EWA Radio

By Education Writers Association

What's EWA Radio about?

EWA, the professional organization dedicated to improving the quality and quantity of education coverage in the media, hosts regular interviews and panel discussions with journalists and education professionals.

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EWA Radio episodes:

05.07.2024
Your Guide to #ewa24 in Las Vegas
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...
04.16.2024
What the FAFSA?!
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...
04.02.2024
Why Black Teachers Quit
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...
03.19.2024
Fairer School Funding
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...
03.12.2024
When Private Schools Get Public Money
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...
02.20.2024
The Power of Student Journalism
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...
02.13.2024
Finding Missing Students (and the Money)
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...
01.23.2024
‘Disillusioned:’ The Rise and Fall of the American Suburban Dream
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...
01.16.2024
2024: New Year, New Story Ideas
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,...
12.12.2023
So You Want a Journalism Fellowship
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...
12.05.2023
For Rural Black Students, a College Conundrum
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...
11.28.2023
Can Public Education Survive School Choice?
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...
11.07.2023
When Skills, Not Seat Time Earn College Degrees
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...
10.17.2023
Migrant Children in Public Schools
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...
10.03.2023
Want Schools Open in a Pandemic? Give Them Cleaner Air.
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...
09.19.2023
The K-12 Stories You Need in Your Notebook
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...
09.05.2023
The Best Colleges You’ve (Probably) Never Heard of
Do you know Elizabeth City State University, a historically Black college, in North Carolina? What about SUNY-Geneseo in New York’s Finger Lakes region? Both schools were top performers in the Washington Monthly’s annual college rankings. The magazine puts a premium...
08.29.2023
Higher Ed Stories to Steal
The new academic year is underway, and Inside Higher Ed Co-founder Scott Jaschik shares story ideas for enterprising journalists. Among his top picks: Legacy admissions in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling on race-conscious college admissions, the risks and...
08.15.2023
Best on the Beat: Mike Hixenbaugh of NBC News
Mike Hixenbaugh of NBC News won the Ronald Moskowitz Prize for Outstanding Beat Reporting at this year’s National Awards for Education Reporting ceremony. He speaks candidly about the perils of “parachute journalism,” especially in the wake of tragedies –...
07.26.2023
The Heavy Price of Policing Students
Reporters Jodi S. Cohen and Jennifer Smith Richards share the backstory to their blockbuster investigation into Illinois police ticketing students at schools for minor infractions, a practice costing them seat time and their families thousands of dollars in fines. ...
07.11.2023
Passing the Public Editor Torch
As Emily Richmond returns, Kavitha Cardoza shares what she learned in her year as EWA’s public editor, including a fresh appreciation for the challenges facing education beat reporters. Plus, Emily discusses her experiences as a 2023 Spencer Education Fellow...
06.13.2023
Protecting Education Journalists’ Mental Health
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”...
05.09.2023
Getting to School Can Mean Life or Death When Trains Block Crossings
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...
05.03.2023
Covering Early Childhood Education
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...
04.26.2023
9 Things I Learned Covering HBCUs
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...
04.12.2023
America's After-School Afterthought
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...
04.04.2023
Tracking Student-Athletes Menstrual History
Katherine “Kati” Kokal, an education reporter at The Palm Beach Post, received a tip that prompted her to investigate why schools in the Florida district she covers were asking student-athletes to provide their menstrual health history to coaches. That took...
03.28.2023
Student Data Privacy as a Civil Rights Issue
Schools collect vast amounts of information from and about students – through cameras, computers, and their social media posts. Many children and parents aren’t aware the data may be shared with private companies, law enforcement and even analyzed to identify...
03.14.2023
Introducing Kathy Chow, EWA’s New Executive Director
After an extensive national search, the Education Writers Association is pleased to introduce our new executive director, Kathy Chow. She will begin on April 3. Chow will be responsible for a nonprofit organization that represents nearly 2,000 members. She has...
02.28.2023
Critical Race Theory in Higher Education
Critical race theory has gotten a lot of attention in the K-12 space, but how do debates about systemic racism play out in higher education? Daniel Golden is a senior editor and reporter at ProPublica. He won a Pulitzer Prize...
02.14.2023
Student Press Freedom
Marcus Pennell and other high school student journalists in Nebraska decided to celebrate Pride Month last year, with some articles in their school newspaper. They wrote about the history of homophobia and origins of Pride Month among other content, including...
02.07.2023
Tutoring as a Student Catch-up Strategy
