Alexander Russo

My latest Columbia Journalism piece went online yesterday — an attempt to test the claim that’s often made that education journalism is, while abundant, all too often narrowly focused on a particular set of issues and also problematically superficial. As you’ll see (Why education reporters are missing the grade – Columbia Journalism Review.), the piece […]

National Education Association PAC likes Clinton for 2016 Washington Post: The recommendation now goes to the NEA’s 174-member Board of Directors, which is meeting on Friday and Saturday. To win the endorsement, Clinton needs at least 58 percent of the board to vote for her, and most observers believe she’ll clear that hurdle. But that doesn’t mean […]

Reading over a recent Politico New York story about the integration/zoning debate going on in gentrifying Brooklyn right now (Brooklyn school rezoning debate puts focus on de Blasio administration), I noticed a powerful quote from a parent advocate about how the more affluent community had been consulted first about the proposed changes: “In August, a […]

Campbell Brown’s media outlet/advocacy campaign, The Seventy Four, has now published at least two pieces critical of the current school reform movement — one about how the Obama administration’s pressure on Common Core generated a predictable pushback and the other (this week) about how poorly Ohio’s charter school sector has performed.  It’s also taking a […]

Arne Duncan challenges the country to deal with educational inequity Washington Post: Education Secretary Arne Duncan thinks the chances that Congress will replace No Child Left Behind, the main K-12 federal education law now eight years overdue for revision, took a nosedive with House Speaker John Boehner’s decision to retire. Rank and file revolt? NEA’s expected backing […]

Post racial #Philadelphia … Way 2 capture the diversity #PhiladelphiaMagazine #Fail #BlackLivesMatter #Philly pic.twitter.com/j3cfvQbAHW — Jeanine Nicole (@BajAnomally) September 29, 2015 The Washington Post’s Emma Brown reports that the editors at a glossy Philadelphia magazine have apologized for an education cover story (above) featuring all white kids despite the reality that more than half of […]

After weather postpones education rally, debate on the ground likely to continue ChalkbeatNY: The rallies, which Families for Excellent Schools has staged since 2013, have become a potent weapon in the larger political battle the group is waging with the teachers union to influence education policy in the city and state. That battle has intensified as […]

Key players in Newark education: Mayor Ras Baraka and Superintendent Chris Cerf with @Jamifloyd @WNYC pic.twitter.com/5XhcZnxNJk — Jim Schachter (@jimschachter) September 29, 2015 My reflections on last night’s panel about Newark ended up focusing largely on what the two journalists there — moderator Jami Floyd (from WNYC) and author Dale Russakoff (a panelist) — could […]

There’s a small but strange situation in the Wall Street Journal’s latest education story (Teachers Union Criticizes Charter Perk), written by Leslie Brody — and what I’m going to describe as a quirky journalistic solution. The Brody story concerns union complaints about a provision in the state charter law that allows schools to “set aside […]

National Education Association Could Be Close to Endorsing Hillary Clinton PK12: Sources say that the National Education Association, the country’s largest union, could endorse the Democratic candidate in a presidential primary battle as early as Friday. LAUSD board to vote on $6.4M settlement proposal with Apple over iPad software KPCC: Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Ramon Cortines told board members […]