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 coronavirus pandemic is creating huge challenges for the
teacher workforce — layoffs, pay cuts, fear of COVID-19 exposure
among those returning to bricks-and-mortar classrooms, to name a
few. At the same time, analysts and teacher advocates also see a
unique opportunity to innovate and rethink traditional practices.
With a college kid rooting around the fridge for yet another
meal, a husband conducting loud Zoom meetings about two feet from
my desk, and a teen with autism freaking out from a lack of
structure, 2020 is not shaping up to be a banner year for
productivity as a freelance education writer.
By Elizabeth Miller of Oregon Public Broadcasting for EWA
Like college professors all over the country, Angela Echeverri had never taught completely online before — until this past spring.
As a science professor at Los Angeles Mission College, Echeverri and her colleagues had two weeks to transition thousands of courses to an online format.
“The amount of work was absolutely brutal. It required a huge amount of work over those two weeks,” Echeverri said during a higher education panel at EWA’s virtual seminar earlier this month.
It’s a new academic year like no other on the K-12 and higher education beats. A pair of veteran education journalists share tips and insights for what’s ahead this fall and beyond.
As schools nationwide gear up for a new school year during the
pandemic — whether virtually or in person — meeting the social,
emotional and mental health needs of students and staff will be a
huge challenge and priority for school systems.
Educators and counselors said stories are waiting to be told at
every level of education as the combination of pandemic fears and
racial injustice puts added pressures on students and teachers.
In an effort to counteract the way COVID-19 is worsening many
educational inequities, government and educational leaders around
the country are trying a variety of interventions such as free
headphones, traffic light Wi-Fi, and more explicit teaching about
the realities of race relations.
Cable TV shouting heads can make it seem as if party politics —
more than research — guides stances on how education leaders
should respond to COVID-19. But in a conversation with education
journalists, one prominent Republican outlined potential
divisions among those who identify as conservatives.
Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor and 2016 presidential
candidate, called for additional federal funding to help schools
during the public health crisis and to address historical
inequities affecting low-income students.
In Alabama’s capital city, an epidemic of violence has shadowed the class of 2020 throughout their high school careers. Nearly a dozen of their classmates were killed before making it to graduation day. Reporter Krista Johnson of the Montgomery Advertiser set out to learn more about those who died, and to understand how trauma is shaping a generation of young people and their school communities.
When high schoolers Eric Luo and Zoe Monterola saw how
inaccessible grocery delivery services were for at-risk
populations in their hometown of Santa Clarita, California, they
knew something needed to be done.
“Seeing people pay hundreds of dollars just so people can grocery
shop for them … these issues affect us. That’s something that we
can change,” Zoe said.
The uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic has created reopening
challenges for schools across the nation, but those challenges
are magnified for the seven million students with disabilities
whose educational plans and therapies often rely on the structure
of a classroom setting and face-to-face services and lessons.
Want to return to a college campus this fall? You’ll have to
strictly follow tough rules. Fail to wear a mask or follow other
strict safety requirements at Benedict College in Columbia, S.C.,
and “you will be excised from the community. You will be voted
off the island,” warned President
Roslyn Artis.
If anything, the global pandemic has deepened U.S. Secretary of
Education Betsy DeVos’s commitment to all forms of school choice,
top deputy James Blew told reporters in a keynote
question-and-answer session at the Education Writers
Association’s 73rd National Seminar, held remotely in late
July.
How Is COVID-19 Impacting the Teacher Workforce?
Economic pressures, educator diversity, and rethinking professional development
The coronavirus pandemic is creating huge challenges for the teacher workforce — layoffs, pay cuts, fear of COVID-19 exposure among those returning to bricks-and-mortar classrooms, to name a few. At the same time, analysts and teacher advocates also see a unique opportunity to innovate and rethink traditional practices.
Why It’s So Hard to Report on Schools While Home-Schooling During a Pandemic
One journalist shares her struggle to report while guiding her son with autism through school
With a college kid rooting around the fridge for yet another meal, a husband conducting loud Zoom meetings about two feet from my desk, and a teen with autism freaking out from a lack of structure, 2020 is not shaping up to be a banner year for productivity as a freelance education writer.
