Las Vegas Sun Tackles Turnaround Schools

Almost exactly a year ago, I left Las Vegas en route for Ann Arbor and my Knight-Wallace Fellowship at the University of Michigan. Later today, I hit the road for the drive to Washington, D.C.

They say change is good, but we all know change can also be scary.

I have no idea how to get from my new apartment to the supermarket (Google maps suggests something called Harris-Teeter, which I hear is all the rage these days). My dog Archie will have to adjust to a new walking route and hopefully will find some friends at the local park.

This is also going to be a year of tremendous change for schools in many states, particularly those receiving “turnaround” grant funds from the U.S. Department of Education. To qualify, districts must take one of the feds’ approved models for turnaround and apply it to campuses ranking in the bottom 5 percent for academic performance. The options include: converting a public campus into a charter school, replacing the principal and at least 50 percent of the staff, implementing a new operational model or closing the school outright and using federal dollars to transfer students to higher-performing campuses.

The last option, understandably, seems to be the least popular choice so far. It’s also the choice that arguably requires the most bravery on the part of administrators. Who wants to admit that students would be better off if a particular school simply ceased to exist? How do you explain that it took a federal grant program for district officials to confront that reality?

The Las Vegas Sun, where I spent nine years as a reporter, is embarking on a yearlong project to follow five schools through the turnaround process. There are some innovative elements to this community service project, including asking principals to blog about their daily activities and partnering with the local NBC affiliate for video packages.

I’m planning to keep close tabs on the Sun’s endeavor as it unfolds, not only because it’s being carried out by my friends and former colleagues, but also because it’s ambitious, timely and has the potential to shine new light on the business of schools.

Have a question, comment or confidential concern for the Educated Reporter? Drop me a line at erichmond@ewa.org. I'm also on Twitter @EWAEmily.

Monday Round-Up: Hurricane Delays First Day of School

As communities begin cleaning up after Hurricane Irene, more than 300,000 in Maryland are home today, missing what should have been the first day of school.

As one parent told WBAL TV, ""We were ready. We had everything done except the summer reading book report, which we were finishing. Now, since I work, I have to figure out what I am going to do tomorrow."

The nation's largest school district was largely spared problems from the storm, although campus gymnasiums served as emergency shelters for many area residents, according to the New York Times.

The idea of a school as a safe haven in a storm isn't new. We often talk of the benefits of schools serving as community centers, both philosophically and logistically. Sometimes it takes a disaster to make that point.

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The Washington Post put together a terrific graphic showing the starting line for schools in the metropolitan D.C. area -- with one click you get projected enrollment (including increases or decreases from last year) as well as each school's ranking on the most recent standardized test scores. It's concise, useful and easy to read.

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I recently told you about a terrific opportunity for professional journalists to get up to speed on the latest immigration law and related issues, thanks to a fellowship institute being offered at the University of California, Berkeley. The application deadline has been extended to Sept. 9, and the conference will be held Nov. 13-17. You can read what I wrote about the institute here, and go directly to the application here.

Have a question, comment or confidential concern for the Educated Reporter? Drop me a line at erichmond@ewa.org. I'm also on Twitter @EWAEmily.

In Philadelphia, a Big Ticket Bon Voyage

On Twitter, I’ve been joking a bit with Kristen Graham, the Philadelphia Inquirer/Philly.com education reporter, about the ouster of (now former) Superintendent Arlene Ackerman.

Graham has done a fine job keeping her followers abreast of developments moment by moment, demonstrating the usefulness of Twitter in quick-moving situations like this one. “Keep an eye on the parking lot …” I told Graham, as I followed her tweets about a closed-door meeting with Ackerman and state legislators. “Watch for truck advertising ‘Golden Parachutes--We Sew While You Wait.’"

It’s true that chief executives of major urban districts rarely sign contracts that don’t guarantee significant financial protection in the event that they are removed from their posts. In Ackerman’s case, she is being offered close to $1 million to stay home.

In a blog posting earlier this week, Graham quoted Philly’s former superintendent Paul Vallas (who himself received a buyout of $190,000 in 2007): “In this climate of fiscal distress with huge layoffs of teachers and administrators, to offer anyone $900,000 not to work is unconscionable. I think the people who agreed to this deal ought to have their heads examined.”

