No time to attend an in-person seminar? Get your training on-demand with EWA's free online series. All of our past events are archived here, with new live events scheduled throughout the year.
No time to attend an in-person seminar? Get your training on-demand with EWA’s free online series. All of our past events are archived here, with new live events scheduled throughout the year.
States across the nation are taking another look at their school accountability systems in response to the Every Student Succeeds Act, a rewrite of the main federal law for K-12 education. So far, 16 states and the District of Columbia have submitted their ESSA plans for review by the U.S. Department of Education. Another 33 states have until Sept. 18 to do so.
Finding fresh angles on familiar ground can be an annual challenge for education reporters. With this webinar, you’ll get smart tips from experienced journalists for great stories on the first day of school and beyond.
We’ll discuss novel ways of approaching the new academic year, from preschool through higher education. You’ll get ideas for unique profiles, for making the most of your publication’s multimedia resources, and for exploring a range of timely questions on the beat.
When it comes to school district finances, the numbers aren’t easy to add up. But tracking and analyzing this information is a powerful tool to drive smart news coverage.
Veteran education journalist Tawnell Hobbs of The Wall Street Journal shares tips and tricks for digging into district operating budgets and actual expenditures, as well as salary databases, overtime requests, check registers and credit card accounts, purchase orders, and more. Learn how to evaluate fiscal data that’s readily available and make the most of open records requests.
School’s out, but there’s no shortage of compelling summer stories to pursue on the education beat.
How might President Trump’s proposed budget cuts for education impact summer learning programs? How is your state incorporating summer learning into its revamped accountability plan under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)? What’s the latest on summer Pell Grants?
Looking to liven up your coverage of classroom technology and how it’s playing out in your local schools? Join Nichole Dobo of The Hechinger Report and EWA public editor Emily Richmond for an “express” 30-minute webinar on digital learning and classroom technology. You’ll come away with ideas for quick-hit daily stories, data-driven takeouts and enterprise reporting. Plus, get the inside scoop on how to make the most of EWA’s newest Topics Page on Digital Learning & Technology.
Looking to liven up your coverage of classroom technology and how it’s playing out in your local schools? Join Nichole Dobo of The Hechinger Report and EWA public editor Emily Richmond for an “express” 30-minute webinar on digital learning and classroom technology. You’ll come away with ideas for quick-hit daily stories, data-driven takeouts and enterprise reporting. Plus, get the inside scoop on how to make the most of EWA’s newest Topics Page on Digital Learning & Technology.
Space is limited! Sign up today to reserve your spot.
With states revamping their school accountability systems under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, recent actions by Congress and the Trump administration raise important questions about what’s ahead. First, the Senate last week narrowly approved a bill to repeal ESSA accountability rules issued by the Obama administration. (President Donald Trump is expected to sign the measure.) Also, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos just issued new ESSA guidelines for states.
How will the U.S. fare against other countries when the results from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) are released Dec. 6? At our reporters-only webinar, get advance, embargoed access to the full report, as well as an opportunity to ask questions about the findings from a leader at the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Should schools measure skills like cooperation, communication, self-confidence and the ability to organize? Efforts to gauge these so-called “soft skills” are gaining traction in the classroom, especially with the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act. The new federal law calls on states and school districts to incorporate at least one measure beyond test scores and graduation rates in their accountability systems.
Get ready. A fresh wave of global test results for dozens of nations is about to hit U.S. shores. Outcomes from two major exams will be issued just days apart: TIMSS on Nov. 29. PISA on Dec. 6.
Once again, we’ll get a snapshot of how U.S. students stack up against their peers overseas in key subjects, including math, reading, and science. And we’ll hear lots of rhetoric about what it all means.
How many first-generation students does a college have? How much does the school charge students from families earning $30,000 versus more than $75,000? And how many students are repaying their student loan debt three years after college?
Standardized testing has loomed larger on the education beat this school year than ever before, as most states rolled out new assessments pegged to the Common Core. How did the assessments really go? What’s the state of the testing backlash?
