What should have been a routine trip home from a local zoo turned into the deadliest school bus crash in Texas’ recent history. The crash left a 5-year-old boy and an adult dead, and dozens of other children suffered serious injuries and emotional trauma. How did this happen? In an in-depth series, a reporting team from the Austin American-Statesman set off to answer several unanswered questions. Their deep investigation earned them the Fred M. Hechinger Grand Prize at this year’s National Award...
Jun 24, 2025•26 min•Ep. 352
With the Education Writers Association’s 78th National Seminar on the horizon, public editor Emily Richmond and veteran reporter Nicole Carr discuss how to make the most out of attending the nation’s largest gathering of education journalists. What’s new this year in St. Louis, and how does the impressive roster of speakers and sessions reflect the fast-changing landscape on the education beat? Hint: Both Nicole and Emily share their perspectives on revising a journalism course syllabus and the ...
May 13, 2025•30 min•Ep. 351
President Donald Trump chose Linda McMahon, known best for her family’s professional wrestling empire, to carry out his executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education. Linda Jacobson, senior writer for The 74 Million, talks with EWA Public Editor Emily Richmond about the new education secretary’s agenda. What do we know about McMahon’s plans for the agency, which is responsible for managing billions of dollars in congressionally approved programs and services – including federal s...
Apr 01, 2025•26 min•Ep. 350
Former evangelical insider Deborah Jian Lee explains how over 200 federally funded religious schools – with nearly one million students – exploit the religious exemption from Title IX, the federal policy that protects students from discrimination. These schools violated the civil rights of Journey Mueller, who was forced out of her Christian college in Colorado, and countless LGBTQ+ students, all with the blessing of taxpayer dollars. “Persecution in the Name the Lord,” which Jian Lee wrote for ...
Oct 22, 2024•25 min•Ep. 349
Laura Meckler, the award-winning national education reporter for The Washington Post, shares the top stories in her notebook for the coming academic year. Hear why she’s tracking cellphone bans , her advice for covering contentious school board elections, and how to put the so-called “culture wars” into context for your audiences. She and EWA Public Editor Emily Richmond also discuss why K-12 reporters should be paying attention to civics classes and youth voters, and why expanding – and costly ...
Sep 24, 2024•23 min•Ep. 348
College presidents, campus protests and student debt: Oh my! It’s going to be a hectic academic year for many postsecondary institutions, as investigative reporter Michael Vasquez of The Chronicle of Higher Education explains. He and EWA Public Editor Emily Richmond brainstorm on what they’d like to see reporters tackling this fall and into 2025. This includes community colleges, why enrollment downturns are an educational equity story and the expanding role of artificial intelligence....
Sep 10, 2024•30 min•Ep. 347
For Talia Richman of The Dallas Morning News, there’s no such thing as a slow news day. Richman, recently named the nation’s top education beat reporter at the EWA Awards, shares how she balances the daily grind of school board meetings with enterprise pieces and investigations. Plus, hear the backstory on how her remarkable profile of a Black girl’s troubling journey through her middle school’s discipline system became a radio essay for “This American Life.”...
Aug 13, 2024•24 min•Ep. 346
In Newport News, Virginia, the Black-owned neighborhood of Johnson Terrace was a thriving community until government officials used eminent domain to seize the land and expand a university. Brandi Kellam of the Virginia Center for Investigative Reporting at WHRO spent two years digging into archives and building trust with the Johnson family. Along with her VCIR colleague Louis Hansen and Gabriel Sandoval, formerly of ProPublica, Kellam won the 2023 Fred M. Hechinger Grand Prize this year at EWA...
Jun 18, 2024•23 min•Ep. 345
Kyra Miles of Minnesota Public Radio is one of a handful of reporters nationally on the early learning beat, which often gets short shrift when it comes to news coverage. That’s changed since the pandemic, amid greater awareness of how starkly the nation’s child care needs are outstripping available –and affordable – providers. Kyra shares how she made the transition from the K-12 beat to early learning, and what’s surprised her along the way.
May 21, 2024•24 min•Ep. 344
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.
May 07, 2024•17 min•Ep. 343
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...
Apr 16, 2024•30 min•Ep. 342
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 her in-depth reporting on this issue. What’s driving the exodus in Maryland, and what interventions might help keep more Blac...
Apr 02, 2024•21 min•Ep. 341
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 som...
Mar 19, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 340
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 tracking down absent students in the hard-hit school systems of Detroit’s outer suburbs, and how private and parochial sch...
Mar 12, 2024•25 min•Ep. 309
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 inau...
Feb 20, 2024•23 min
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 tracking down absent students in the hard-hit school systems of Detroit’s outer suburbs, and how private and parochial sch...
Feb 13, 2024•25 min
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 U...
Jan 23, 2024•31 min•Ep. 336
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 COVI...
Jan 16, 2024•31 min•Ep. 335
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 S...
Dec 12, 2023•31 min•Ep. 334
What keeps rural Black students from pursuing college or thriving when they get there? J. Brian Charles of The Chronicle of Higher Education went to Sussex County, Virginia to get a closer look at what post-high school opportunity looks like in the swampy countryside, where “peanuts, pork, and pine” are the major exports – not young people headed for higher education. He talks with EWA Public Editor Emily Richmond about the overlooked stories on rural schools, an innovative program providing vol...
Dec 05, 2023•28 min•Ep. 333
Few education policies have become more divisive – or politicized – than school choice. Chalkbeat editor and author Cara Fitzpatrick discusses her new book, “The Death of Public School.” Who really benefits from charter schools and voucher programs, and how have conservative politicians seized the reins of what was, albeit briefly, a bipartisan movement aimed at improving educational equity? If public education is a cornerstone of America’s vision of itself as a democratic society, what does it ...
Nov 28, 2023•30 min•Ep. 332
What if you could earn a college degree by demonstrating your mastery of a specific set of skills, rather than completing a minimum number of hours instructional seat time? That’s the premise behind a massive experiment underway in California’s community colleges. EWA Reporting Fellow Adam Echelman of CalMatters shares insights from his close look at the promise – and potential perils – of “competency based education.” Who are the students most likely to enroll in these programs? What’s known ab...
Nov 07, 2023•27 min•Ep. 331
After years of downward enrollment trends, Chicago Public Schools is seeing an influx of newcomer students, many of whom are new to the United States. Nereida Moreno of WBEZ Chicago is covering their stories, from the challenges of learning a language and making friends to efforts by schools and community leaders to help them – and their families – acclimate.
Oct 17, 2023•23 min•Ep. 330
Few things were as fraught with controversy amid the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic as the decision to close many schools while others stayed open. Apoorva Mandavilli, science and global health reporter for The New York Times, looked closely at how air quality in public schools impacted outbreaks, what it would take to give more students access to healthier classrooms, and what’s keeping more policymakers from heeding some of these potentially crucial lessons. She joins EWA Public Editor ...
Oct 03, 2023•25 min•Ep. 329
The new academic year is underway, and challenges – and opportunities – lay ahead for school communities. Kalyn Belsha, newly named senior reporter for national education news at Chalkbeat, shares her must-have stories for the K-12 beat. From the impact of new laws barring teachers from talking about “controversial” topics – such as race, racism and gender identity – to what happens when the federal COVID-19 relief money expires, Belsha offers innovative takes on these and other essential topics...
Sep 19, 2023•23 min•Ep. 328
