Whether or not to reopen schools to in-person learning has been a heated debate among parents and teachers, and a massive coverage challenge for newsrooms.
Here are some of the main pieces that The Grade has published on the topic so far:
How to avoid writing needlessly alarmist school reopening stories
Given the intense political debate surrounding school reopening, journalists need to work extra hard to avoid fanning readers’ fears.
The tentative successes of in-person learning deserve more coverage
In-person instruction and tentative success avoiding COVID outbreaks deserve to be part of this year’s back to school coverage.
Negative COVID coverage and prolonged school shutdowns
A new report finds hyper-negative coverage by the largest U.S. media outlets, which may play a role in terrifying the public and keeping kids out of schools.
What makes school reopening so challenging to cover?
Four education journalists explain what makes one of the nation’s biggest stories so difficult to cover.
Smart ways to cover the wrenching debate over reopening schools
Five ways to make your reopening coverage smart, helpful, and compelling — with example stories to use as models.
Journalists’ strategies for covering the school reopening story
Despite the obvious challenges, reporters have been finding interesting and useful ways to cover the story.
How European schools stay open (Anthony LaMesa)
Centralized governance, a focus on safety protocols, and additional staffing funds all play a role in keeping European schools open.
Will New York City schools ever reopen? Better coverage might help us find out.
Two ways to improve New York City schools coverage – before it’s too late.
School Reopening 2020: The Surge That Never Happened (at Forbes)
In the end, schools never turned the corner towards widespread reopening, in Massachusetts or elsewhere. Most recently, they’ve turned and headed the other direction.
Education reporters share their own back to school decisions
11 education reporters describe what their school-age children are going to be doing to start the 2020-21 school year
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alexander Russo
Alexander Russo is founder and editor of The Grade, an award-winning effort to help improve media coverage of education issues. He’s also a Spencer Education Journalism Fellowship winner and a book author. You can reach him at @alexanderrusso.
Visit their website at: https://the-grade.org/
