2021 News (Large Newsroom) Finalists

Emily Donaldson, Talia Richman, Corbett Smith, Eva-Marie Ayala & Allie Morris
The Education Lab at The Dallas Morning News

Texas Public Schools and Censorship

• Books probed by a Texas lawmaker by women, people of color, LGBTQ writers. They’re asking: ‘Really?’
• Will Texas repeat a McCarthy-like investigation into what students read in schools?
• Who is Matt Krause? Texas lawmaker who launched book probe has other jobs that illustrate worldview
• How are Texas schools choosing which books to ban? A look at how one district decides

Comments from the Judges:

“A crucially important topic that has a direct impact on the lives of students of all backgrounds. The story covers key bases in terms of literary experts discussing the importance of these books, a deft analysis of how the ‘vetting’ of these books singles out non-white, non-cisgender authors/topics and the opinions of the authors at the risk of being banned.” 

“This package delves into the crusade by legislator Matt Krause to remove books he deems objectionable from schools. Zeroing in on young adult novels, he aims at anything that smacks of LGBTQ and race relations coverage — as well as a lot of books written by women — saying students (white and straight ones) shouldn’t be made to feel bad about themselves from something they are reading. A well-researched look at his background and the larger  work of WallBuilders and other conservative parents and groups in general.”

Anya Kamenetz, Steve Drummond & Lauren Migaki
NPR

School Board Front Lines

• What it’s like to be on the front lines of the school board culture war
• School board meetings have gotten heated; this one in California is on a new level
• A look at the groups supporting school board protesters nationwide
• Why education was a top voter priority this election

Comments from the Judges:

“Fascinating story on the dangers of being on school boards reflecting bad behaviors seen across the country.”

“Very good reporting on a loaded and controversial issue, with good insights from people affected, like school board members who’ve dealt most with the blowback. Plus some good expert analysis. It doesn’t flinch from the ugliness, but also doesn’t wallow in it.”

Erin Richards, Alia Wong & Jack Gruber
USA TODAY

School Reopening Coverage

• A New Mexico school sent all kids back in person in one day. We followed a teacher to see how it went.
• America is heading back to school. Teachers are looking for thousands of missing kids.
• Which students missed class during COVID-19? We asked. And, schools don’t know.
• Denver has a strict vaccine mandate for teachers, plus masks. It’s keeping kids in school.

Comments from the Judges:

“Reporters did it right with perspectives from everyone including students and drilling down in the data to find out who’d gone missing, how many COVID cases there were. Compelling data included the discovery that most schools have no idea whether students were attending online or not. The stories were well written with pairing telling statistics with narrative arcs proving that important doesn’t have to mean dull.”

“A strong package focused on a very important topic. The stories show national sweep while also smartly focusing their reporting on the groups of students who were most alienated and left at-risk by remote learning. The pieces also wisely focused on a few key characters, and combined on the ground reporting with effective pulling back to look in depth at subjects like the collection and importance of attendance data.”

SEE THE FULL LIST OF 2021 CATEGORY FINALISTS