Ewa Radio

Education journalism has changed considerably over the years. In what used to be a relatively calm beat, reporters now deal with school shootings, contentious board meetings and angry residents targeting them on social media.  “This ain’t your mama’s education beat” as one reporter wryly put it. While covering education – in addition to other beats – reporters are often working longer hours, even as they contend with layoffs, less support and smaller budgets. About 70% to 72% of local journalists reported work-related and/or personal burnout, according to research from the Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media at The University of North Carolina. Women and young people were more likely to experience burnout than men and older people, researchers found. Kavitha Cardoza saw these issues up close in her work as EWA’s public editor this year. Education reporters from across the country reached out about their challenges: Some left journalism. Some were forced out, and others still struggle, hopi

When 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!

Early childhood is a critical time for a child's physical, cognitive, social and emotional development.  Nurturing care is critical for brain growth, meaning a child's development is affected by their experiences and interactions with nurturing caregivers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To reach their full potential, children need to feel safe and loved as well as receive several opportunities to play, explore and express themselves.  Jackie Mader of The Hechinger Report has covered early education exclusively for eight years. This week, she talks to EWA Radio’s Kavitha Cardoza about how she covers so many “beats within a beat,” what she looks for in a child care center, and the challenges of finding new angles.

For a while, Mirtha Donastorg was the only reporter covering Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) full time in the country. As a journalist at The Plug (a now defunct online publication), she covered innovations happening at the more than 100 HBCUs across the country and visited many campuses. Donastorg shared nine things she learned covering HBCUs with EWA Radio. She shared details we had never heard before, including that some HBCUs are now majority white. Additionally, there’s incredible research going on at some, such as growing plants in Martian soil. She also explains why people who went to HBCUs love HBCUs so much! Also, we discuss research on the protective health effects of attending an HBCU, why graduation rates alone don’t tell the whole story of an HBCU education and how reporters can build better relationships with HBCUs.

Millions of families struggle with after-school care – the hours after the school day ends but before the workday finishes.  Rachel Cohen of Vox Media found the after-school crisis is not limited to one city or state. Millions of families need care, yet thousands of school districts offer no options at all. Some communities have just a single nonprofit or church program available, she discovered.  With the help of an EWA Reporting Fellowship, Rachel traveled to Iowa and California to understand the problem. She was delighted to find example programs that started small but now can serve as a blueprint for other communities. Rachel details the many challenges parents and providers face, the proven benefits of after-school care and the sentence in education reporting she never, ever thought she'd hear!