It’s hard not to agree with Vallas. Even more outrageous is that Ackerman’s deal with the district actually made her eligible for $1.5 million. I’m looking forward to reading Graham’s reporting as to the private sources that are paying $400,000 of her $905,000 severance check.

According to the Philadelphia Weekly, Ackerman’s salary--$338,000–was higher than that of the city’s mayor or Pennsylvania’s governor. Last year, I wrote about superintendent searches and compared the salaries for the nation’s 10 largest districts. Ackerman’s pay was only $325,000 then, but it was still enough to put her at the top of the list, despite Philadelphia having the smallest enrollment among the Top 10.

How big a parachute is too big? Maybe Ackerman’s situation will spur a little conversation on that subject, if not some new policies to keep things in check the next time around.

Have a question, comment or confidential concern for the Educated Reporter? Drop me a line at erichmond@ewa.org. I’m also on Twitter @EWAEmily.

The Race to Improve Early Childhood Education

During a presentation I attended a few years ago on the value of early childhood education, a researcher at the University of California-Santa Cruz shared some remarkable evidence. He showed us the brain scan of a 3-year-old, with enormous spikes in activity at various intervals.

The researcher explained that these peaks coincided with the introduction of a new object or activity, something that stimulated the child’s curiosity. While you can find similar spikes in scans of older children and even adults, there’s nothing that comes close to the surge in brain activity when you stimulate a child’s inquisitiveness, he said.

We all know young children are sponges. The older we get, the harder it is to learn --and retain-- new information. It stands to reason, then, that if we want more students to graduate high school and succeed in the postsecondary world, we need to do more to help them build a solid foundation in their early years.

I hear this debate (OK, sometimes it’s a fight) again and again, at all levels of education. College professors are frustrated by freshmen that seem to lack basic knowledge. High school teachers must re-teach material students should have mastered in middle school. Too many students are showing up for middle school without the strong literacy and basic math skills they need to be academically successful. I’ve gone to observe the first day of school and seen brand-new kindergarteners who didn’t know how to hold a book upright and turn its pages in order or identify numbers, letters or colors. All of those skills are considered indicators of kindergarten readiness.

It’s tough to argue with “an ounce of prevention is worth of a pound of cure,” but—to be fair--schools really don’t have the benefit of ignoring the older products of past efforts in favor of focusing on their younger brothers and sisters either. That’s what’s so difficult about public education. The targets are always moving.

Much of the federal Race to the Top grant opportunities have focused on remediation, turnaround and innovation aimed at older students. On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Education released the final application for the $500 million Early Learning Challenge, which encourages states to develop and improve initiatives for the youngest learners.

I’m interested to see what “best practices” will rise to the top, particularly in a climate of reduced school days and budget crises. By giving children a stronger start from the outset, perhaps we can do a better job sustaining that curiosity into the later grades.

Have a question, comment or confidential concern for the Educated Reporter? Drop me a line at erichmond@ewa.org. I’m also on Twitter @EWAEmily.

Catfish and Shrimp: a Recipe for STEM Success

The brave new world, the seventh graders told me, was called “Super Jumbo Shrimp.”

This imaginary community was created as part of the National Engineers Week Future City competition, which encourages middle school students to explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics (known as STEM education). In 2004, I covered Sawyer Middle School’s entry for an article in the Las Vegas Sun.

The rules are fairly simple: Using computer simulation, build a city complete with viable businesses and industry, sustainable housing and transportation. All of the aspects must conform to the known boundaries of science. As one of the advisors explained to me, “you can’t violate the laws of physics–water can’t flow upward. And there is no alchemy allowed.” (Thus, the Hogwarts Academy’s entry was summarily disqualified.)

The students’ premise for Super Jumbo Shrimp was both deceptively simple and incredibly creative. A genetically engineered hybrid of catfish and shrimp would provide revenue from fish farming and a draw for tourists (The sea creatures would be friendly and safe for swimmers to frolic with, I was told). The catfish whiskers would serve as a filtration system and would keep the water clean.

