This past week I ventured to our nation’s capital to gain a beyond-the-Berkshires perspective of what’s trending, challenging and progressing in the education landscape.

I joined a few hundred education writers and field professionals on the campus of Georgetown University in attending the 70th annual National Seminar of the Education Writers Association. The event’s theme was, “A New Era for Education and the Press,” and the seminar featured more than 80 opportunities to learn and talk about issues ranging from, “Making Child Care Both Affordable and High Quality,” to “The Push to Upgrade Media Literacy” to “The Future of Title IX in Higher Education.”

Indeed, times are changing for schools, for educators, parents, and of course, students. Meanwhile, policy makers and community leaders are expected to keep up to ensure education is fair, equitable and accessible. But not everyone’s meeting in the middle of the road. In fact, many of the sessions highlighted chronic inequalities and achievement gaps across states, despite efforts like the Common Core curriculum movement and the federal Every Student Succeeds Act. But the programs also spotlighted some viable solutions which can be modeled and put into practice across the board.

So in brief, I offer you some insight into three issues I explored and how they might relate to a community like ours: