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Covering Education in a Crisis
Two journalists discuss the challenges and rewards of working the education beat and how COVID-19 has changed things for them
This blog was republished with permission from The Wallace Foundation, which published it first. (Disclaimer: The Wallace Foundation is one of EWA’s sustaining funders.)
Was His Former Teacher a Sexual Predator? This Reporter Had to Find Out.
Matt Drange of Business Insider exposed two decades of questionable behavior by a Southern California teacher whose former female students say were groomed by him for sex. (EWA Radio Episode 296)
For senior correspondent Matt Drange of Business Insider, this was a reporting assignment like no other: investigating his former high school journalism teacher on allegations of sexual misconduct.
Revisiting America’s Reading Wars
As momentum builds to change reading instruction, Lucy Calkins, chief architect of popular method, retreats from prior stance
(EWA Radio Episode 295)
For decades, millions of children have been taught to read using a popular method that’s out of step with the scientific research on how our brains really learn. Amid pushback and criticism – including from researchers, parents, and education journalists – that’s starting to change.
EWA Announces 14th Class of Reporting Fellows
The Education Writers Association is pleased to welcome its 14th class of EWA Reporting Fellows. This program is part of the organization’s drive to support enterprising journalism that informs the public about consequential issues in education.
Education Journalist Kavitha Cardoza Joins EWA
EWA is delighted to announce an addition to our team: veteran education journalist Kavitha Cardoza. She will serve as public editor for a year while Emily Richmond is on leave for the Spencer Education Fellowship at Columbia University. Kavitha’s first day was June 1.
Emily Richmond, EWA’s public editor since 2011, will spend the 2022-23 academic year researching and reporting on the U.S. Department of Defense’s K-12 schools, which serve more than 67,000 students from military-connected families around the globe.
Covering Parent Activism and Engagement? Go Beyond Critical Race Theory
‘Sexy headlines’ about the latest education controversy often grab attention. Learn why reporters shouldn’t limit their coverage. Plus, get research and the history of parent engagement in education.
A new generation of parent activists has arrived, and its members are far more concerned with “ballot boxes, legislative agendas and school district policy priorities than bake sales,” according to a new report from the public policy think tank FutureEd.
Agenda: EWA 75th National Seminar
July 24-26, 2022
The Education Writers Association’s 75th anniversary National Seminar will provide a long-awaited opportunity for the community that cares about high-quality education journalism to gather in person for three days of networking, training and inspiration.
EWA Announces Finalists for 2021 National Awards for Education Reporting
May 18, 2022 (WASHINGTON, DC)—The Education Writers Association is pleased to announce the category finalists for the 2021 National Awards for Education Reporting, recognizing the top education journalism in the United States.
In a year featuring dramatic disputes over masking, vaccines, school closures, and diversity, finalists adroitly covered high-profile controversies ranging from efforts to address racism in schools to the way educators handled instruction during the pandemic.
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?
Gun Violence in Schools and Communities: A Conversation With Journalists
It’s probably every reporter’s worst nightmare: Your co-worker rushes over from the police scanner and blurts out, “Active shooter at Such-and-Such School.”
When that happened to South Florida Sun-Sentinel education reporter Scott Travis on Valentine’s Day 2018, “I headed there hoping more than anything that this was a false alarm,” he told EWA seminar attendees May 6. But he was headed to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Does Money Matter? How Education Spending Affects Student Outcomes
What reporters should closely watch amid school spending initiatives and discussions
With school districts across the country seeing an unprecedented influx of federal aid to fuel the education recovery, the question remains of what impact these extra dollars will ultimately have on students.
School finance expert Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach of Northwestern University sees ample scholarly evidence that spending more improves outcomes for K-12 students.
Can the Latino College Gap Be Solved?
Texas Public Radio series sheds new light on sources of struggle for higher education students in majority Latino San Antonio, as well as innovative support systems that are making gains
(EWA Radio Episode 294)
For Texas student Andres Mendoza, the difference between fulfilling his dream of attending a four-year university away from home and opting for a lower-cost local community college was an unexpected bill for a family funeral.
‘Unlevel Playing Fields’ for Girls’ Sports
As Title IX turns 50, a new investigation finds the federal law is failing to protect girls’ access to sports, and many parents and students don’t know the rights afforded by the landmark equity law
(EWA Radio Episode 293)
Title IX prohibits gender-based discrimination in school programs that receive federal funding – but how fairly is the law being applied, especially when it comes to girls’ high school sports? A reporting team of nearly two dozen student journalists at the University of Maryland, College Park, set out to answer that question in a wide-ranging project.
Why Reporters Should Cover Middle School
Learning about the middle school years will help journalists better cover youth learning and brain development.
Although middle school is often treated as just a way station between elementary and high school, there’s much more to the story. In fact, the middle school years are a time of profound change for young people – physically, emotionally, and intellectually. These years are a crucial time for learning and brain development, a reality that is often overlooked or misconstrued.
Agenda for ‘Follow the Money: Workshop for Indiana and Ohio Reporters on Covering COVID-19 Relief for Schools’
Tuesday, April 19, 2022
Welcome
9:00 a.m. - 9:05 a.m.
- Caroline Hendrie, Education Writers Association
A Crash Course on Federal Stimulus Dollars
9:05 a.m. – 9:50 a.m.
How Reporters Can Better Cover Enrollment Shifts at Public Schools
School finance experts tackle key questions and provide tips for reporters.
Some urban school districts across the country were already grappling with shrinking enrollment when COVID hit. But for many, the pandemic accelerated those student losses, with major implications for their budgets and stability.
For some, the historic influx of federal COVID relief dollars is softening the fiscal blow in the short term. But with birthrates continuing to decline and the effects of a “COVID baby bust” looming, how can public schools adjust to plummeting enrollment — even as they scramble to address the outbreak’s academic and mental health fallout?
How to Better Cover LGBTQ Students in the Pandemic Era of ‘Don’t Say Gay,’ Book Bans and Other Issues
This deep dive catches reporters up on the legislation and issues affecting LGBTQ students. Read this main story and two other related pieces to improve your coverage.
Ranging from “Don’t Say Gay” laws to bans on transgender students’ participation in sports and on gay- and trans-themed books in schools, a record 238 anti-LGBTQ bills were filed in U.S. statehouses during the first three months of 2022. Even before the first were signed into law, the new measures had an impact in K-12 schools and on college campuses.
Getting Out of the Statehouse and Into the Schoolhouse When Covering LGBTQ Students
A consistent criticism from LGBTQ organizations of media coverage
of assault on gay and trans rights is that it features too few of
the people most affected. Here are three suggestions for
education reporters seeking to counter this.
Challenge the narrative: Francisco Vara-Orta is
a former Education Week staff writer and EWA board member who is
now director of diversity and inclusion for Investigative
Reporters and Editors. Reporters need to push back on misleading
or false assertions, he says.