Every detail was meticulously considered. The solar-powered monorail system would carry workers from their suburban residences to the outlying areas, reducing pollution. Burning the leftover waste from the plant that processed the shrimp meat would serve as clean source of power.

For a reporter, these are the kinds of science and technology stories that seem to write themselves. Gathered together in one auditorium is every necessary element: enthusiastic students and parents eager to talk about how they are applying classroom lessons to real-life experiences, fantastic visuals of the 3-D scale model cities and experts readily available and eager to talk about the technical aspects of the projects.

Things don’t always go this smoothly. Sometimes, when rushing on deadline, I didn’t have time to do all of my background reading on a less familiar subject, such as wind power. I didn’t have my best questions at hand. Trying to reach the researchers for follow-up after the official press conference was over proved difficult.

The education beat often crosses into STEM territory. As a daily news reporter I received multiple pitches on a regular basis for stories such as the latest version of “new” math, classroom technology, scientific studies or health reports. The stories that were most likely to get into the paper were those where I could show a direct connection to the daily business of education.

I was recently asked to talk to scientists, health experts and mathematicians about how to better communicate their work to the public. I thought it would be helpful to cast a wider net for input from those of you out there who are regularly asked to translate complicated technical writing into engaging stories for the “average” reader.

What is most helpful to you when you embark on such assignments? How often are you able to wade deeper in the report than just the executive summary? What are some examples of superior STEM stories you’ve come across? Are there any examples of ones that absolutely missed the mark?

Hearing from you will help me inform the very people we rely on to not only carry out this kind of important research but also to help us share it with our readers. I look forward to hearing from you in the comments section below, or by email at erichmond@ewa.org.

Oh, and one post-script: the biggest export for the city of Super Jumbo Shrimp, after the … super jumbo shrimp? Cocktail sauce.

Have a question, comment or confidential concern for the Educated Reporter? Drop me a line at erichmond@ewa.org. I’m also on Twitter @EWAEmily.

Making the Most of Minor Interviews

Not so long ago, I sat down with an editor for a job interview. He said he’d always had a question about the education beat: How do you talk to kids?

I launched into a detailed explanation of my own personal policy of not approaching to elementary-age students without parents present, and always getting permission from parents before quoting middle school students (I’ll address high school students in just a minute).

“No,” the editor said. “I mean how do you talk to kids? I would be terrified.”

It’s true. Talking to kids can be tough. If you’re looking for some guidelines to shape your own personal policy, I suggest the rock-solid recommendations put out by the Poynter Institute a few years ago.

Eliciting more than a “yes” or “no” answer from a younger child can take time–and reporters on deadline typically have little of that to spare. There are shortcuts, such as asking the teacher to point out a few of the more talkative kids in the room. But the truth is without patience, you’re more likely to end up with a mostly empty notebook. For some stories, talking to students at school isn’t just convenient, it’s better. For some students, the knowledge that their teacher or principal is nearby makes them comfortable enough to talk to a stranger.

I’ve made it a habit to hand out my business card to the parent volunteers I meet on campus. While I might not need to talk to them for that particular day’s story, I’ve had them call months (and even years) later with valuable tips.

There are plenty of occasions when we want to talk to students, especially older ones, outside the school setting. I’ve typically had good luck finding talkative teens at the mall, particularly the food court. Movie theater parking lots are also fertile territory. When the topic crosses into any kind of controversy–a new survey on teen drug use, military recruiters on campus–I always ask for contact information for family members. Parents have told me they appreciate the heads-up, and only on a handful of occasions have they asked me not to use their child’s name or photo.

I was fortunate to cover a school district–Clark County, the nation’s fifth largest–with well-defined policies for handling access requests. When I visited a school, the teacher would check each student’s file for the requisite media release form. If a parent hadn’t signed off, the students were off limits while on campus. (I only had this backfire one time: We quoted a high school junior and ran her photo for a story on campus dress code violations, and her mother was furious. We later learned the student had apparently forged the signature on the media permission form.)

Does your publication have a set policy on talking to students? How easy is it to get access to them at school? We’ve been talking about school access issues over at EdMedia Commons, and I encourage you to join … both the discussion and EWA!

Have a question, comment or confidential concern for the Educated Reporter? Drop me a line at erichmond@ewa.org. I’m also on Twitter @EWAEmily.

Higher Education 101: Dorms, Remediation and Midnight Classes

Much of the focus of the nation’s education crisis has been on K-12 schools. But higher education students–and the institutions they attend–are also facing challenges on many fronts. Tuition is up at many public campuses as a result of reduced state funding. Community colleges, which stand to play an enormous role in the nation’s economic recovery as a means of retraining workers, are often vastly overcrowded. At the same time, the relative merit of a bachelor's degree is being debated, even as enrollment of foreign students in graduate programs in the U.S. is booming.

With a beat so plentiful, it can be hard to know where to begin. So, let’s start at the front door.

One of the greatest advantages of the higher ed beat is the open campus. Colleges and universities, even private ones, are significantly more accessible than even the most press-friendly K-12 schools. Get a cup of coffee in the student union. Find out if the electronic reader devices such as the Kindle and the are hurting sales at the bookstore. Stop by a dorm and talk to students who are moving in. Attend a faculty meeting and hand out your business card. Encourage people to call or email if something crosses their desk that they think might make an interesting story.

While traditional four-year institutions tend to get the most ink, there’s no question that community colleges are newsworthy. (Check out the Hechinger Institute’s Community College Spotlight blog.) What are the most popular classes at your community college? Have they added late-night sessions to accommodate the demand? What does it cost to earn a similar degree at a private campus or career school? How many of the professors are adjunct versus full-time faculty?

Schedule a visit to one of the midnight classes at the local college. Try and find someone willing to be shadowed a day … and night. What’s it like to work a full shift, take care of your family and then head to school at 11 p.m.?

When looking for national higher education stories to localize, here are two sources to consider: insidehighered.com and the Chronicle of Higher Education. Both are excellent resources for both story starters and sources.

If you are lucky(!) enough to be covering both K-12 and higher ed, I congratulate you on your stamina. Fortunately there is no shortage of crossover stories that will let you satisfy both beasts. (Apologies to the education editors out there. It’s just a metaphor.) Here’s one example of a crossover story – remediation. Nationally, there is a measurable--and troubling--gap between the expectations of the K-12 public school system and those of higher education.

Research suggests there is an incentive for universities to offer remedial classes: Students who take them are more likely to graduate than those who need help but don’t. On the flip side, offering remediation on the public’s dime can be the equivalent of double-billing taxpayers for classes that should have been mastered in high school. Of all students at public colleges and universities, 34 percent enroll in at least one remedial course. The percentage is highest at community colleges, where 43 percent of students required remedial coursework. In some states, more than 50 percent of students require remediation. (For a primer on the issue start with the exceptional Getting Past Go initiative).

How strong is the level of cooperation between your region’s K-12 and higher ed systems, when it comes to remediation? Are incoming freshmen being given any new diagnostic tests when they arrive this fall? Is the local school district testing high school juniors to determine if they’re on track to be college bound?

Ask for data. Public post-secondary institutions keep a wealth of statistics on their students. How many freshmen needed remedial help in their first semester (nationally the average ranges from 40 to 60 percent)? You should also be able to identify which local school districts are sending the least prepared graduates.

Tomorrow: Talking to students.

Have a question, comment or confidential concern for the Educated Reporter? Drop me a line at erichmond@ewa.org. I’m also on Twitter @EWAEmily.

Working Out How to Cover Gym Class

When First Lady Michelle Obama kicked off her campaign in 2010 to end childhood obesity within a generation, I was the designated pool reporter at the Red Rock National Conservation Area.

That meant I got to trail after the Secret Service through the winding canyon floor and witness firsthand the remarkable sight of Obama demonstrating isometric exercises with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Seriously … you want to see the photos.

I also got into a lengthy debate with a White House liaison over the color of Obama’s skirt. Was it acid green? Celadon? Ok, it’s celadon. (Yes, these details actually matter when you’re in the pool.)

These lighter moments don’t minimize the importance of the first lady’s message. There is indeed an epidemic racing through the country, and the nation’s schoolchildren are among the afflicted. You don’t have to go farther than your local mall to know Americans have a weight problem. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, childhood obesity affects 17 percent of all children and adolescents in the United States – that’s triple the rate of 30 years ago.

