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Monday, March 14, 2005
On the Education Beat
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A storyin the Columbia Journalism Review has generated some buzz in my profession. Basically, the author says we education reporters spend too much time transcribing the party lines from school district administrations and not enough time inside classrooms. That’s where we’ll find the real stories, she says.
Here’s an exerpt: “Ironically, just when some reporters are losing touch with their true subjects - children - many parents are becoming more curious about what exactly is happening in the classroom. In wealthier districts, so-called “helicopter parents” hover over every aspect of their children’s lives, scouring relevant reports as they groom their offspring for success in the world of high-stakes testing and college admissions. In low-income neighborhoods, parents rely on the media to help them negotiate the new rules and new tests, along with the new possibilities for tutoring or transferring as they angle to keep their children from being left behind. Both groups of parents want to know the difference between standards and standardized tests, between reading scores and real knowledge. But such stories don’t lend themselves to simple answers, and so are too often missed by reporters who come at the beat from the wrong end.”
I don’t spend as much time in the classroom as I would like, because I’m so busy with other aspects of this complex assignment. As important as it is to observe children learning to read, it’s also important to pressure the state to release the number of questions required to pass the state reading test. I spent a good bit of time doing just that last year. I’m not looking to blow my own horn or to get defensive, just to give an example of how I spend my time. I try to provide a mix of stories readers will take time to read.
I would love to hear from you. What do you look for in education stories? Do you want to read about what’s going on in classrooms? Do you want to read about what the school board is up to? How about the Georgia Department of Education? The Legislature? College admissions officers? What’s most important to you?
