EWA Fellows Class 10
EWA Announces Fall 2020 Class of Reporting Fellows
The Education Writers Association is pleased to announce its 10th 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.
“Our journalist members are producing outstanding work in unprecedented circumstances as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing economic downturn,” said Caroline Hendrie, EWA’s executive director. “We are proud to support in-depth projects that focus needed attention on critical issues in K-12 and higher education.”
Ten projects were selected in this round. Each EWA Reporting Fellowship provides up to $8,000 to help cover reporting costs, plus other assistance.
The newest class of EWA Reporting Fellows represents a diverse mix of news outlets. The projects are expected to be published during the 2020-21 academic year.
Meet the Fellows:
What Missouri Schools Can Learn From How Germany Has Handled School Reopenings
In St. Louis, many public school districts are just beginning to bring students back for in-person instruction. Saying it’s still not safe, other districts continue to offer only a virtual model. But in Germany, things look much different. School was in session last spring, and it resumed in person again in August — and not just for little kids, either.
How German Students Have Been Back At School Since Spring, While Missourians Are Just Returning
It’s halfway through the fall semester, and many students in the St. Louis and Kansas City areas are just now trickling back into classrooms. Thousands are still learning from home. Meanwhile, in most of Europe, schools have been open since August with students attending in person daily.
A robust public health system, hygiene measures and targeted quarantines of students and staff exposed to the coronavirus get the credit. But that early success could soon be put to the test as cold weather arrives along with a resurgence of cases of the coronavirus.
Germany’s Schools Try To Open Amid New Coronavirus Lockdowns
Although the Bavarian government, to the south, has ordered the first widespread lockdowns in districts along the Austrian border amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, schools in most of Germany, generally speaking, are back to normal. At least for the moment.
Read the full story here.
Monica Braine & Charlotte West
Native America Calling & The Hechinger Report
Profiles of Native American high school seniors and first-year college students in the Southwestern U.S. will shed light on the challenges faced by students whose families have been directly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The series will also explore racial inequities in access to support services that could improve their odds of success in college and careers.
Brittany Britto
Houston Chronicle
A close look at the societal impact of historically Black colleges and universities in Texas, including their financial processes, economic impact, success rates, culture, history, and student and alumni perspectives.
Tweet to @brittanybritto
Daarel Burnette
Education Week
The coronavirus pandemic is expected to take a severe financial toll on school districts that serve large concentrations of low-income Black and Latino families. How will budget cuts this school year affect classroom learning for students already disenfranchised and left behind?
Christina Couch
Nova
New federal, state and private investments are expanding science education within the U.S. prison system. How does this contrast with the almost nonexistent pathways into the sciences available to formerly incarcerated individuals, as well as the steep obstacles they face to break into research fields or use this education after leaving prison?
Ryan Delaney & Elle Moxley
KCUR - Missouri Public Radio
Schools in certain countries were able to get some students back into the classroom, and kids’ educations back on track, a few weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic. What can the U.S. learn from the experience of education systems in Europe?
Tweet to @rpatrickdelaney
Maritza Félix
Prensa Arizona
During the pandemic, Latino students with disabilities are facing additional challenges with distance learning as a result of language barriers and a lack of resources. How are their parents adapting to take on a more active role in ensuring their children don’t fall behind?
Sara Hebel
Open Campus
Colleges play a central role in their communities as a force for economic recovery from the pandemic. How is the current crisis reshaping some longstanding “town and gown” relationships?
Tweet to @shebel
Cecilia Hernandez-Cromwell
Telemundo Oklahoma
How are career colleges, which emphasize hands-on skills training, rethinking their instructional approach in light of the new safety mandates during the coronavirus pandemic?
Tweet to @Cecylu92
Jacqueline Rabe Thomas
Connecticut Mirror
A deep exploration of the academic and social impact of massive mid-year and end-of-year student turnover in urban schools due to the economic turmoil, and disruptions to families brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tweet to @jacquelinerabe
Janelle Retka
Yakima Herald
An exploration of how Washington state’s child care deserts, which create inequity before young children even enter the school system, have been exacerbated by the pandemic and what this means for impacted students and their families.
Tweet to @janelleretka
Jeff Young
EdSurge
How will colleges and universities handle the many unknown challenges of the first full academic year in the COVID-19 era? In a podcast series, EdSurge will follow a group of students and professors and chronicle their experiences. , with an emphasis on how first-generation and low-income college students face different challenges than those from better-resourced families.