The federal government is pushing school districts to spend 20% of the $122 billion in relief funds to “catch children up” academically. Many are turning to tutoring as a way to help students after months of disruption from the pandemic....
01.31.2023
Top Issues to Watch in Higher Education for 2023
One of the most eagerly anticipated sessions at EWA’s Higher Education Seminar is Scott Jaschik's look ahead into the world of higher education. He's one of three co-founders of Inside Higher Ed, and he’s a highly sought after expert on...
01.17.2023
Literacy Efforts in Prison
About 70% or more incarcerated Americans can't read at the fourth-grade level. This means they would struggle to understand a lunch menu, a ticket stub or a street sign. Oregon law requires that the majority of these prisoners take classes....
01.10.2023
Producing an Education Documentary
COVID-19 caused an unprecedented disruption in children’s learning. Even though schools reopened, we are still dealing with the effects, such as academic gaps, mental health challenges and behavioral issues. The federal government has poured billions of dollars into states to...
12.20.2022
Why Climate Change Is an Education Story
Several states saw record-breaking temperatures this year. Schools across the country – including in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Cleveland, Denver, and San Diego – closed because of excessive heat. In Columbus, Ohio, teachers went on strike demanding air conditioning in their...
12.13.2022
Being a Cub Reporter on the Education Beat
Being a cub reporter on the education beat can feel overwhelming at times: People talk in acronyms you don't understand; there's a ton of complicated research to wade through, and everyone has an opinion on what you should cover! In...
11.29.2022
Homeless Students in Rural America
Rural students are homeless in about the same proportion as their urban counterparts, but as Samantha Shapiro found in her story for The New York Times Magazine, they often have far less of a support system. In many cases, schools...
11.22.2022
Becoming Editors
This Thanksgiving, I’m grateful to colleagues in the education community – past and present –for supporting me. I’m especially grateful to editors who talked me through half-coherent ideas and shaped them into something meaningful, who acted as sounding boards, and...
11.01.2022
Investigating Hasidic Schools in New York
Some Hasidic Jewish boys in New York were denied basic education in reading, math and social studies, a New York Times investigation found. These students also received harsh physical punishments and experienced textbook censorship in Hasidic boys’ schools. Brian Rosenthal*...
10.25.2022
Increasing Inequality: How 'Ivy-Plus' Colleges Are Part of the Problem
Evan Mandery, an award-winning author of eight books, talks to EWA Public Editor Kavitha Cardoza about the staggering inequality in "Ivy-plus" higher education institutions. In his latest book, “Poison Ivy: How Elite Colleges Divide Us,” Mandery argues that colleges like...
10.11.2022
Book Bans in Texas Schools
A school board president breaks his gavel while trying to keep order, police officers escort parents out of public meetings and librarians called "pedophile groomers” for stocking certain books. Those were just a few of the scenarios Hannah Dellinger and...
10.04.2022
Covering Children and COVID
Tens of millions of children suffered when schools closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many lost access to food, heat and safety. A couple years on, we can see the effects clearly – academic losses, mental health challenges as well as...
09.20.2022
What Reporters Should Do Before and After a Layoff
If you’re a journalist who was laid off (or is concerned about your job after recent cuts at Gannett and Bustle Digital Group), what should you do? Get advice from our EWA Radio episode, and review the resources below. Public Editor Kavitha Cardoza...
08.30.2022
Covering Native American Students
Covering a community different from your own can be tricky – especially when that community has a fraught relationship with the U.S. education system created by years of racism and cultural erasure. To understand how Native American students experience college,...
08.23.2022
Back to School: Story Ideas for K-12 and Higher Education Reporters
A pair of veteran education journalists share insights for what’s ahead this fall and beyond. Mila Koumpilova of Chalkbeat Chicago shares issues she is keeping an eye on, including enrollment changes, staff shortages and following up on summer school. Plus,...
08.09.2022
Emily Richmond Takes a Temporary Break As Public Editor. But EWA Radio Continues!
As Emily Richmond says goodbye (temporarily!), she looks into the early history of integration and present-day landscape of the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA), which serves nearly 67,000 students from military connected families at its campuses both in the...
06.21.2022
Was His Former Teacher a Sexual Predator? This Reporter Had to Find Out.
For senior investigative reporter Matt Drange of Business Insider, this was a reporting assignment like no other: investigating his former high school journalism teacher on allegations of sexual misconduct. He spent more than three years reporting the story, pulling back the curtain...
06.08.2022
Revisiting America’s Reading Wars
For decades, millions of children have been taught to read using a popular method that’s out of step with the scientific research on how our brains really learn. Amid pushback and criticism – including from researchers, parents, and education journalists...
05.17.2022
Can the Latino College Gap Be Solved?
For San Antonio student Javier Hernandez, the difference between fulfilling his dream of attending a four-year university hundreds of miles from home and opting for a lower-cost local community college was an unexpected bill for a family funeral. In her...

