Too often, media coverage of schools focuses on setbacks, controversies, and unmet challenges, unintentionally creating the impression that improvements, innovations, and progress are unusual and/or impossible.
But that’s hardly the case, and journalism that’s relentless focused on bad news is both misleading and demoralizing.
The Grade has pushed back against unnecessarily negative news coverage of schools and the knee-jerk focus on controversies. Here are some examples, updated for July 2025:
Holding solutions journalism accountable Revisiting past success stories is an important (if humbling) job for solutions-oriented education journalists. By Katherine Long, former Seattle Times education team editor
Confessions of a former accountability purist Only after I left the newsroom did I realize the limits of traditional problem-focused coverage — and the power of adding solutions to the mix. By Matthew Kauffman, former Hartford Courant investigative journalist
Making education news more useful AL.com Education Lab editor Ruth Serven Smith has tried to focus on readers’ immediate needs and interests — rather than what journalists might want to write about. It hasn’t always been easy.
Drama, characters, and ambiguity: key elements of high-quality school innovations coverage Innovations stories give readers hope and create opportunities for change. The most effective examples are also realistic and compelling. By Will Callan
Solutions stories that aren’t puff pieces Finding unexpected examples, providing first-hand observations, and giving national context are all key to success, according to this veteran education journalist. By Kate Rix
When good news goes missing What questions about how journalism covers public institutions are revealed by the delayed attention and lack of depth that have marked media coverage of Chicago schools’ dramatic progress? By Karin Chenoweth
The rise of ‘conflict’ journalism Journalist Amanda Ripley reflects on the tumultuous year behind us and sketches out some promising ways forward.
Back to school coverage has been unnecessarily alarmist — again. But there’s still time to improve. It’s not your job to make readers feel safe. But it’s not your job to scare them, either.
‘Complicating the narratives’ in education journalism A viral thought piece on how journalists can tell more complex, less cartoonish stories is deeply relevant to education journalism. But shifting the way we work isn’t necessarily going to be easy.
Bad news bias and prolonged school shutdowns Hyper-negative coverage by the largest U.S. media outlets may be playing a role in terrifying the public and keeping kids out of schools.
ALSO:
People are fighting. Is that news? (Greg Toppo)
https://kappanonline.org/toppo-people-are-fighting-is-that-news-russo/
The culture war is the easy, less important story (Nic Garcia)
https://kappanonline.org/garcia-for-education-journalists-the-culture-war-is-the-easy-less-important-story-russo/
The tentative successes of in-person learning deserve more coverage
https://kappanonline.org/russo-tentative-successes-with-in-person-learning-need-more-attention/
Back to school coverage has been unnecessarily alarmist — again. But there’s still time to improve.
https://kappanonline.org/russo-this-years-back-to-school-coverage-has-been-awful-again-but-theres-still-time-to-improve/
Education journalism is stuck. What’s holding it back? (featuring parent opinion research)
https://kappanonline.org/russo-education-journalism-is-stuck-whats-holding-it-back/
How the education beat could save journalism
https://kappanonline.org/russo-how-the-education-beat-could-save-journalism/
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/
