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New to the Beat: Announcing the 2022 Rookies
The Education Writers Association is pleased to announce the class of 2022 for New to the Beat, a mentoring and training program for journalists with less than two years experience covering education.
The 22 rookies were selected through a competitive application process. Each will be matched with an experienced education reporter who will serve as a mentor and coach for the duration of the six-month program. The rookies also take part in specialized training opportunities.
P-12 Education’s Big Stories to Follow in 2022
(EWA Radio Episode 285)
How many days of instruction have students really lost amid the pandemic, and what’s the impact? How are districts tracking and reporting COVID-19 infection rates among students and staff? Who’s making sure the services districts invest in to help struggling students recover academically are high quality and grounded in research?
Martin Luther King Jr. Said, ‘Education is a Battleground.’ Reflecting on His Words
King’s remarks on education continue to be relevant in 21st century America.
When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. accepted the John Dewey Award from the United Federation of Teachers in 1964, he spoke of education being a battleground in the freedom struggle.
“It was not fortuitous that education became embroiled in this conflict,” King said. “Education is one of the vital tools the Negro needs in order to advance. And yet it has been denied him by devises of segregation and manipulations with quality.”
Member Spotlight: How a Newbie Education Reporter Landed a Big Investigation
"Race shapes everything we write" says 2019 EWA Awards Investigative Finalist Annie Ma
Annie Ma landed her first full-time staff reporting job – as an education reporter at the Charlotte Observer – in June 2019. Just four weeks later, a story broke that would lead her into an investigation that won her and another reporter finalist honors in that year’s EWA Awards program.
New Year, New Higher Ed Stories
From continued COVID-19 fallout to federal higher ed policy shifts, it’s a big year ahead for colleges and universities (EWA Radio Episode 284)
This will be a momentous year for higher education – as colleges attempt to recover from COVID shutdowns, student loan bills come due again, and big changes come to admissions offices. What will college look like this year? How are institutions planning to spend billions of dollars in federal COVID-19 relief funds? And how bad a hit are overall enrollment numbers going to take in the third year of the pandemic?
How to Cover the Complex World of Child Care Funding
Learn about how child care programs braid funding together—and still struggle to survive.
The fractured state of the child care industry has become especially clear during the coronavirus pandemic, as thousands of child care centers have closed permanently, and many more are struggling to find workers and survive economically.
Many of the issues facing these centers are related to the complexities of funding and lack of public investment in child care. It is expensive to provide, unaffordable for many families, and child care workers make such meager wages that many live in poverty, something that has led to an exodus of early educators during the pandemic.
Top 10 Most-Read EWA Blogs of 2021
Journalist members wrote practical resources to help their fellow reporters all year long.
Supporting our talented journalist members is one of the best parts of my job here at the Education Writers Association.
Many of them have written insightful, well-researched and, yes, educational blog posts over the course of the year. And several took time from full-time reporting jobs to write these resources – all with the purpose of helping their fellow journalists do their jobs.
From Pandemic Impact to School Board Battlegrounds: 21’s Top EWA Radio Episodes
2021’s Most Popular EWA Radio Episodes
For those traveling this holiday season, the right playlist is essential to helping those hum-drum miles slip away. And even if you’re staying home, there’s no better time to catch up on the top EWA Radio episodes of 2021.
From teachers’ unions to school board battles to tracking what really happened to students amid the pandemic, this year’s podcast guests covered just about all the bases. Some of the nation’s top education reporters explain how they got the big stories, and also provide tips for other journalists looking to follow their leads.
EWA National Awards for Education Reporting Tips for Applying
Entering a journalism awards contest may seem daunting and perhaps even presumptuous. But veteran journalists and honorees of the Education Writers Association’s National Awards for Education Reporting recommend several techniques to make the process easy and inspiring — and improve your chances of impressing the judges.
Follow the Money: Workshop for Illinois Reporters on Covering COVID-19 Relief for Schools
With the federal government providing nearly $200 billion to schools for pandemic relief, states and districts have a unique opportunity to fuel the education recovery.
The Education Writers Association is launching a series of virtual workshops for journalists in the Great Lakes states – starting with Illinois on Feb. 8 – to help the news media play a stronger role in answering these and other key questions.
Education Writers Association Announces Winter 2022 Class of Reporting Fellows
The Education Writers Association is pleased to announce its 13th class of EWA Reporting Fellows as part of the organization’s drive to support enterprising journalism that informs the public about consequential issues in education.
These New Education Books Make Perfect Gifts. (Trust Us.)
What we’re giving the education reporters (and education enthusiasts) on our list this year
Shopping for the education writer in your life this holiday season? Any reporter can tell you which is the best seat in the school board meeting room: It’s the one near the only working wall outlet. While this popular version of a portable battery pack will set you back about $50, it’s reliable, durable, and speedy. (No, EWA does not do paid product endorsements. I actually use this.) It also has the benefit of being cable free if your gift recipient uses a compatible smartphone.
75th EWA National Seminar
Orlando • July 24-26, 2022
Celebrating 75 Years!
As those in education and journalism work to recover from an extended pandemic, bringing together the community has never been more critical. The Education Writers Association’s 75th annual National Seminar will provide a long-awaited opportunity to gather in person for three days of training, networking, and inspiration.
The Nation’s Reading Problem
Teachers trying new approaches to reach students hit hardest by pandemic-era learning disruptions (EWA Radio Episode 283)
When it comes to reading, America’s students are struggling. And the pandemic has only made a tough situation harder for those kids who were already most at risk of falling behind. Jill Barshay of The Hechinger Report – who coordinated a reporting project with five other newsrooms – explains how the pandemic shutdown…
EWA Caucus on School Finance: An Online Reporting Community
School finance is a complex but critically important topic for education journalists to cover. Amid a mass influx of federal COVID-19 recovery aid, efforts to revamp state funding formulas, and other developments, the need is urgent for journalists to help the public make sense of education funding matters.
What Are Regional Educational Labs? Tips for Accessing Research and Story Ideas From an Overlooked Source
Find studies, subject matter experts, insight into educators’ concerns and more from a federal network of labs.
Reporters hunting for useful research can try a federal source that many overlook – Regional Educational Laboratories across the country.
The U.S. Department of Education’s research arm, the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), allocates roughly $57 million a year to this network of 10 laboratories. Each lab’s researchers team up with educators and policymakers to try to figure out what works and what doesn’t in their districts.
Responsible Coverage of School Shootings
There’s a question I’m asked all too often, and one I wish I never, ever had another reason to answer: How should reporters approach covering school shootings?
Sponsor Webinar: Data Tool Explores If Colleges Boost Alumni Paychecks
What makes a college “good”?
Providing stellar educations and career opportunities to a select few? Or creating lots of opportunities for all kinds of people, and helping disadvantaged students get into careers that can sustain families?
Reporters who want answers can use a new free data tool that helps identify whether colleges are opening the doors of socioeconomic mobility and promoting equity in education.