The education funding crisis hasn’t helped because “at a time of a lot of belt-tightening and budget cuts, unfortunately it’s gym class and recess and after-school sports that often are the first things to go,” Obama said.

Indeed, schools are struggling to balance budgets. Educators are also trying to cram as much instructional time into the academic day as possible to prepare students for high-stakes tests. Too often, that means recess and gym classes are either being cut back or even eliminated outright.

But here’s the statistic that really jumps out at me: Of the CDC’s top 10 recommendations for addressing and preventing childhood obesity, seven are related to school-based programs or initiatives. That includes supporting effective daily physical education classes, adding salad bars to campus cafeterias and limiting access to sugary drinks (while making free water more accessible).

A child’s nutritional and activity habits are learned--and reinforced--at home. But as the CDC’s recommendations confirm, schools are a critical part of the fight against obesity.

Here are a few questions – and facts -- to get you started on a story in your own area:

• How large the gym classes in your district?
• What is the student-teacher ratio?
• Are students being asked to pay extra to participate in extra curricular sports?

Many districts don’t have rigid rules limiting the size of classes for physical education. The National Association for Sport and Physical Education recommends capping elementary P.E. classes at 25, middle school classes at 30 and high school classes at 35, putting them in a range consistent with regular core academic classes. [Classes twice that large are not uncommon, however.] The organization also recommends elementary students receive 150 minutes per week of P.E. instruction, while secondary-level students should have 220 minutes.

Do the lunchrooms in your schools have salad bars? Are there vending machines available to students, and if so, what’s in them?

Consider spending a week eating lunch at a local elementary school. You can document the nutritional content and eye appeal, and ask individual kids to serve as a “Top Chef” panel of experts. I’ve found principals are more willing to permit these types of stories when there’s a chance for the students themselves to participate and learn something from the experience.

Tomorrow: Back to school ideas for the higher education beat.


Have a question, comment or confidential concern for the Educated Reporter? Drop me a line at erichmond@ewa.org. I’m also on Twitter @EWAEmily.

What Sweeping Cuts Mean for Classrooms

We’ve all read about the effect the recession has had on the nation’s infrastructure, especially bridges and roads. But what about another critical resource – school facilities?

Districts nationwide are facing significant budget shortfalls. Long-term renovation projects are on the chopping block, and many campuses are delaying recommended repairs. In some districts, outsourcing school cleaning services is seen as a short-term way to save money, despite the long-term harm it does to the employees who are laid off as a result.

Here’s the tricky part: While custodial staffs are shrinking, the square footage of the school buildings that need to be cleaned remains the same. What is your district doing differently this year to save money on the facilities front? Are there new limits on maintenance overtime? What sort of energy conservation policy is in place, and who is spot-checking to make sure individual schools are complying?

In some cases, small changes -- such as disconnecting display lights in vending machines or putting motion sensors on classroom lights -- can yield significant savings on energy costs. If your district is not taking such steps already, maybe it's time to ask "Why not?"

Other districts, including Rochester Community Schools in southeastern Michigan, are getting resourceful by adding cleaning supplies to students’ back-to-school shopping lists. Teachers are being expected to do more daily upkeep of their own rooms, as custodial services are cut back.

Why not stop by the local office supply store and tag along with some students stocking up for the first day of school? Are their parents unhappy they are being asked to provide items like paper towels and hand sanitizer? Have they noticed any changes in the appearance and upkeep of their schools in the past year? Asking students to work harder to keep their own space neat is a sensible way to teach personal responsibility, but somehow I doubt parents are ready for scrub brushes and mops to be part of their children’s daily classroom duties.

It is possible to get by without a custodian. Just ask educators and students in Japan. In their schools there is a daily period known as “soji,” when kids put down their books and pick up their brooms. The activity is used to reinforce a larger institutional philosophy. Students learn the importance of being part of a cooperative group with shared obligations – a valuable lesson, indeed. That seems like a fair trade-off for sweeping the floor.

Coming up tomorrow: Childhood obesity, recess and Michelle Obama.


