For many college students — whether fresh out of high school or adults returning to school — their most serious obstacles to a degree won’t be homework or tests, but rather the challenges of navigating student life. Colleges are now being forced to face the longstanding problems that have often led to students’ flailing and failing on their own.
As policy and political leaders sound the alarm on America’s dwindling competitive edge, it’s up to journalists to vet those claims and examine the measures used to gauge whether U.S. students are prepared to thrive in the 21st century economy. Central to the debate over the country’s international standing is the question of whether the U.S. education system is up to par in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering, and math.
Growing public distrust, cagey lawmakers and big money from all directions—it’s not just the standards and assessments that are common in the roll out of the Common Core State Standards.
Despite the pushback, the standards are fast becoming a reality across the country. What does that mean for education and the journalists who cover it? Are the standards making a dramatic difference in the way teachers work? How well have school districts planned their curricula around Common Core?
More than 50 reporters joined EWA for our seminar “More Than Scores: Assessing the Future of Teacher Evaluations,” held Oct. 10th and 11th at the University of Chicago. As always, we look forward to the coverage inspired by the event. So far, we know about the following stories:
More than 50 journalists joined EWA for our annual Higher Education Seminar, held Sept. 27-28 at Northeastern University in Boston. As always, we look forward to the coverage inspired and informed by the event. So far, we know about the following stories:
Note: Only sessions with multimedia or associated reading are listed on this page.
Thursday, May 2
Site Visit
Blended Learning Takes Off. Rocketship was founded in 2006 as the first elementary blended-learning school model in the country, and has become both the highest-growth charter school system in the country and the highest-performing low-income school system in California.
Feb. 8, 2013University of Maryland-Baltimore County
If you couldn’t make it to our Feb. 8 seminar, Under the Microscope: Examining STEM Education, we’ll be collecting resources from it on this page over the next few days.
How much should students have to pay to earn a postsecondary degree? At EWA’s 2012 Higher Education Seminar, leading experts took a range of approaches to this question, which has vexed students, administrators and policymakers. This journalists-only event was hosted by the Indiana University School of Education and Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis.
Ready to Teach: Rethinking Routes to the Classroom
How well is America teaching its teachers?
As accountability pressures on the nation’s teaching force mount, scrutiny of colleges of education is intensifying as well. During this one-day EWA seminar, journalists and experts delved into the growing efforts to revamp how aspiring educators are prepared for the classroom and how teacher-preparation programs are held accountable for results.
Several urban districts and some states are quickly translating Common Core proficiencies into new teaching practices and more complex classroom activities. This represents a sharp departure from the “basic skills” drilling experienced by many English-language learners under high-stakes accountability policies.
Turnaround Schools: Are SIG Dollars Making a Difference?
Since 2009, the federal government has poured more than $4.6 billion into the School Improvement Grants program, one of the most ambitious attempts at education reform in recent history.
Our March 24, 2012 seminar at the University of Chicago took a close look at the federal School Improvement Grant program, the research base behind school turnarounds, and how charter schools factor into attempts to reimagine and reform chronically low-performing schools.
What can you conclude about the teacher-turnover rates in your local schools? What is the relationship between students’ family backgrounds and high school graduation rates? Which schools are beating the demographic odds in student learning growth? Do students’ grades in your local high schools line up with their need for remediation in college?
Few education issues are as fraught with controversy as teacher evaluation. Fierce debates are playing out at the local, state, and national levels, as efforts accelerate to revamp systems widely seen as ineffective at meaningfully distinguishing among teachers or helping them improve.
This is an important moment for higher education, and an exciting time for the journalists who cover it. In the face of severe economic difficulties, experts are pointing to postsecondary education and training as key weapons in the fight to get America back on track economically and secure its long-term prosperity.
EWA held its 64th National Seminar in New Orleans April 7-9. The conference featured 90 speakers and 30 sessions.We’ve rounded up stories, blog items, Power Point presentations, and podcasts on nearly all of them.
The sessions are featured chronologically. We will continue to update as we obtain more materials.
The discussion at our daylong conference went beyond the commonly discussed topics of teacher pay and evaluation to ask: Is it feasible to make entry into the profession more competitive? Why is there often a large gap between what aspiring teachers learn in school and the skills they need in the classroom? And why do so few teachers feel they are getting the help they need to improve?
EWA wishes to thank the Carnegie Corporation of New York for its support of this project.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Covering the College Student Experience
2014 Higher Ed Seminar
For many college students — whether fresh out of high school or adults returning to school — their most serious obstacles to a degree won’t be homework or tests, but rather the challenges of navigating student life. Colleges are now being forced to face the longstanding problems that have often led to students’ flailing and failing on their own.
Recap: The 67th National Seminar
Blog posts, videos, podcasts and more from our 2014 National Seminar.
Building a Child’s Mind: Inside Early Childhood Education
Join EWA and your fellow journalists Feb. 3-4 at our first seminar in 17 years to focus solely on covering early childhood education.
STEM and Beyond: Strengthening the Skills of Students and Journalists
As policy and political leaders sound the alarm on America’s dwindling competitive edge, it’s up to journalists to vet those claims and examine the measures used to gauge whether U.S. students are prepared to thrive in the 21st century economy. Central to the debate over the country’s international standing is the question of whether the U.S. education system is up to par in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering, and math.
Recap: Common Core at the Crossroads
Growing public distrust, cagey lawmakers and big money from all directions—it’s not just the standards and assessments that are common in the roll out of the Common Core State Standards.
