NEW: All the best education journalism, media commentary, & newsroom changes. Feds & Iowa, Florida failures, & parent-centered education coverage: 🏆 Best Education Journalism of the Week 🏆 (01/09/2026) alexanderrusso.substack.com/p/federal-fu...

This was a good bit of introspection, but I don't think the situation is quite so gloomy. "Go to the best college you can get into *and graduate*" is still the single best form of upward mobility *at the individual level*, even if times are a bit tough right now for recent college grads.

To regain reader trust, education journalists have to understand the myths that surround their work and to rethink traditional choices and approaches. New from me: Why I became an education journalist — and how urgently the beat needs to change. alexanderrusso.substack.com/p/why-i-beca...

NEW: In Boston, a veteran reporter steps in where traditional news falls short alexanderrusso.substack.com/p/in-boston-...

"However, an honest assessment of the past year suggests that the most immediate, real-world changes that students and schools have been experiencing have taken place at the state and local levels"

Assessing 2025, ‘you are not entitled to a response,’ & laughing reporters: 🏆 Best Education Journalism of the Week 🏆 (01/02/2026) NEW: All the week's best education journalism, plus newsroom changes & juicy insights. alexanderrusso.substack.com/p/assessing-...

Year-end thanks to @greezbock.bsky.social, @kristajohnson.bsky.social, @laurapowellesq.bsky.social, Kelsey Piper, Ekemini Ekpo, Alisha Thomas Searcy, and many others for their insights and contributions! alexanderrusso.substack.com/p/the-grades...

Hello, Bluesky! Investigative series, books, plays, and even a TV series are all included in The Grade's annual roundup — a tradition going back to 2016: The top 10 education stories of 2025 alexanderrusso.substack.com/p/the-top-10...

Hello, Bluesky! Investigative series, books, plays, and even a TV series are all included in The Grade's annual roundup — a tradition going back to 2016: The top 10 education stories of 2025 alexanderrusso.substack.com/p/the-top-10...

"The world is on fire, democracy is in disarray, and journalism has lost the public’s trust and attention. But there are still lots of good things happening on the education beat." NEW from @alexanderrusso: Thankful for education journalism: 2025 alexanderrusso.substack.com/p/thankful-f...

“I think that when harnessed in a very positive way with the right guardrails, [private school choice] can provide better options for families," says DFER's Jorge Elorza. The Democratic case for private school choice alexanderrusso.substack.com/p/the-democr...

A new report from Bellwether's Nora Weber & others confirms that national education news is losing its identity. But there's at least one viable alternative. NEW: What to do about the mismatch between education news & education? alexanderrusso.substack.com/p/more-schoo...

“They were talking about feminism, suicide, and all of these things that I don’t see when I’m in a public school classroom,” says Griesbach. “So that kind of shocked me.” Surprises a reporter experiences inside a newly-opened private school in Alabama alexanderrusso.substack.com/p/surprises-...

NEW: School-based sexual misconduct is much more widespread than many imagine. But a steady drumbeat of media coverage can help persuade lawmakers and school officials to keep more kids safe. From @enoughabuse's Jetta Bernier: alexanderrusso.substack.com/p/how-journa...

Louisville's integration program "looked good on paper, but it didn’t work well," according to @KristaJ1993, who reflects on what mattered most to her when she was a kid growing up poor in Iowa. NEW: Rethinking integration & reflecting on childhood experiences open.substack.com/pub/alexande...

The hit TV mockumentary is stubbornly optimistic — and that’s not a bad thing, writes contributor Ekemini Ekpo: In defense of 'Abbott Elementary' alexanderrusso.substack.com/p/in-defense...

Yes! And we'd love any coverage too. You just have to RSVP journalism.columbia.edu/events

Video-first reporting for education journalists Oliva Krauth on getting started with video-first journalism — even if you don't like being on camera. The latest in our series on innovations, nontraditional voices, & emerging platforms. open.substack.com/pub/alexande...?

Charlie Kirk backlash, voucher growing pains in FL, & a school-focused 'Subway Takes' (finally!) - 🏆 Best Education Journalism of the Week 🏆 (09/19/25) alexanderrusso.substack.com/p/the-charli...

One reporter's efforts to end 'passing the trash' in California schools alexanderrusso.substack.com/p/one-report...

Wildly misleading headline alert! Hed: Efforts to fund schools more equitably actually worsened racial inequality Article: States’ equity-focused school funding reform worked! But racial inequality grew anyway for other reasons (and b/c of differences b/n states). www.edweek.org/policy-polit...

If California finally joins other states in passing comprehensive reform against school sexual assault, investigative reporter @mattdrange will have had a lot to do with it. NEW: One reporter's efforts to end 'passing the trash' in California schools alexanderrusso.substack.com/p/one-report...

From @alexanderrusso.bsky.social: Jon Haidt is going to be contributing to the education page at Bari Weiss’s The Free Press. So maybe we can all take Haidt with a much, much larger gain of salt now? And here’s a nuanced critique of Haidt’s Anxious Generation to send to all your friends.

"This school where I was teaching had massive curriculum flaws… But the kids were genuinely happy." - Inside the Harper's magazine story about teaching at an ESA-funded micro-school alexanderrusso.substack.com/p/a-student-...