What's EWA Radio about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

EWA Radio episodes:

Your Guide to #ewa24 in Las Vegas

What the FAFSA?!

Why Black Teachers Quit

Fairer School Funding

When Private Schools Get Public Money

The Power of Student Journalism

Finding Missing Students (and the Money)

‘Disillusioned:’ The Rise and Fall of the American Suburban Dream

2024: New Year, New Story Ideas

So You Want a Journalism Fellowship

For Rural Black Students, a College Conundrum

Can Public Education Survive School Choice?

When Skills, Not Seat Time Earn College Degrees

Migrant Children in Public Schools

Want Schools Open in a Pandemic? Give Them Cleaner Air.

The K-12 Stories You Need in Your Notebook

The Best Colleges You’ve (Probably) Never Heard of

Higher Ed Stories to Steal

Best on the Beat: Mike Hixenbaugh of NBC News

The Heavy Price of Policing Students

Passing the Public Editor Torch

Protecting Education Journalists’ Mental Health

Getting to School Can Mean Life or Death When Trains Block Crossings

Covering Early Childhood Education

9 Things I Learned Covering HBCUs

America's After-School Afterthought

Tracking Student-Athletes Menstrual History

Student Data Privacy as a Civil Rights Issue

Introducing Kathy Chow, EWA’s New Executive Director

Critical Race Theory in Higher Education

Student Press Freedom

Tutoring as a Student Catch-up Strategy

Top Issues to Watch in Higher Education for 2023

Literacy Efforts in Prison

Producing an Education Documentary

Why Climate Change Is an Education Story

Being a Cub Reporter on the Education Beat

Homeless Students in Rural America

Becoming Editors

Investigating Hasidic Schools in New York

Increasing Inequality: How 'Ivy-Plus' Colleges Are Part of the Problem

Book Bans in Texas Schools

Covering Children and COVID

What Reporters Should Do Before and After a Layoff

Covering Native American Students

Back to School: Story Ideas for K-12 and Higher Education Reporters

Emily Richmond Takes a Temporary Break As Public Editor. But EWA Radio Continues!

Was His Former Teacher a Sexual Predator? This Reporter Had to Find Out.

Revisiting America’s Reading Wars

Can the Latino College Gap Be Solved?