The first (and hopefully only) virtual version of this annual conference promises education reporters some timely topics and lively speakers, along with a firsthand experience of, well, remote learning. 

It’s (finally) happening! The Education Writers Association’s 2020 national seminar is taking place this week (July 21-24, 2020), after having been delayed by the COVID shutdown.

For me and many others, the annual event is a great time to see and hear from journalists whose work I admire, learn about stories and reporters I may not know much about, and get a sense of how everyone’s doing (not very well, as far as I can tell).

It’s admirable that EWA has pulled together so much programming focused on the hot topics of the moment, including “the coronavirus pandemic, the resulting economic meltdown, and a reckoning with America’s long-entrenched structural racism.”

However, this will also be the organization’s first (and I hope only) virtual conference, a small taste of remote learning for education journalists as millions of kids, parents, and teachers are facing a difficult return to school.

On one hand, it will be nice not having to squeeze into a room or find out a session is over capacity. On the other hand, online events can be fatiguing and flat. Will the sessions come off smoothly? Will attendees enjoy and participate? We shall see.

It’s admirable that EWA has pulled together so much programming focused on the hot topics of the moment.

MUST-SEE #1: THE AWARDS!

For most participants, the conference will kick off Tuesday at 1 p.m. Eastern with Part 1 of the awards ceremony, focused on the best reporting in seven divisions. I have my issues with the EWA awards process, which has sometimes left out widely admired stories that haven’t been submitted to the judges. But there’s a lot of good work to be recognized among the 55 finalists (out of 400 entries). You can find the finalists here.

Other Tuesday highlights include the annual member meeting at noon, which I always find useful and interesting, a 2:30 session with USA Today’s Chrissie Thompson, who’s ramped up the national education team and coordinated efforts with local and regional reporters, and a 4:30 session featuring Casey Parks and Avi Wolfman-Arent, whose work has been featured at The Grade several times in the past. For the day’s entire agenda see Tuesday, July 21.

Previous coverage: Widening the lens: What makes Casey Parks so good

MUST-SEE #2: PRATT AND HANNAH-JONES

I’m excited to see the Wednesday 12 noon appearance of Nikole Hannah-Jones, who nearly always has something interesting to say, interviewed by the new education editor at the Wall Street Journal, Chastity Pratt. Pratt seems to have hit the ground running, re-energizing the WSJ’s education team in just a few short weeks. Hannah-Jones recently set off a flurry of conversation when she repeated her claim that white journalists have been less likely to investigate racial inequality in schools because of their own complicity in the broken education system. She’s also highlighted the woeful inadequacy of most remote learning programs, which is all the more relevant since we seem to be returning to that model for the fall.

Previous coverage: Nikole Hannah-Jones, the Beyoncé of journalism; Fear, complicity, and guilt get in the way of covering school segregation, says New York Times reporter.

Pratt seems to have hit the ground running. Hannah-Jones has recently highlighted the woeful inadequacy of most remote learning programs.

MUST-SEE #3: HOW I DID THIS COVID STORY

I’m a big fan of how-to panels, and so Wednesday’s 3:30 panel “How I Did the COVID-19 Story (P-12)” is a big draw for me. It features Dahlia Bazzaz, The Seattle Times; Sarah Carr, The Boston Globe; Mila Koumpilova, Chalkbeat Chicago, and  Stephanie Daniel, KUNC (moderator).

Other Wednesday highlights include the 11 a.m. Top Awards Announcements, a 1 appearance from the New York Times’ Erica Green talking about her new book, a bunch of subject-matter sessions (funding cuts, digital inequality, and a community member session featuring reporters Bianca Quilantan, Politico; Bracey Harris, The Hechinger Report; Annie Ma, The Charlotte Observer, and Patrick Riccards, Best in the World Teachers (moderator). For the entire daily agenda, look here: Wednesday, July 22. 

Related coverage: How the Seattle Times education team covered the COVID-19 crisis

MUST-SEE #4: ALL ABOUT REMOTE LEARNING

Thursday at 2:30, the “K-12 Hybrid/Remote Learning (P-12)” panel is another must-see for me, given that so many districts are returning to remote learning to start the new school year. The panel features Robin Lake, Center on Reinventing Public Education; Allison Tingwall, Marie Sklodowska Curie Metropolitan High School (Chicago); Arthur Everett, High School of Telecommunication Arts and Technology (Brooklyn, New York), and Ki Sung, Mindshift/KQED (moderator).

Previous coverage: Two hours a day!? Remote learning provides meager offerings for low-income kids; The COVID database everyone’s relying on.

MUST-SEE #5: HOW I DID THIS INEQUALITY STORY

Thursday at 3:30, there’s another great “How I Did the Story (P-12),” featuring journalists discussing their outstanding coverage of racial injustice and educational inequities, and what they learned along the way. It features Sonali Kohli, Los Angeles Times; Corey Mitchell, Education Week; Lindsey Seavert, KARE 11 News (Minneapolis), and Aallyah Wright, Mississippi Today (moderator).

Check out the full schedule for the day: Thursday, July 23.

The spotlight is on teachers this year, with the threat of layoffs and the push against premature reopening of in-person instruction.

MUST-SEE #6: ALL EYES ON TEACHERS

The spotlight is on teachers this year, with the threat of layoffs and the push against premature reopening of in-person instruction. So you should definitely check out the Friday 1 p.m. teacher panel featuring Becky Pringle, National Education Association; Roberto Rodriguez, Teach Plus; Thomas Toch, FutureEd, and Jenny Brundin, Colorado Public Radio (moderator).

For the day’s full agenda, check out: Friday, July 24.

Related content from The Grade:

Panel recommendations, conference tips, & job announcements for #EWA18

The EWA awards process is broken. Here’s how to fix it.

Hits & Misses of This Year’s Education Writers Award Finalists