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. But, while  reporting for the Statesman Journal, Natalie Pate discovered there were more than 1,200 prisoners on a waitlist as of June 2022. Nearly half of incarcerated people in Oregon who qualify as low-level readers — those who read below an eighth-grade level — have never been enrolled in classes, Natalie found. Providing funding and access to prison education isn’t a top priority in the state as illustrated by the Department of Corrections’ budget.  Natalie spent hours inside prisons speaking with incarcerated adults about their education as children and heard why they wanted to learn to read and write. She pored over research papers and government documents to understand how poor literacy, dropout rates and crime intersect. Additionally, she spoke with experts about how – and why – the system must improve. READ MORE:  9 Lessons a Reporter Learned Covering Prison Education

Literacy Efforts in Prison

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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 of EWA’s board of directors, shares his tips for making the most of the flagship conference. This includes how to choose which sessions to attend, what to pack, and where to look for story ideas and networking opportunities.

Your Guide to #ewa24 in Las Vegas

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 scrambles to fix calculation errors, colleges and universities have had to hit pause on making admissions decisions, adding even more confusion to the mix.  Eric Hoover, a senior writer for The Chronicle of Higher Education, shares insights from his deep coverage, including implications for students, families and postsecondary institutions. What’s being done to help students from low-income backgrounds whose college prospects might have already been on shaky ground? And where should reporters proceed with extra caution in covering this complex and fast-changing story?

What the FAFSA?!

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 significantly less diverse than the student populations they teach.  Kristen Griffith of The Baltimore Banner shares insights from  her in-depth reporting on this issue. What’s driving the exodus in Maryland, and what interventions might help keep more Black teachers on the job? 

Why Black Teachers Quit

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 impact of concentrated poverty on students? How might more resources be directed to high-poverty schools, and what other strategies might address these disparities and improve resource equity? And what are some story ideas for education reporters around school finance and concentrated poverty?  Experts John Affeldt, Public Advocates; Amber Arellano, The Education Trust-Midwest, and Ericka Weathers, University of Pennsylvania join host Emily Richmond at a special live episode of EWA Radio, recorded at SXSW EDU on March 6.

Fairer School Funding

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 students and their school communities.  He joins EWA Radio to discuss his two newest pieces: a close look at a private company providing outreach services tracking down absent students in the hard-hit school systems of Detroit’s outer suburbs, and how private and parochial schools are cashing in on the funding bonanza of new and expanded school voucher programs that open the door to every student – regardless of family income.

Literacy Efforts in Prison

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