Have a question, comment or confidential concern for the Educated Reporter? Drop me a line at erichmond@ewa.org. I’m also on Twitter @EWAEmily.

Get a Head Start on Back-to-School Stories

It’s as regular as clockwork … the front-page photo of an unhappy kindergartener being left at school for the very first time. Sometimes the shot includes parents choking back tears, or a friendly teacher coaxing a frightened child into joining the class. Believe it or not, there are still plenty of opportunities for a fresh take on the back-to-school story.

At EdMedia Commons, our members have come up with some good ones.

Angela Gartner, the News-Herald’s education reporter in Willoughby, Ohio, plans to write about a new radio system for the local district’s school buses. She’ll also take a closer look at a recently ratified contract with the teachers union.

Brandon Huff, a freelance journalist in Cincinnati, is taking a proactive approach to the ongoing dilemma of cyberbullying. He sat down with a local school psychologist for a Q&A to help parents recognize warning signs and understand how to raise the topic with their own children at home.

Liam Goldrick, director of the New Teacher Center in Stoughton, Wis., noticed that Angela was from Ohio and suggested she take a look at the brand-new Ohio Teacher Residency Program. It includes a four-year induction period for new teachers, Goldrick says.

Back in 2007, I followed a new teacher as he prepared to start his career at Coronado High School in Henderson, Nev. (I’m giving you the link to my own work because it was handy, not because I’m interested in self-promotion.) I spent a few weeks before the start of school following him as he moved into his new apartment, attended orientation sessions and set up his classroom. I revisited him six months later to find out how his year was going and again the following fall. I’m pleased to report Lenze is about to start his fourth year at Coronado.

With profiles like this, I’ve learned that the follow-up is important. Readers want to know what happens next.

If you can’t find a new teacher to profile, consider a rookie principal, or perhaps someone planning to retire at the end of the year. Are any schools in your area preparing for a major transformation? Is a local campus the recipient of the new “turnaround” grant for persistently underperforming campuses? Is a for-profit company recruiting families for an online charter school?

Tomorrow I’ll have some suggestions for story ideas on another underappreciated topic: school facilities. Trust me, they won’t be boring.

Have a question, comment or confidential concern for the Educated Reporter? Drop me a line at erichmond@ewa.org. I’m also on Twitter @EWAEmily.

Crossing Borders: Berkeley Immigration Conference Seeks Education Journalist Fellows

If you’ve been on the education beat long enough, you’ve probably gotten one of those angry phone calls: Student achievement would be just fine if those immigrant kids weren’t taking over the schools and draining the resources.

Children of immigrants make easy scapegoats for lackluster progress by public schools. But as educators–and education reporters, writers and editors–know, the reality is much more complicated.

Immigration and education issues are intrinsically linked. Districts are struggling to deliver appropriate instruction to English language learners. At the same time, many of those children (and their families) need support services beyond what a school alone is able to provide.

Before the economy took over the entire stove, immigration policy --particularly related to public education and college access--had been a front-burner issue. The issues, including the controversial DREAM Act, are likely to return as the federal election cycle speeds up. This is a good time to start preparing for the heated debates ahead.

If you are a professional print, online or broadcast journalist who writes about immigration issues as part of your beat, you might consider applying for a five-day institute being held this fall at the University of California, Berkeley. “The Changing Face of America: Immigration from the Ground Up” will look at how the issue affects all areas of society, including healthcare, law enforcement, the economy and, yes, education.

The institute is a collaborative effort by the Graduate School of Journalism and the Warren Institute at Berkeley Law. Selected applicants, to be designated as New York Times Fellows, will hear from experts and scholars in a wide range of fields, as well as from immigrants who will discuss their own experiences. The goal of the event, says the Journalism Institute’s Royze Adolfo, is for participants to “come away with well-balanced perspectives, new sources, essential reporting tools, and innovative story ideas to deepen their coverage and to share with their newsroom.”

The application deadline is Aug. 22 and the institute will be held at Berkeley Nov. 13-17, 2011. Lodging and meals will be provided, and some need-based assistance is available to help defray travel costs. If you have a specific question about the institute or the application, you can also email Royze Adolfo at radolfo@law.berkely.edu.

