Education Writers Association

Hey journalists: Want to learn Excel? Want to boost your data analysis skills? Apply for EWA’s Diving Into Data Workshop by Dec. 12 at 6 p.m. Eastern. Participants will receive intensive, hands-on training from data coaches – veteran journalists adept at analyzing and reporting with education data. https://lnkd.in/gDgqctPA #education #journalism #reporting #highered

Brandi Kellam made an unsettling discovery while working on an investigative reporting project as part of a Columbia University Lipman Fellowship. Christopher Newport University, a higher ed institution she frequented as a high school athlete competing in Virginia, had obscured its complete role in the dismantling of a Black community in Newport News. In her own words, Brandi explains how she did the multi-story investigation with reporters at ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network and the Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism at WHRO. She also shares how she built trust with sources – a growing challenge in today’s media landscape. “I spent hours sitting at dining room tables or on living room couches, comparing notes from personal accounts that ultimately helped shape a narrative using the experiences of those from the community,” she explains in her piece for EWA. The reporting team won the grand prize at the EWA Awards ceremony in Las Vegas last year. If you need inspiration this season, read this piece and then submit to the EWA Awards. (Entries are open!) https://lnkd.in/g4A6nzy7 #education #highered #ewaAWARDS #journalism #reporting ? ?? Lucas Waldron/ProPublica

Dual enrollment is exploding among high schoolers. Want to take your reporting on these educational courses further? Join EWA for a webinar on dual enrollment’s outcomes and inequities on Wednesday, Dec. 4, from 1 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. Eastern. Experts and reporters will discuss the latest research, story ideas to pursue and data to explore. Hear from: - Jill Barshay, senior reporter, The Hechinger Report - Tatiana Velasco, senior research associate, Community College Research Center - Emma Gallegos, equity reporter, EdSource (moderator) https://lnkd.in/dFs5kUnK #education #journalism #k12 #highered

Morgan Matzen is an education reporter and a previous awards finalist who has volunteered her time as one of many EWA Awards judges over the years. Here’s what she believes is important when applying to the awards program by Jan. 8 (or Dec. 18 for early bird benefits!): ??On submitting to the features category I love reading feature stories that actually feature a person or people. Features should take an in-depth look at what it’s like to walk a mile in the subject’s shoes, to face the subject’s dilemma or issue, or live a day in the subject’s life. Sometimes, features can “feature” places or ideas, too, but these stories should remain more human-centered. A huge accountability piece, breaking news event, in-depth series or investigation should go in the news and investigation categories, not features. ?? On writing a cover letter Give the judges what they can’t get in the story. I’m always interested to read cover letters that detail how the journalists got tipped off about the story, what difficulties they faced along the way, what emotions they felt, what distances they traveled, what lengths they went to get the information, how their sources reacted and maybe even what impacts their articles made in their local communities. You can give the nutgraf in the cover letter, and maybe pull out a few surprising facts or bits of the storytelling from your article that will pop, but don’t rewrite the whole thing or praise yourself too much. ?? On meeting judging criteria Make sure to read the judging criteria thoroughly. See how judges are going to score your entry or entries, and then work backward from that. Sometimes, their rubric will emphasize aspects of your entry you might not have considered to highlight in the articles you chose or in the cover letter you wrote. Apply here: https://ewa.org/ewa-awards ?? Samantha Laurey/Argus Leader Morgan Matzen (left) interviews Erianna Jenkins, age 7, about her experience at an after-school program on Nov. 8, 2023 at Terry Redlin Elementary School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. #ewaAWARDS #education #journalism #reporting #awardscontest #k12 #highered??

Education data is a powerful tool in the effort to help kids recover from the pandemic. It can be used to both inform strategies and assess impact. How are schools and districts using data to develop a targeted approach, ensuring students who need support most are getting it? What can the data tell us about the progress that’s been made and work that remains? Meanwhile, programs designed to guide students toward college and careers are expanding. More schools are offering dual enrollment courses, credential programs, and career and technical education classes, blurring the lines between education and career. But questions remain about these opportunities. Are they accessible to all students? And how do schools help students get good jobs and prepare them with the skills employers need? The Education Writers Association will offer training on those two topics – education data as it relates to academic recovery and pathways to college and career – at the 2025 SXSW EDU conference in Austin, Texas March 4-5. Hear from experts, and participate in hands-on workshops. Get the training and tools you need to cover these essential issues. Join us! You can apply to attend both sets of training or just one. Scholarships are available to assist with travel and lodging costs. The deadline to apply is Friday, Dec. 13. https://lnkd.in/gg_4RRqm #education #journalism #reporting #data #highered

Journalists and educators shared insights with CD Davidson-Hiers on covering climate change on the education beat – including why it’s important and how to seamlessly integrate it in your coverage: - Torsheta Jackson, Mississippi Free Press - Marta Jewson, The Lens NOLA - Dennis Nolasco, EARTHDAY.ORG - Srishti Prabha, CapRadio - Emily Tate Sullivan, EdSurge - Emily Walker, EARTHDAY.ORG Plus, CD shared her own reporting tips in this online resource from EWA. https://lnkd.in/gPEU6c-b #education #k12 #climatechange #climateeducation #journalism #reporting #globalwarming

Calling all journalists! Did you report on issues impacting students, youth, families, educators or school communities in 2024? Whether you exclusively covered education or wrote a single story related to learning, your work may be eligible for EWA’s National Awards for Education Reporting. The journalism contest closes on Jan. 8, 2025 at 6 p.m. Eastern. Save on entry fees by submitting early or becoming an EWA member (it’s free)! For 2024, EWA will accept submissions in seven categories: beat reporting; data reporting and visualization; features; investigative reporting & public service; news; podcast, and student journalism. The awards program offers cash prizes ranging from $1,000 to $10,000. Learn more at ewa.org/ewa-awards. #ewaAWARDS #journalism #reporting #k12 #highered #education

EWA is calling for proposals for its 19th class of Reporting Fellows. These fellowships provide financial awards to journalists, helping them undertake ambitious, enterprise reporting projects. For the winter 2025 fellowship round, EWA is offering two types of fellowships: expanded fellowships and micro-fellowships. - Expanded fellowships will provide financial support up to $10,000 for in-depth reporting on issues pertaining to men of color and the challenges they face when seeking postsecondary education. These fellowships include online and in-person cohort experiences. - Micro-fellowships will provide financial support up to $5,000 for in-depth reporting on arts education, after-school learning, school leadership and summer learning. The deadline to apply is Dec. 10 at 8:59 p.m. Eastern. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gRH5YFji #journalism #reporting #fellowships

One of the best things about EWA’s recent Math Seminar? We had several TED-style talks! ICYMI, here is one of the speakers in action, Taajah Witherspoon, Ph.D. of The University of Alabama at Birmingham. Plus, see all of the speakers’ presentations, including some from other sessions. https://lnkd.in/gP8HTV5i ?? Emily Richmond #ewaMathEd24 #math #education #journalism #reporting #k12

It's Election Day! Get insights from experts about young voters and the teaching of civics education in this resource by Jewél Jackson of Illinois Answers Project for EWA. Learn more from: - Sonja Diaz, UCLA Latina Futures 2050 Lab - Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, CIRCLE - The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement - David Griffith, The Thomas B. Fordham Institute - Shavar Jeffries, The KIPP Foundation https://lnkd.in/gPVJr5ny See more photos on EWA’s Instagram: https://lnkd.in/gM9ivKmT ?? James Minichello of AASA, The School Superintendents Association for EWA #election #education #journalism #reporting #voters #civics