How Higher Ed Rushed Online — and What Colleges Have Learned Since
Hoping fully remote learning isn't the future, professors and students get creative for now
Like college professors all over the country, Angela Echeverri had never taught completely online before — until this past spring.
As a science professor at Los Angeles Mission College, Echeverri and her colleagues had two weeks to transition thousands of courses to an online format.
“The amount of work was absolutely brutal. It required a huge amount of work over those two weeks,” Echeverri said during a higher education panel at EWA’s virtual seminar earlier this month.
Back-to-School: The Coronavirus Edition
Top reporters share tips for covering remote learning, inequities on the K-12 and higher ed beats in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic
(EWA Radio: Episode 244)
It’s a new academic year like no other on the K-12 and higher education beats. A pair of veteran education journalists share tips and insights for what’s ahead this fall and beyond.
Schools Brace for Mental Health Challenges During COVID-19 and Civil Unrest
Experts discuss trauma, social and emotional development
As schools nationwide gear up for a new school year during the pandemic — whether virtually or in person — meeting the social, emotional and mental health needs of students and staff will be a huge challenge and priority for school systems.
Educators and counselors said stories are waiting to be told at every level of education as the combination of pandemic fears and racial injustice puts added pressures on students and teachers.
Schools Experiment to Allay the Inequitable Impact of COVID-19
Pandemic sparks calls for changes to technology, curriculum and funding.
In an effort to counteract the way COVID-19 is worsening many educational inequities, government and educational leaders around the country are trying a variety of interventions such as free headphones, traffic light Wi-Fi, and more explicit teaching about the realities of race relations.
Jeb Bush Says ‘Classic Conservatives’ Want More Educational Funding, Local Control and Parent Choice
Former Florida governor supports taxpayer vouchers, including for private schools with rules against hiring LGBTQ staff
Cable TV shouting heads can make it seem as if party politics — more than research — guides stances on how education leaders should respond to COVID-19. But in a conversation with education journalists, one prominent Republican outlined potential divisions among those who identify as conservatives.
Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor and 2016 presidential candidate, called for additional federal funding to help schools during the public health crisis and to address historical inequities affecting low-income students.
‘Too Young To Die’ in Montgomery, Alabama
How community violence is shaping a generation of students
(EWA Radio: Episode 243)
In Alabama’s capital city, an epidemic of violence has shadowed the class of 2020 throughout their high school careers. Nearly a dozen of their classmates were killed before making it to graduation day. Reporter Krista Johnson of the Montgomery Advertiser set out to learn more about those who died, and to understand how trauma is shaping a generation of young people and their school communities.
Young Activists Offer Tips, Share Hesitations on Working With Journalists
'Amplify their voices,' and remember this may be their first media experience
When high schoolers Eric Luo and Zoe Monterola saw how inaccessible grocery delivery services were for at-risk populations in their hometown of Santa Clarita, California, they knew something needed to be done.
“Seeing people pay hundreds of dollars just so people can grocery shop for them … these issues affect us. That’s something that we can change,” Zoe said.
The Scramble for Effective Special Education in a Pandemic
Virtual learning often doesn't work for students with disabilities, experts say
The uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic has created reopening challenges for schools across the nation, but those challenges are magnified for the seven million students with disabilities whose educational plans and therapies often rely on the structure of a classroom setting and face-to-face services and lessons.
What Will ‘Back to Campus’ Mean? Analyzing Universities’ Plans for Reopening This Fall
While many schools are online-only, those returning in person get tough
Want to return to a college campus this fall? You’ll have to strictly follow tough rules. Fail to wear a mask or follow other strict safety requirements at Benedict College in Columbia, S.C., and “you will be excised from the community. You will be voted off the island,” warned President Roslyn Artis.
DeVos’ Top Deputy: COVID-19 ‘Underscores’ Need for School Choice
US assistant education secretary James Blew also addresses testing waivers
If anything, the global pandemic has deepened U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’s commitment to all forms of school choice, top deputy James Blew told reporters in a keynote question-and-answer session at the Education Writers Association’s 73rd National Seminar, held remotely in late July.