Alexander Russo

From what I can tell, nobody else but me was bothered by the news coverage resulting from a new Shanker Institute report on teacher diversity in nine big-city school districts. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have a point. The new report, issued by the AFT-sponsored think tank, is titled The State of Teacher Diversity in American […]

It’s not always apparent to non-journalists where reporters get their story ideas, sources, and updated information. Stories just sort of appear online or in the newspaper, seemingly out of nowhere. By and large, the impetus behind a story comes from the places you’d expect. Much of the time, the stories that get written are news-driven […]

Common Core, Choice, and a Teenage Clockmaker Highlight Ed. in GOP Debates PK12: Fans of discussions about K-12 policy had little to cheer about Wednesday, but education did get occasional mentions from some of the GOP candidates. See also Washington Post, LA Times. Obama Invites Ahmed Mohamed And His ‘Cool Clock’ To The White House For Astronomy […]

The New York Times has a story reporting the controversy surrounding various uses of the viral image of a dead Syrian boy including this image of the boy wearing a school backpack (below) published by French cartoonist, Emmanuel Chaunu to satirize the French public’s obsession with the supposed stresses of the start of the new school year. […]

*UPDATED: See additional information following original blog post. Now that the Seattle teachers strike is ending, let’s take a moment to go back and take a quick look at the coverage of the strike and in particular whether news outlets did a good job preparing the public (and parents) for the possibility that a strike […]

Seattle Teachers Reach Tentative Agreement To End Strike HuffPost: Initially, the district had offered teachers a 9 percent pay increase over three years, although the association countered by demanding a 10.5 percent increase over two years. Details of the latest agreement have not yet been revealed. See also AP, NPR, NBC News, PBS NewsHour, NYT, Seattle Times. City Wants […]

There aren’t a ton of instances in which education reporters find themselves in potentially life or death situations, but in a long career they can happen. Way back in Spring 2008, LA Times reporter Howard Blume fought to get himself on campus in the chaotic aftermath of a large-scale lunchtime disruption between groups of students. […]

Just when I want to ding the TODAY show for running an alarming (alarmist?) segment about school buses and seat belts, a school bus goes off the road in Houston.

Ferguson Commission: Schools Must Prioritize Whole-Child Issues, Equity District Dossier: A 198-page report by the Ferguson Commission recommends a focus on whole-child issues like hunger and school discipline and an overhaul in how the state of the Missouri deals with unaccredited districts. Discrimination begins early and immigrant preschoolers notice, report says KPCC LA: Teachers may make derogatory comments […]

Dale Russakoff’s book about Newark continues to be the subject of a lot of admiring attention – and sales. (It’s apparently the top education book on Amazon right now.) On Twitter, BuzzFeed’s Molly Hensley-Clancy described it as “Uncomfortable & unsparing – the only side it takes is a kindergarten teacher’s.” Before I forget: Russakoff is in DC […]