This looks like a terrific opportunity, and not just because you'll have a chance to stop by one of my favorite former haunts. Let me know if you are selected for the institute -- we'll want to hear your full report.

Have a question, comment or confidential concern for the EWA's Educated Reporter? Drop me a line at erichmond@ewa.org. I’m also on Twitter @EWAEmily.

Grand Re-Opening: Under New Management!

Finishing up a ride-along with a school truancy officer in the Las Vegas valley, I continued asking questions--despite my full notebook--just to see if there was another, maybe better, story for the Las Vegas Sun.

“What do you do in the afternoon after you finish rounding up truants?” I asked that officer two years ago.

“I’ve got to deal with the leftovers,” he told me.

He wasn’t talking about last night’s pot roast, but rather the dozens of students each day whose parents, siblings or designated minders fail to pick them up after school. I learned there were more than 10,000 “leftover” students annually–25 officers weren’t enough to handle all of them.

These are the moments we love as journalists–when a lucky question becomes a key that unlocks a story. Afterward, I tried to remember to end my interviews with this question: “Where are you going next?”

When I applied for the position of public editor for the EWA, the opportunity to work with reporters, writers and editors was the biggest draw of the job. I will get to do that through one-on-one help sessions, EWA-sponsored webinars and workshops, and the topics I choose to write about in this blog.

I’m new to this, so I haven’t quite figured out how many layers of reportorial objectivity I need to shed and how much of my snarkiness to let loose. I appreciate your patience while I find that balance.

I inherited the Educated Reporter. My predecessor Linda Perlstein left a big pair of shoes–news-savvy, witty and intelligent shoes–to fill. She also set a solid framework and some ground rules for this space, and I intend to follow her lead.

*You will find constructive criticism here but no name-calling.

*I will occasionally steer you toward content on the EdMedia Commons site (it’s easy and free to join!) but, for the most part, this blog will stand on its own.

*My posts will aim to be conversation starters, not soliloquies. Your comments are welcome.

*When I come across a study, report or story I think you might want to know about or that could be useful to you, I’ll share. I ask you to do the same.

*There will be no shilling of products. That doesn’t mean I won’t recommend an app that’s helping me organize my own writing or point you toward a snazzy new digital recorder. In these cases, my opinions are still my own and not for sale.

One of my favorite parts of the day in the newsroom was brainstorming with other reporters on story ideas and coming up with fresh approaches to routine topics. You can expect to find a fair amount of that here. For example, next week I’ll have a slew of back-to-school stories that can be localized for just about any market. You should always feel free to grab my ideas and run. (If you do end up using one, please send me a clip for my electronic scrapbook. I’m kind of a geek that way.)

Now I am here, you are there, and it’s time to get to know each other. I’ve never been a huge fan of speed-dating: Relationships need time to develop. But here are a few tidbits to get us going:

*One of my first jobs in journalism required me to trim copy by hand with an Exacto blade and run it through a waxer before rolling it onto a template (Hey kids! Don’t skip the archeology wing at the Newseum!).

*When Chelsea Clinton was a student at Stanford, I broke the news that her bike had been stolen. The Secret Service was not amused.

*I was fortunate to spend the past year at the University of Michigan as a Knight-Wallace Fellow, where I studied the resurgence of single-sex public education, traveled to South America and Turkey, and discovered there is no substitute for a decent pair of wool socks.

*As a native Bostonian, I reserve the right to use "wicked" as a weather descriptor.

*My miniature schnauzer’s name is the same as Cary Grant’s birth name. (The first person to email me the correct answer wins an EWA coffee mug… as soon as I get mine.)

There is one more thing you should know about me: I believe education isn’t just one of the most challenging beats, it’s also one of the most important. The long-range economic and social well-being of any community depends heavily on the academic success of its children. As education writers, our job is to help readers understand the challenges confronting schools, and show why they should care.

At the same time, we are trying to surf a tide of new federal initiatives, budget crises at every level and ever-shrinking newsrooms. I hope this blog will help you navigate some of those rocky currents.

So, where are you going next?
 
Have a question, comment or confidential concern for the Educated Reporter? Drop me a line at erichmond@ewa.org. I’m also on Twitter @EWAEmily.