The nation’s private and public universities own endowments that together total more than half a trillion dollars – tax-free investments that schools use to sustain their long-term financial health.
Over the past decade, many states and school districts have overhauled the way they evaluate teachers. Some rely primarily on test scores; others add classroom observations. Some even bring student surveys into the mix. Meanwhile, new federal leeway may spark a fresh round of changes around the country.
What are some practical ways for journalists to write about the evaluation systems in the school districts they cover? What questions should they ask about design, implementation, training, and teacher attitudes toward the evaluations?
For education reporters, coming up with fresh ideas for back-to-school stories is an annual ritual. And if you’re balancing the K-12 and higher education beats, it can be an even bigger challenge.
Most education reporters at one time or another cover test results on NAEP, known as “the nation’s report card.” But if that’s all you do, you’re missing out on a powerful tool that can complement your daily reporting.
While students are celebrating the start of the long summer break, there’s a significant tradeoff for the three months of leisure – on average, students will return to school in the fall a month behind where they performed in the spring. And the learning loss is even greater for low-income students, who are often already behind their better-off peers.
As part of its effort to help close the achievement gap for disadvantaged students, the U.S. government spends more than $14 billion annually through the Title I program. But a sizable share of those billions go to affluent school systems. Why do some high-poverty districts receive less federal Title I aid than those that serve a far smaller proportion of low-income students? This week, U.S. News & World Report released an exclusive investigation on the federal funding stream.
Covering State ESSA Plans: What Reporters Need to Know
States across the nation are taking another look at their school accountability systems in response to the Every Student Succeeds Act, a rewrite of the main federal law for K-12 education. So far, 16 states and the District of Columbia have submitted their ESSA plans for review by the U.S. Department of Education. Another 33 states have until Sept. 18 to do so.
Back-to-School: Story Ideas That Shine
Thursday, Aug. 24 — 2 p.m. Eastern
Finding fresh angles on familiar ground can be an annual challenge for education reporters. With this webinar, you’ll get smart tips from experienced journalists for great stories on the first day of school and beyond.
We’ll discuss novel ways of approaching the new academic year, from preschool through higher education. You’ll get ideas for unique profiles, for making the most of your publication’s multimedia resources, and for exploring a range of timely questions on the beat.
Follow the Money: Digging Into School District Finances
When it comes to school district finances, the numbers aren’t easy to add up. But tracking and analyzing this information is a powerful tool to drive smart news coverage.
Veteran education journalist Tawnell Hobbs of The Wall Street Journal shares tips and tricks for digging into district operating budgets and actual expenditures, as well as salary databases, overtime requests, check registers and credit card accounts, purchase orders, and more. Learn how to evaluate fiscal data that’s readily available and make the most of open records requests.
Summer Story Ideas: Local Angles on Federal Issues
Trump Budget, ESSA, Pell Grants ... and More!
School’s out, but there’s no shortage of compelling summer stories to pursue on the education beat.
How might President Trump’s proposed budget cuts for education impact summer learning programs? How is your state incorporating summer learning into its revamped accountability plan under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)? What’s the latest on summer Pell Grants?
“3 in 30” – Three Stories to Steal on Digital Learning
Looking to liven up your coverage of classroom technology and how it’s playing out in your local schools? Join Nichole Dobo of The Hechinger Report and EWA public editor Emily Richmond for an “express” 30-minute webinar on digital learning and classroom technology. You’ll come away with ideas for quick-hit daily stories, data-driven takeouts and enterprise reporting. Plus, get the inside scoop on how to make the most of EWA’s newest Topics Page on Digital Learning & Technology.
“3 in 30”- Three Stories to Steal on Digital Learning
Friday, May 12, 1:00-1:30 p.m. ET
Looking to liven up your coverage of classroom technology and how it’s playing out in your local schools? Join Nichole Dobo of The Hechinger Report and EWA public editor Emily Richmond for an “express” 30-minute webinar on digital learning and classroom technology. You’ll come away with ideas for quick-hit daily stories, data-driven takeouts and enterprise reporting. Plus, get the inside scoop on how to make the most of EWA’s newest Topics Page on Digital Learning & Technology.
