#CoveringCOVID19, a daily update from The Grade to help education journalists cover the COVID-19 crisis.
THE TOP FIVE
Here are five great education stories about how schools are responding to the COVID-19 crisis:
How Fairfax schools? online learning debut failed – The Washington Post [See also Fairfax Schools Distance Learning Was A Disaster, Board Says – Patch]
‘I can’t find them’: Attendance was already a challenge in Newark. The coronavirus created new barriers. – Chalkbeat Newark
Most Illinois School Districts Did Not Have Approved Remote Learning Plans – ProPublica
Is it fair to give grades during the coronavirus school shutdown? Some teachers say no – Chicago Tribune
How a CU Denver professor phoned schools worldwide to understand how they adapt during coronavirus – Chalkbeat
SMART WRITING ABOUT COVID COSTS
One of the biggest narratives of the last few days has been about how districts are spending enormous amounts of time and effort handing out food to kids and adults, without necessarily knowing whether they’re going to get reimbursed for the expenses.
Some recent examples include the New York Times (Schools Transform Into ‘Relief’ Kitchens, but Federal Aid Fails to Keep Up), the LA Times (27,525 pounds of carrots a day: How L.A. schools are feeding the masses), and HuffPost (School Lunch Programs Are Rapidly Going Broke).
No doubt, many districts are spending lots of money. The food distribution costs story is part of a larger storyline about how much districts are spending during the pandemic — and how they may need to cut costs in the future. For example, the LA TImes (Coronavirus costs L.A. schools a $200-million financial hit) and KPCC/LAist (LAUSD Faces $200 Million In Uncovered Bills For Coronavirus Response). See also Chalkbeat Colorado.
My only caveat would be to be smart about how you cover the story. That is, don’t presume that the sky is falling just because that’s what you’re told, or that the districts are or aren’t going to be made whole by states or future federal relief legislation. Make sure you’re not playing a district- or advocate-driven storyline. That means: Focus your attention on what’s been spent or going out the door now, not on future costs and reimbursements, which are subject to change.
Above: Dallas ISD cafeteria workers featured on the cover of TIME magazine continue feeding kids during pandemic
TIDBITS
Good news! Mainstream coverage of schools and COVID-19 rebounded slightly last week.
Have you heard? The Maynard Institute is putting out a series of essays and webinars to help journalists produce more inclusive coverage of the COVID-19 story. Journalists “need to look beyond their norms and societal expectations” to produce meaningful work about the COVID crisis, notes Maynard’s Jean Marie Brown.
How much do teachers work under remote learning? See our new story about remote learning contracts with teachers unions that set how much time teachers spend working with kids and other key work parameters.
Tom Huang published a great thread about writing strong profiles in the age of remote learning, riffing off an interview Amber C. Walker did with him for The Grade last week: “A young reporter asked me how she might write strong profiles in the age of remote reporting. It’s by no means easy. We learn so much by spending time with the people we write about.” Read the whole thing here.
“I emailed a reporter about a district budget story and whether district (or he) had even considered alternative to layoffs—every employee take a salary cut,” tweeted James Merriaman. “Got an auto response: he is on furlough for a week.”
That’s it! See you back here tomorrow. Sign up for the weekly email, Best of the Week, which comes out Fridays around noon Eastern.
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/
