EWA Radio

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 National Seminar agenda to help journalists meet the moment. Plus, get tips for networking, choosing your own (agenda) adventures and more.

President Donald Trump chose Linda McMahon, known best for her family’s professional wrestling empire, to carry out his executive order [https://apnews.com/article/trump-education-department-shutdown-b1d25a2e1bdcd24cfde8ad8b655b9843] 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 student loans? Where are the department’s massive changes already having an impact on students, educators and school communities? How can journalists better cover these issues and the individuals most likely to feel the fallout?

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 Esquire and Economic Hardship Reporting Project, won the EGF Accelerator’s Eddie Prize [https://ewa.org/awards/eddie-prize/2023-winner-of-the-egf-accelerators-eddie-prize] at this year’s National Awards for Education Reporting ceremony. Jian Lee, a senior editor with the Economic Hardship Reporting Project, shares story ideas at the intersection of religion and higher education with EWA Public Editor Emily Richmond.

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 [https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2024/08/27/cell-phone-school-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 – school voucher programs should be on your radar this fall.

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.