Space is limited! Sign up today to reserve your spot.
Covering ESSA Accountability in the Trump Era
With states revamping their school accountability systems under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act, recent actions by Congress and the Trump administration raise important questions about what’s ahead. First, the Senate last week narrowly approved a bill to repeal ESSA accountability rules issued by the Obama administration. (President Donald Trump is expected to sign the measure.) Also, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos just issued new ESSA guidelines for states.
New PISA Results: Putting U.S. Achievement in Global Context
How will the U.S. fare against other countries when the results from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) are released Dec. 6? At our reporters-only webinar, get advance, embargoed access to the full report, as well as an opportunity to ask questions about the findings from a leader at the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Measuring the Soft Skills: What Reporters Need to Know
Should schools measure skills like cooperation, communication, self-confidence and the ability to organize? Efforts to gauge these so-called “soft skills” are gaining traction in the classroom, especially with the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act. The new federal law calls on states and school districts to incorporate at least one measure beyond test scores and graduation rates in their accountability systems.
An Insider’s Guide to International Test Results
Get ready. A fresh wave of global test results for dozens of nations is about to hit U.S. shores. Outcomes from two major exams will be issued just days apart: TIMSS on Nov. 29. PISA on Dec. 6.
Once again, we’ll get a snapshot of how U.S. students stack up against their peers overseas in key subjects, including math, reading, and science. And we’ll hear lots of rhetoric about what it all means.
Know the Score: Finding Stories in College Scorecard Data
How many first-generation students does a college have? How much does the school charge students from families earning $30,000 versus more than $75,000? And how many students are repaying their student loan debt three years after college?
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Common Core Testing: What Reporters Need to Know
Standardized testing has loomed larger on the education beat this school year than ever before, as most states rolled out new assessments pegged to the Common Core. How did the assessments really go? What’s the state of the testing backlash?
The Debate Over College Endowments & How to Cover Them
The nation’s private and public universities own endowments that together total more than half a trillion dollars – tax-free investments that schools use to sustain their long-term financial health.
Pre-emptive Strike: Stopping Teacher Misconduct Before It Starts
Recent news stories once again have shined a spotlight on the troubling issue of teacher misconduct. Consider these headlines:
More Than Scores: How to Cover Teacher Evaluation
Over the past decade, many states and school districts have overhauled the way they evaluate teachers. Some rely primarily on test scores; others add classroom observations. Some even bring student surveys into the mix. Meanwhile, new federal leeway may spark a fresh round of changes around the country.
What are some practical ways for journalists to write about the evaluation systems in the school districts they cover? What questions should they ask about design, implementation, training, and teacher attitudes toward the evaluations?
Back-to-School: You Need Stories, We’ve Got Ideas
For education reporters, coming up with fresh ideas for back-to-school stories is an annual ritual. And if you’re balancing the K-12 and higher education beats, it can be an even bigger challenge.
NAEP Data: Beat Reporters’ Secret Weapon
Most education reporters at one time or another cover test results on NAEP, known as “the nation’s report card.” But if that’s all you do, you’re missing out on a powerful tool that can complement your daily reporting.
School’s (Still) In: Smart Story Ideas on Summer Learning
While students are celebrating the start of the long summer break, there’s a significant tradeoff for the three months of leisure – on average, students will return to school in the fall a month behind where they performed in the spring. And the learning loss is even greater for low-income students, who are often already behind their better-off peers.
On Target? Following Federal K-12 Aid for Poor Students
As part of its effort to help close the achievement gap for disadvantaged students, the U.S. government spends more than $14 billion annually through the Title I program. But a sizable share of those billions go to affluent school systems. Why do some high-poverty districts receive less federal Title I aid than those that serve a far smaller proportion of low-income students? This week, U.S. News & World Report released an exclusive investigation on the federal funding stream.