Top 10 Most-Read EWA Blogs of 2023
Thanks to the journalists who helped us write the most popular EWA blogs in 2023!
Graphic credit: Kristan Obeng
The most-read EWA blogs focused on some of the year’s biggest education issues, including child care, race-conscious college admissions and academic recovery.
But before we get to the top 10 list, let’s get started with some popular honorable mentions. These blogs were published at the end of 2022 but received significant website traffic in 2023.
With the 2024 presidential election on the horizon, readership for Samantha Hernandez’s blog about the politicization of education skyrocketed. Relatedly, debates about whose history should be taught may have contributed to the popularity of Laurie Stern and Dalton Walker’ piece about Indigenous students. And this explainer on immigrant student pain points by Jo Napolitano remains of interest to EWA.org visitors.
Based on analytics, here are the top 10 blogs on EWA’s website.
10. Are Community College Funding Models Incentives for Change? (March 13, 2023)
More than 30 states fund higher education via an approach called “performance-based funding.” In this blog by Dandan Zou of Newsday, learn about the funding model, its possible pros and cons, and how the model has been used in Ohio and Texas.
Get story ideas in Dandan’s blog.
9. How to Cover Student Achievement Losses and Full Pandemic Recovery (Jan. 30, 2023)
Natalie Pate helped journalists understand and make the most of the Education Recovery Scorecard. This database compares student achievement losses during COVID-19 and shows which student groups were most affected by disrupted learning at the local level.
8. How Effective Are College and Career Pathway Programs? (July 10, 2023)
As millions of dollars were poured into college and career pathway programs, Kelly Hinchcliffe explained how education journalists can track the progress and evaluate the effectiveness of these programs.
7. CTE: Basic Education Reporting Tips (Feb. 3, 2023)
Whether you’re new to the beat or experienced at covering career and technical education, Charlotte West of Open Campus provided tips to help you get started on your next story: Start with the data/research, look beyond college and realize that CTE isn’t always what you think it is.
Examine CTE trends from Charlotte.
6. CTE Explainer (Feb. 3, 2023)
In this in-depth explainer from Alina Tugend, get an expanded look into career and technical education. Learn about racial and gender disparities, recruitment and retention efforts, credentials, and teacher shortages in CTE.
Get questions to ask from Alina.
5. How to Cover Disparities in Early Childhood Education Systems (May 25, 2023)
Alia Wong of USA Today helps reporters learn about the main early childhood education systems and the ways they affect who receives access to them. Get tips for equitably covering caregivers, especially those who are immigrants or aren’t fluent in English.
Discover data & research from Alia.
4. Why You Should Scrutinize Early Childhood Educator Pathways (Sept. 29, 2023)
Making the list back-to-back, Alia Wong also wrote about early childhood educator pathways and how best to cover them amid workforce shortages. She also addressed the child care funding cliff, which no doubt led to this blog attracting more reader interest.
3. How to Find Stories in Arts Education (Jan. 3, 2023)
Arts education contributes to overall student achievement and well-being, Lily Altavena of Detroit Free Press explained. But not every student has access, including many Black and Latino students and those from low-income backgrounds.
Dig deeper into these inequities with Lily’s help.
2. 5 Things to Consider When Covering AAPI Students and Affirmative Action (May 8, 2023)
Prior to the June 29 U.S. Supreme Court ruling banning race-conscious college admissions, Suevon Lee of WBUR helped journalists understand how the Court’s decision could affect the Asian American Pacific Islander community. Her piece remains a go-to resource.
See the explainer from Suevon.
1. Who Gets a School Choice? Reporting Tips to Unlock the Complexities (March 1, 2023)
Many reporters have been diligently following school choice issues this year, so Alina Tugend created a resource to help them get started..
She explained the history, advised reporters on modern challenges, and detailed why school vouchers and voucher-like programs became ripe for national debate.
The Boston Globe’s Christopher Huffaker and Deanna Pan produced this teacher strike coverage guide to help reporters get this story right.
There are long-standing myths about after-school programs. Before writing your next story, dive into what the research says. Get tips for finding research and insight into program providers’ data-ga
Jo Napolitano of The 74 advises reporters on covering newcomer students as immigration and education continue to be major political issues. She addresses word choice, educational disparities, enrollme
Trans Journalists Association is a professional membership organization that promotes more accurate, nuanced coverage of trans issues and communities in the media and supports gender-expansive journal
Rachel Cohen of Vox explains why reporters need to maintain their due diligence and skepticism when covering the child care sector. She shares tips to better use data.
