EWA's blog about education issues and topics from a journalist's perspective. The Educated Reporter is anchored by Emily Richmond with contributions from EWA staff and guests.
EWA’s blog about education issues and topics from a journalist’s
perspective. The Educated Reporter is anchored by Emily Richmond with contributions
from EWA staff and guests.
The question of which students should win admission to selective
colleges is so heated that it has sparked state legislation,
discrimination lawsuits and a celebrity-studded bribery scandal.
So news that the College Board had been providing admissions
officers data on the kind of “adversity”
to which applicants had been exposed couldn’t help
but stir controversy.
In the midst of legal and political battles over preferences
given to different kinds of college applicants, news broke that
the College Board has been experimenting with providing
college admissions officers with what some have called an
“adversity score” for each applicant to, potentially, give
admissions boosts to students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Ever feel like somebody’s watching you? If you’re in a in a K-12 school these days, you’re probably right. Education Week’s Benjamin Herold took a close look at the surge in digital surveillance by districts, such as tapping facial recognition software and scanning social media posts for worrisome language.
The best way to predict the future is to look at how children are
faring. But the task is complicated given that the well-being of
children varies widely from state to state.
That’s what data presented by researchers Sarah Daily of Child
Trends and W. Steven Barnett of the National Institute for Early
Education Research at Rutgers University show. The duo offered
their takes on the state of early care and learning across the
United States at the Education Writers Association’s 2019 annual
conference in Baltimore.
Alyson Klein of Education Week for EWACaroline Hendrie
The federal Every Student Succeeds Act is about to unleash a
flood of new data, on everything from school-by-school spending
to chronic absenteeism and achievement results for vulnerable
groups of students.
But all those facts and figures don’t mean much if reporters
can’t explain what they really mean to parents and the public.
That was the message from a trio of experts – and a veteran
journalist – who spoke at a panel at the Education Writers
Association’s recent national conference in Baltimore.
In South Florida, a high school principal is under fire for tricking hundreds of students into thinking they were taking a legitimate Advanced Placement exam that might lead to college course credit. As first reported by Cassidy Alexander of the Daytona Beach News-Journal, the principal determined that giving all eligible students the AP test would have been too expensive. Instead, the school paid for 78 students to take the real test.
School segregation is a hot-button issue on the education
beat. One strategy to address it, busing, has drawn widespread
attention since a recent debate among Democratic presidential
candidates.
In the latest installment of Word on the Beat, we explore
what reporters need to know about campus reassignments to
diversify schools — whether voluntary or mandatory – and how
those efforts might impact students and communities.
In 2010, billionaire Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg announced an unprecedented gift: he would donate $100 million to the public school district of Newark, New Jersey (dollars that would eventually be matched by private partners).
An increased focus by philanthropy on the link between education
and upward economic mobility is not a fad but rather is central
to the work of many foundations, according to representatives of
leading grantmakers gathered at the Education Writers
Association’s annual conference in Baltimore.
Louise Kiernan, the editor-in-chief of ProPublica Illinois, once
had an illuminating conversation with a reader about anonymous
sources. The person thought that an anonymous source was unknown
to everyone, including the reporters.
“It wasn’t about this person’s ignorance, it was about our
arrogance” and failure to fully explain how journalists gather
and present news, Kiernan said during a session at the
Education Writers Association’s 2019 National Seminar in
Baltimore.
The Institute for Higher Education Policy is known for issuing
wonky, data-heavy reports. So why did the Washington-based
think tank just
issue a report focused on the personal stories of 17
low-income students struggling with inadequate financial aid?
Effective school principals are hard to find and to keep, and
turnover is a serious challenge.
But school districts that put their minds to it can create a
sustainable leader pipeline. Students score higher, and
principals stay on the job longer in districts that make diligent
efforts to select, prepare and mentor principals, according to a
multi-year
study, released in April, by the RAND Corporation, a public
policy research firm.
Word on the Beat: Adversity Score
What reporters need to know about the College Board's experimental "Environmental Context Dashboard"
The question of which students should win admission to selective colleges is so heated that it has sparked state legislation, discrimination lawsuits and a celebrity-studded bribery scandal. So news that the College Board had been providing admissions officers data on the kind of “adversity” to which applicants had been exposed couldn’t help but stir controversy.
College Board Explains ‘Environmental Context Dashboard’
In this on-the-record interview, David Coleman objects to the term "adversity score."
