to meet societal demands for them to be tough, sensitive and to acknowledge women as their equals. Kimmel interviewed 400 young men, mostly in their 20s and talks extensively about a “guy culture” on college campuses. He also finds women in their early 20s have better defined long -term goals than males. You can read some of his comments in this USA Today story. You can also check out a 2003 fact sheet compiled by Tom Mortenson of the Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education. He’s also quoted in the Athens Banner Herald about Georgia’s flagship university closing its gender gap.
Education and Communities
A quality education can lead to stronger communities. The RAND Corporation recently released a broad review of literature examining how education affects local communities. Researchers say the more educated a community the better the outcomes in health, wages, housing values, crime and higher tax revenues. RAND compiled the information at the request of community and school leaders in Santa Monica, Calif. Researchers at RAND reviewed 150 books and articles. In addition, RAND found an individual’s increased level of educational attainment meant they were more likely to engage in civic activities.
Rankings, Rankings and More Rankings
With U.S. News and World Report leading the college ranking wars, Radar Magazine couldn’t resist adding its two cents to the mix. Radar takes a snarky approach to college rankings, by releasing its annual guide to the worst colleges in America and top party institutions. Topping its list for the worst college is the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut because Radar says “it can’t imagine a more terrifying place to spend four years.” See what Radar has to say here. Higher ed reporters, are any of the colleges you cover on the list and is there some truth to Radar’s rankings?
EWA Notes
EWA members in Eduwonk
EWA board president Richard Whitmire was a recent guest blogger for
Eduwonk.com. When he wasn’t breaking news about Core Knowledge’s new reading instruction program, or questioning some research about pre-school and health, he managed to plug EWA and its members (
http://www.eduwonk.com/2008/08/bidness-of-the-day%e2%80%a6.html) onthe popular site. Whitmire interviewed Cathy Grimes of the
Daily Press, Scott Elliott, of the
Dayton Daily News, and Jeff Solocheck of the
St. Petersburg Times on whether bloggers can pick up the reporting slack in face of so many newsroom cutbacks. In addition, EWA board member
John Merrow was the subject of a Jeopardy style Friday Morning Fish Porn game. Ben Wildavsky, an EWA member and senior fellow at the Kauffman Foundation, guessed Merrow was the correct answer. (
http://www.eduwonk.com/2008/08/and-the-winner-of-the-fish-porn-guessing-game-is%e2%80%a6.html)
It’s Not Exactly a Farewell
Popular ed blogger Scott Elliott, of the
Dayton Daily News, is taking a new assignment. Elliott is the new education columnist and editorial board member at his newspaper. He has covered education for the
Dayton Daily News for the past decade and was one of the first education reporters to start his own blog,
Get on the Bus. Those of you who follow Elliott’s blog shouldn’t fret because he will continue to post. EWA wishes Elliott well in his new role and we’re glad he’s remaining a member of EWA.
Upcoming Events, Fellowship, and Documentary
Every Child Matters Education Fund will host "Step Up for Kids Day” on Tuesday, September 16. A special ceremony will be held at the National Press Club, to draw attention to issues facing America’s children including poverty, health care, juvenile incarceration, etc. For more information, visit http://www.everychildmatters.org/.
The Scientific Evidence in Education Forum, SEE, will hold a forum analyzing the effectiveness of after-school programs. The event will be held at the National Press Club, Wednesday, Sept. 17. For more information visit,http://www.seeforums.org/.
PBS will premiere a new documentary “WHERE WE STAND: America’s Schools in the 21st Century” airing Sept. 15 at 10p.m. The documentary will be hosted by Judy Woodruff, Senior Correspondent for the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation is releasing a series of reports on the teaching profession. The foundation has conducted a survey on what can be done to attract talented teachers to the classroom. A companion study shows few programs for college graduates and mid-career professionals design coursework to match candidates' work experience and that clinical placements are often haphazard and unrelated to candidates' career placements. A conference call is scheduled for Tuesday, September 9, 2008 at 1:00 p.m. For more information, contact Beverly Sanford at (609) 452-7007 x181 or Kari Hudnell at (202) 955-9450 x314.
Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and the Spencer Foundation is accepting applications for its education reporting fellowship. Three fellows will be selected to spend one academic year in New York City to study at the School of Journalism and at Columbia’s Teachers College. Fellows are expected to develop a long-form reporting project to advance the understanding of the American education system. Check Columbia’s website for deadline and application.
From the Beat
Left Behind
by Steve Esack
The Morning Call
John Clark is always on the lookout for money. As director of grants and development for the Allentown School District, Clark needs to find every available dollar to teach, feed and care for students -- the majority of whom live in poverty. But Clark will only touch a fraction of the district's $470,387 federal tutoring fund this year, even though he knows most will go to waste and never be used for its intended purpose under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
Value-added evaluation being tried in Ohio schools
by Scott Stephens
The Cleveland Plain Dealer
Tests measure what students know. Like a Polaroid, they give a snapshot of knowledge frozen at one moment in time. But what if you could measure how much a child learns over the course of a school year? What if you could gauge what a school actually adds to a child's learning experience? In Ohio, you can.
Into the backpack: Books, pens, worries
by Emily Richmond
The Las Vegas Sun
Adults tend to idealize the back-to-school rituals — the new clothes and friends, the fresh starts and high hopes that come every fall. But many Clark County adolescents who return to the classroom today appear far from carefree.
Please send your best stories and member news to Mesha Williams at publications@ewa.org.
**About us**
The Education Writers Association is the national professional organization of education reporters dedicated to improving education reporting to the public. Contact us by email at ewa@ewa.org, by phone at (202) 452-9830, by fax at (202) 452-9837 or by mail at
2122 P Street NW, Suite 201, Washington, DC, 20037
Our officers include: Richard Whitmire of USA Today, president; Kent Fischer, education reporter at the Dallas Morning News, vice president/actives; Marie Groark, senior policy officer and spokeswoman for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, vice president/associates; Kathy Baron, morning host/education reporter at northern California's KQED-FM (on leave), secretary; Linda Lenz, publisher of Catalyst, immediate past president. Our board members include Dale Mezzacappa, former reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer and now a Philadelphia-based freelance writer, Tanya Schevitz, higher education reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle; John Merrow of Learning Matters Inc.; Rodney Ferguson, executive vice president of Lipman Hearne Inc. Find contact information at our Web site, http://www.ewa.org.