My journalism career began when I responded to a Craigslist ad seeking a team of reporters to cover New Orleans charter school boards for $50 per meeting. The Lens' Charter School Reporting Corps monitored adherence to sunshine laws during the rapid expansion of charter schools. We set the tone.

NEW: Disaster, decentralization, & the slow climb back to school transparency "We were the enforcers of public meetings law." - The Lens' @martajewson.bsky.social alexanderrusso.substack.com/p/disaster-d...

Inside an ESA-funded microschool, a foster kid success story, & hot times in Houston - 🏆 Best Education Journalism of the Week 🏆 (08/22/2025) alexanderrusso.substack.com/p/inside-an-...

Even in our public schools, foster kids are mostly invisible. Gratefiul to @alexanderrusso.bsky.social at The Grade for posting this excerpt from my new book, WARDS OF THE STATE, which shows how much impact one person can have. alexanderrusso.substack.com/p/45f6acd7-a...

Hello! I'm currently working on a series of stories for NPR about AI and education. I'm reporting on equity issues, academic integrity and the future of work -- as well as the risks and benefits this tech poses for children and teens. First up: www.npr.org/2025/08/19/n...

"Nearly 40 percent of young adults get at least some of their news on TikTok, but fewer than 1 percent of all TikTok accounts followed by Americans are traditional media outlets." From @alexanderrusso.bsky.social's "The Grade," alexanderrusso.substack.com/p/democrats-...

Hey, everybody -- the 🏆 Best Education Journalism of the Week🏆 is now on Substack: Pushback against the Post, a new podcast about post-Katrina New Orleans, & new content from 'Sold a Story' (08/15/2025) alexanderrusso.substack.com/p/pushback-a...

"Journalism, I love you. But you’re bringing me down.” Why I Became an Education Journalist — & how I know the profession needs to change www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/ed-mag...

Like many journalists, former WAMU ed reporter @jennyabamu.bsky.social had long resisted video-first content creation. But then she figured out a way to join in that worked -- and she's got ideas how others could, too: NEW: Why I finally joined TikTok kappanonline.org/abamu-why-i-...

NEW: Three education journalists talk about the challenges and successes covering education in June -- and what might come next! www.youtube.com/watch?v=48Dj...

In this week’s newsletter: 📌 The surprise success of Zohran Mamdani. 📌 A revealing interview with the actor who plays the ‘cool’ teacher from a hit Broadway play Best Education Journalism of the Week (06/27/2025) kappanonline.org/the-mamdani-...

So fun talking with actor Gabriel Ebert about favorite teachers, reconsidering classic plays, and being the cool teacher in the hit Broadway play "John Proctor Is the Villain." youtu.be/O88pvft4Nk0?...

Lots of great education news coverage, plus a bit of discussion about the myth of local control and the case for covering Weingarten's role in the DNC (or the controversy about her influence). kappanonline.org/a-tidal-wave...

Having the mayor/city council accountable for the schools *generally* gives incentives to elected officials who want schools to be successful. Of course, many mayors just don't want the heat...

"Local control is a core value of many people, but as it turns out such control may stand in the way of effective schools." "Voters who participate in school board elections routinely prioritize symbolic politics, employment concerns, and home values." NEW: kappanonline.org/learning-fro...

A Cuban father who worked at a local candy factory in San Antonio was arrested while driving his two young children to school. His wife "asked if she could give her husband a kiss before they took him. None of the agents responded" www.wsj.com/us-news/prot...

NEW: A wild week in DC, non-traditional education news, & Trump’s big commencement speech: 🏆 Best Education Journalism of the Week 🏆 (06/06/2025) kappanonline.org/a-wild-week-...

NEW: A wild week in DC, non-traditional education news, & Trump’s big commencement speech: 🏆 Best Education Journalism of the Week 🏆 (06/06/2025) kappanonline.org/a-wild-week-...

Traditional journalism has been knocked off its pedestal. Alternative sources, approaches, and platforms are proliferating. What happens next? NEW: Make room for non-traditional education journalism!? kappanonline.org/make-room-fo...

It was a tough week for equity-based grading & the #ewa25 conference. It was a great week for the SacBee & Chalkbeat's AI reporting pilot. An ‘F’ for equity, conference controversy, & AI-based ed reporting: 🏆 Best Education Journalism of the Week 🏆 (05/30/25) kappanonline.org/an-f-for-equ...

7 tips for improving choice coverage kappanonline.org/ordway-7-tip... 1. Explain how programs differ. 2. Find out how families decide. 3. Scrutinize private schools. 4. This is nothing new. 5. Push back on claims. 6. Familiarize yourself with the research. 7. Report on trends.

Everyday classroom disruptions are pervasive and growing, says veteran educator Gail Johnson. But there's enormous resistance among parents and journalists about acknowledging the problem. NEW: Why does everyone downplay classroom chaos? kappanonline.org/gail-johnson...

Tremendously unfair. His reporting during Covid was heroic, powerful, and centered on the most vulnerable children. www.propublica.org/article/the-... www.propublica.org/article/the-...

If you know what technology costs school districts, this story is extra painful. #edusky

Now an @annenberginstitute.bsky.social working paper: "Remote Learning in 2020-21 and Student Attendance Since the COVID-19 Pandemic." edworkingpapers.com/ai25-1196 I find "exposure to remote learning may explain a part of the decline in student attendance post-pandemic, but only a small part."