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.
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.
Pedro Martinez, the superintendent of the San Antonio Independent
School District, oversees the education of almost 50,000
students. Ninety percent live in poverty, he said, and half of
the families in the district make less than $35,000 a year.
Martinez described educating students, kindergarten through high
school, who live in cramped homes without computers or internet
connections since the pandemic hit in March.
The tension over having armed police on public schools campuses isn’t new, but it’s moved back into the spotlight in recent months. In early June, the school board in Minneapolis — where George Floyd was killed during an arrest by the city’s police — voted unanimously to sever its ties with the city’s police department.
If schools can be opened safely, then do it. “If you can’t do it
safely, you shouldn’t do it at all.” That’s the view of the
Democratic congressman with the most clout in federal education
policy.
U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), the chairman of the House
Committee on Education and Labor, dismissed
recent CDC guidelines that emphasize the importance of
reopening schools in a Friday, July 24 webinar at the Education
Writers Association’s National Seminar.
Missed some of the sessions this week — or just want to relive
some of the great moments? We’ve gathered some outstanding quotes
from our speakers in this post.
Conference attendees can also watch video replays of most
sessions on the conference
site, and everyone can follow along on
Twitter at #EWA20.
In a new investigation, The Huffington Post’s Rebecca Klein found disturbing examples of Christian schools that receive taxpayer dollars — through tax credit scholarship and voucher programs — that were requiring LGBTQ students to undergo “conversion therapy” in an attempt to change their sexual orientation. The controversial practice…
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.
Educating During COVID: Superintendents and College Leaders Scramble to Fill Students’ New Needs
Solutions include more financial aid, free headphones and traffic light wifi hotspots
Pedro Martinez, the superintendent of the San Antonio Independent School District, oversees the education of almost 50,000 students. Ninety percent live in poverty, he said, and half of the families in the district make less than $35,000 a year. Martinez described educating students, kindergarten through high school, who live in cramped homes without computers or internet connections since the pandemic hit in March.
The Future of School Police
Some school districts rethinking security guards and armed officers in wake of George Floyd death and protests of racial injustice (EWA Radio: Episode 242)
The tension over having armed police on public schools campuses isn’t new, but it’s moved back into the spotlight in recent months. In early June, the school board in Minneapolis — where George Floyd was killed during an arrest by the city’s police — voted unanimously to sever its ties with the city’s police department.
US Rep. Bobby Scott: ‘If You Can’t Open Schools Safely, Don’t’
Congressman details schools' planning, funding, and Republican discord during EWA interview
If schools can be opened safely, then do it. “If you can’t do it safely, you shouldn’t do it at all.” That’s the view of the Democratic congressman with the most clout in federal education policy.
U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), the chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor, dismissed recent CDC guidelines that emphasize the importance of reopening schools in a Friday, July 24 webinar at the Education Writers Association’s National Seminar.
Here’s What You Missed at the 73rd National Seminar
Missed some of the sessions this week — or just want to relive some of the great moments? We’ve gathered some outstanding quotes from our speakers in this post.
Conference attendees can also watch video replays of most sessions on the conference site, and everyone can follow along on Twitter at #EWA20.
At These Christian Schools Getting Public Dollars, LGBTQ Students Pushed Into Conversion Therapy
New investigation finds academies receiving millions in taxpayer dollars are using the controversial practice with students with pseudoscientific conversion therapy (EWA Radio: Episode 241)
In a new investigation, The Huffington Post’s Rebecca Klein found disturbing examples of Christian schools that receive taxpayer dollars — through tax credit scholarship and voucher programs — that were requiring LGBTQ students to undergo “conversion therapy” in an attempt to change their sexual orientation. The controversial practice…