In the midst of legal and political battles over preferences given to different kinds of college applicants, news broke that the College Board has been experimenting with providing college admissions officers with what some have called an “adversity score” for each applicant to, potentially, give admissions boosts to students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
When Schools Spy on Students
K-12 districts ramping up digital surveillance in the name of campus safety
(EWA Radio: Episode 212)
Ever feel like somebody’s watching you? If you’re in a in a K-12 school these days, you’re probably right. Education Week’s Benjamin Herold took a close look at the surge in digital surveillance by districts, such as tapping facial recognition software and scanning social media posts for worrisome language.
The State of Early Learning in Your State
A pair of new reports shed light on the well-being of children across the U.S.
The best way to predict the future is to look at how children are faring. But the task is complicated given that the well-being of children varies widely from state to state.
That’s what data presented by researchers Sarah Daily of Child Trends and W. Steven Barnett of the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University show. The duo offered their takes on the state of early care and learning across the United States at the Education Writers Association’s 2019 annual conference in Baltimore.
How States Are Rethinking Accountability and Report Cards
A Raft of New Education Data is on Tap
The federal Every Student Succeeds Act is about to unleash a flood of new data, on everything from school-by-school spending to chronic absenteeism and achievement results for vulnerable groups of students.
But all those facts and figures don’t mean much if reporters can’t explain what they really mean to parents and the public.
That was the message from a trio of experts – and a veteran journalist – who spoke at a panel at the Education Writers Association’s recent national conference in Baltimore.
The Strange Tale of the Fake AP Test
Principal, school under investigation for having unknowing students take ‘placebo exam’ instead of accredited test
(EWA Radio: Episode 211)
In South Florida, a high school principal is under fire for tricking hundreds of students into thinking they were taking a legitimate Advanced Placement exam that might lead to college course credit. As first reported by Cassidy Alexander of the Daytona Beach News-Journal, the principal determined that giving all eligible students the AP test would have been too expensive. Instead, the school paid for 78 students to take the real test.
Word on the Beat: Busing
What reporters need to know about school desegregation efforts -- past and present
School segregation is a hot-button issue on the education beat. One strategy to address it, busing, has drawn widespread attention since a recent debate among Democratic presidential candidates.
In the latest installment of Word on the Beat, we explore what reporters need to know about campus reassignments to diversify schools — whether voluntary or mandatory – and how those efforts might impact students and communities.
Cory Booker, Mark Zuckerberg, and the Newark Schools Experiment
"The Prize" author Dale Russakoff discusses massive school reform intervention spearheaded by then-Mayor Cory Booker and funded by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, and its mixed results
EWA Radio: Episode 38
In 2010, billionaire Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg announced an unprecedented gift: he would donate $100 million to the public school district of Newark, New Jersey (dollars that would eventually be matched by private partners).
Can Education Philanthropy Lift Students Out of Poverty?
Upward economic mobility, long-term positive outcomes renewed focus of foundations
An increased focus by philanthropy on the link between education and upward economic mobility is not a fad but rather is central to the work of many foundations, according to representatives of leading grantmakers gathered at the Education Writers Association’s annual conference in Baltimore.
Restoring Trust in Journalism Takes Transparency and Baby Pictures
Journalists outline five techniques to rebut 'fake news' misconceptions
Louise Kiernan, the editor-in-chief of ProPublica Illinois, once had an illuminating conversation with a reader about anonymous sources. The person thought that an anonymous source was unknown to everyone, including the reporters.
“It wasn’t about this person’s ignorance, it was about our arrogance” and failure to fully explain how journalists gather and present news, Kiernan said during a session at the Education Writers Association’s 2019 National Seminar in Baltimore.
Power to the Pupil: The Case for Using More Student Voice in Your Reporting
The Institute for Higher Education Policy is known for issuing wonky, data-heavy reports. So why did the Washington-based think tank just issue a report focused on the personal stories of 17 low-income students struggling with inadequate financial aid?
How Can Districts Find and Keep Effective Principals?
Effective school principals are hard to find and to keep, and turnover is a serious challenge.
But school districts that put their minds to it can create a sustainable leader pipeline. Students score higher, and principals stay on the job longer in districts that make diligent efforts to select, prepare and mentor principals, according to a multi-year study, released in April, by the RAND Corporation, a public policy research firm.