Getting to School Can Mean Life or Death When Trains Block Crossings
Release Date: 05/09/2023
Your Guide to #ewa24 in Las Vegas
EWA Radio
Whether you’re joining us in Las Vegas for the 77th National Seminar or looking ahead to a future EWA event, Public Editor Emily Richmond and The Chronicle of Higher Education Editor Daarel Burnette have you covered. Burnette, also a member of EWA’s board of directors, shares his tips for making the most of the flagship conference. This includes how to choose which sessions to attend, what to pack, and where to look for story ideas and networking opportunities.
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What the FAFSA?!
EWA Radio
The already stressful and arduous process of applying for college financial aid was supposed to be easier this year. Instead, the public saw the meltdown of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). As the U.S. Department of Education scrambles to fix calculation errors, colleges and universities have had to hit pause on making admissions decisions, adding even more confusion to the mix. Eric Hoover, a senior writer for The Chronicle of Higher Education, shares insights from his deep coverage, including implications for students, families and postsecondary institutions....
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Why Black Teachers Quit
EWA Radio
In Baltimore and many other school systems in Maryland, Black teachers are leaving at a higher rate than their colleagues of any other racial group. That tracks with national trends, and leaves too many schools with educator workforces that are significantly less diverse than the student populations they teach. Kristen Griffith of The Baltimore Banner shares insights from on this issue. What’s driving the exodus in Maryland, and what interventions might help keep more Black teachers on the job?
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Fairer School Funding
EWA Radio
Many state funding formulas allocate additional dollars for low-income students to level the playing field. But fewer account for concentrated poverty in communities, despite the additional challenges faced by schools serving large shares of economically disadvantaged students. What is the impact of concentrated poverty on students? How might more resources be directed to high-poverty schools, and what other strategies might address these disparities and improve resource equity? And what are some story ideas for education reporters around school finance and concentrated poverty? ...
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When Private Schools Get Public Money
EWA Radio
For a reporter who is not officially on the education beat, Alec MacGillis of ProPublica finds plenty to keep him busy, going deep into stories about how the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be felt in all aspects of lives of students and their school communities. He joins EWA Radio to discuss his two newest pieces: a close look at a private company providing outreach services in the hard-hit school systems of Detroit’s outer suburbs, and how private and parochial schools are of new and expanded school voucher programs that open the door to every student –...
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The Power of Student Journalism
EWA Radio
While in her junior year at Milpitas High School in Northern California, student journalist Riya Vyas heard the rumors like everyone else – two teachers had been accused of improper behavior with students. She used the power of the press – and open records requests – to build a paper trail and show that the teachers had been allowed to resign quietly, decreasing the possibility that a record of disciplinary action might follow them to their next jobs. Vyas won the Student Press Law Center’s inaugural Student Freedom of Information Award. Also, Mike Hiestand, senior...
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Finding Missing Students (and the Money)
EWA Radio
For a reporter who is not officially on the education beat, Alec MacGillis of ProPublica finds plenty to keep him busy, going deep into stories about how the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be felt in all aspects of lives of students and their school communities. He joins EWA Radio to discuss his two newest pieces: a close look at a private company providing outreach services in the hard-hit school systems of Detroit’s outer suburbs, and how private and parochial schools are of new and expanded school voucher programs that open the door to every student – regardless of family...
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‘Disillusioned:’ The Rise and Fall of the American Suburban Dream
EWA Radio
Suburbs have long been a touchstone of the proverbial American dream, promising happy lives and top-notch schools to their fortunate inhabitants. But what happens when white and affluent families move on, leaving behind massive municipal debt, poorly planned infrastructure, and school systems ill-equipped to meet the needs of newer residents – many of whom are often less wealthy, Black, and Hispanic? Longtime education journalist Benjamin Herold, author of “Disillusioned: Five Families and the Unraveling of America’s Suburbs,” takes readers deep into the history of how...
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2024: New Year, New Story Ideas
EWA Radio
From fiscal cliffs to surges in high-need students, 2024 is expected to be a challenging year on the K-12 and higher ed beats. As Boston Globe editor Melissa Taboada told EWA public editor Emily Richmond: “Winter is coming.” Jon Marcus, higher education editor for The Hechinger Report, also joined the discussion, offering his forecast for the months ahead. Among the big stories these veteran journalists say to watch for: student advocacy amid campus culture wars, the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student learning, and why colleges and universities are bracing for...
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So You Want a Journalism Fellowship
EWA Radio
If you’re a journalist who’s feeling burned out or ready for a change, a professional fellowship can be a chance to recharge and renew your passion for your work. What are the differences among the best-known residential fellowships? What makes a great application? What should you expect from your fellowship year? And how can you boost your chances of grabbing the brass ring? Two experienced education editors with firsthand experience as journalism fellows – Delece Smith Barrow of Politico and Sarah Carr, formerly of The Boston Globe – join EWA Public Editor...
info_outlineWhen trains block crossings, sometimes for days, communities across the country face challenges. Even if the blocked intersection is just four streets away from a location, first responders can't get to fires, parents can't go to grocery stores, and children can't get to school.
Kids face physical, mental and emotional dangers each time they climb over, squeeze between and crawl under train cars in the working-class commuter city of Hammond, Indiana. Parents’ and local officials' pleas about the dangers have gone unheeded.
As part of a reporting collaboration with ProPublica and Investigate TV/Gray Television, Topher Sanders chronicled the problem. The ProPublica reporter talks about how blocked crossings interfere with children's schooling, why this practice has continued and why all roads (or tracks!) lead to the education beat!