Despite the pushback, the standards are fast becoming a reality across the country. What does that mean for education and the journalists who cover it? Are the standards making a dramatic difference in the way teachers work? How well have school districts planned their curricula around Common Core?
Recap: Assessing the Future of Teacher Evaluations
More than 50 reporters joined EWA for our seminar “More Than Scores: Assessing the Future of Teacher Evaluations,” held Oct. 10th and 11th at the University of Chicago. As always, we look forward to the coverage inspired by the event. So far, we know about the following stories:
Recap: What Demographic Changes Mean for Colleges and Reporters
More than 50 journalists joined EWA for our annual Higher Education Seminar, held Sept. 27-28 at Northeastern University in Boston. As always, we look forward to the coverage inspired and informed by the event. So far, we know about the following stories:
Creativity Counts: Innovation in Education and the Media
EWA’s 66th National Seminar
Note: Only sessions with multimedia or associated reading are listed on this page.
Thursday, May 2
Site Visit
Blended Learning Takes Off. Rocketship was founded in 2006 as the first elementary blended-learning school model in the country, and has become both the highest-growth charter school system in the country and the highest-performing low-income school system in California.
Coverage
Recap: Examining STEM Education
If you couldn’t make it to our Feb. 8 seminar, Under the Microscope: Examining STEM Education, we’ll be collecting resources from it on this page over the next few days.
First, check out this video report featuring participants from our STEM Science Fair:
View the conference agenda
Background reading for the seminar
Higher Ed Seminar 2012
Degrees vs. Debt: Making College More Affordable
How much should students have to pay to earn a postsecondary degree? At EWA’s 2012 Higher Education Seminar, leading experts took a range of approaches to this question, which has vexed students, administrators and policymakers. This journalists-only event was hosted by the Indiana University School of Education and Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis.
2012 Teachers Seminar
Ready to Teach: Rethinking Routes to the Classroom
How well is America teaching its teachers?
As accountability pressures on the nation’s teaching force mount, scrutiny of colleges of education is intensifying as well. During this one-day EWA seminar, journalists and experts delved into the growing efforts to revamp how aspiring educators are prepared for the classroom and how teacher-preparation programs are held accountable for results.
Finding Common Ground: Common Core and ELLs
What Common Core Standards Mean for English Language Learners
Several urban districts and some states are quickly translating Common Core proficiencies into new teaching practices and more complex classroom activities. This represents a sharp departure from the “basic skills” drilling experienced by many English-language learners under high-stakes accountability policies.
65th National Seminar – Learning from Leaders: What Works for Stories and Schools
EWA held its 65th National Seminar in Philadelphia May 17-19. The conference featured roughly 120 speakers and 40 sessions.
The sessions are featured chronologically. We will continue to update as we obtain more materials.
*Names that contain a hyperlink open up to a video, PowerPoint, or PDF
Photos from the National Seminar
Thursday, May 17
Site Visit – Tackling Turnarounds: Mastery Charter Schools
School Improvement Grants Seminar
Turnaround Schools: Are SIG Dollars Making a Difference?
Since 2009, the federal government has poured more than $4.6 billion into the School Improvement Grants program, one of the most ambitious attempts at education reform in recent history.
Our March 24, 2012 seminar at the University of Chicago took a close look at the federal School Improvement Grant program, the research base behind school turnarounds, and how charter schools factor into attempts to reimagine and reform chronically low-performing schools.
Diving Into Data 2012
EWA Seminar on Data-Based Journalism
What can you conclude about the teacher-turnover rates in your local schools? What is the relationship between students’ family backgrounds and high school graduation rates? Which schools are beating the demographic odds in student learning growth? Do students’ grades in your local high schools line up with their need for remediation in college?
EWA Teacher Evaluation Seminar
Evaluating Teachers: Beyond the Rhetoric
Few education issues are as fraught with controversy as teacher evaluation. Fierce debates are playing out at the local, state, and national levels, as efforts accelerate to revamp systems widely seen as ineffective at meaningfully distinguishing among teachers or helping them improve.
EWA Higher Ed Seminar for Journalists
20 Million Degrees and Rising: Meeting the Demand for More College Graduates, Nov. 4-5, 2011
This is an important moment for higher education, and an exciting time for the journalists who cover it. In the face of severe economic difficulties, experts are pointing to postsecondary education and training as key weapons in the fight to get America back on track economically and secure its long-term prosperity.
64th National Seminar – Recovery and Reform: Aiming for Excellence in Uncertain Times
EWA held its 64th National Seminar in New Orleans April 7-9. The conference featured 90 speakers and 30 sessions.We’ve rounded up stories, blog items, Power Point presentations, and podcasts on nearly all of them.
The sessions are featured chronologically. We will continue to update as we obtain more materials.
The Promise and Pitfalls of Improving the Teaching Profession
The discussion at our daylong conference went beyond the commonly discussed topics of teacher pay and evaluation to ask: Is it feasible to make entry into the profession more competitive? Why is there often a large gap between what aspiring teachers learn in school and the skills they need in the classroom? And why do so few teachers feel they are getting the help they need to improve?
EWA wishes to thank the Carnegie Corporation of New York for its support of this project.
Cheaper, Faster, Better: The Challenge Facing Higher Education
Feb. 4-5, 2011, Poynter Institute, St. Petersburg, Fla.
EWA’s annual conference for higher education reporters was held Feb. 4-5, 2011 at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla.