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Wednesday, December 01, 1999
A State Government Reporter's Guide To The Web: Education Resources
By Tiffany Danitz, Staff Writer
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If you are new to the education beat, as I am, you may feel swamped. Who knew that nearly every governor would make education the No. 1 state priority? Or that President Clinton would devote a major section of his State of the Union address to the issue?
But there is hope; there is a tremendous amount of information on education out on the cyber highway.
A number of sites can be found as links on our education page, but there are so many out there--it's a virtual jungle.
The best advice I can offer is to grab a mental compass and go exploring when you aren't on deadline. The information is quick and easy on some of these sites and others require some drilling--so if you have navigated these sites ahead of time, it will help you meet your deadline.
Education Week
http://www.edweek.org
Education reporters will find Education Week to be one of their greatest resources. The site is owned by Editorial Projects in Education Inc., an incorporated nonprofit that publishes the weekly newspaper Education Week and monthly Teacher magazine. The site features stories from these two publications and others, as well as special reports on issues such as technology in the classroom and the role states play in the schools. You will find more than 30 issue pages with background information on topics such as charter schools, evolution and creationism, gender equity and uniforms. There are pages for each state that yield information on education scores and statistics for the state's schools, links to Education Week stories on that state, a legislative update and a link to the state's department of education. You also will find a glossary of education terms, links to hundreds of education organizations and a calendar of education events across the country. Site visitors can search Education Week and Teacher magazine archives by subject and year.
FairTest
http://www.fairtest.org
The National Center for Fair & Open Testing is an advocacy group aimed at ending the "flaws of standardized testing" with a special interest in how minorities are affected by testing policies. The organization focuses on grades K-12, university admissions and employment tests, but the site has additional links to information on issues such as teacher testing, state testing and SATs. Site visitors will find FairTest's own research and reports, a link to its quarterly newsletter The Examiner and fact sheets on standardized testing and its alternatives. The site does not have a search engine.
Public Agenda Online's Learning Curve
http://www.publicagenda.com/specials/
learning/learning.htm
Learning Curve features Good News, Bad News, a study on public opinion of the media's education coverage. Public Agenda, a self-described "journalist's inside source for public opinion and policy analysis," completed the study for the Education Writers Association. The site offers information on how reporters can avoid making common errors on the education beat; highlights ways public opinion research may be misinterpreted or worded in a misleading way; and provides links to education organizations, studies and reports. There are weekly tipsheets about covering education stories. The site also gives excellent background on education issues. A keyword search is available.
The Center for the Study of Testing, Evaluation and Educational Policy (CSTEEP)
http://www.csteep.bc.edu
The Center for the Study of Testing, Evaluation and Educational Policy, an education research organization affiliated with Boston College, examines testing, public policy associated with testing and ways to improve school assessment systems. The site provides links to CSTEEP projects, including the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the Consortium for Equity in Standards and Testing (CTEST). There are also links to approximately 25 related Web pages.
National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education http://www.highereducation.org
This organization promotes opportunity, affordability and quality education at the university level. You can view summaries of most National Center research and reports and can download complete texts. Some reports must be ordered for a fee. National Center press releases and links to about 90 education and related Web sites also are available. From the site, you can view National CrossTalk, the organization's free publication. You can search the site by author, keyword and publication title. |
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U.S. Department of Education
http://www.ed.gov
The U.S. Department of Education's site provides a wealth of information on department programs and services, its budget, and education research and statistics. There are also links to other education research organizations. You can complete a keyword search or browse an A-to-Z topic list, and fact sheets on about 30 issues are available. In the Ed News Kiosk, there are explanations of the president's and education secretary's initiatives as well as press releases, statements from the White House, video broadcasts of department events, radio sound bites, speeches and photos.
National School Boards Association
http://www.nsba.org
This site has information on a variety of issues such as school health programs, sexual harassment and how to prevent violence in schools. The National School Boards Association provides links to reports and education publications, including School Board News, as well as to advocacy groups and about 40 education organizations. The association's press releases are easily accessible, and the site has an advanced keyword search function.
The Education Commission of the States
http://www.ecs.org
Issue packets on topics such as reading programs, school safety and violence and school accountability and reform can be found on this site. The Education Commission of the States also provides information on its initiatives as well as assessments and explanations of successful education programs. The Progress of Education Reform: 1999-2001, ECS's bimonthly report, can be accessed from the site as can links to other education and policy sites. You can search by issue or participate in discussion groups.
U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce
http://www.house.gov/ed_workforce
The Committee on Education and the Workforce offers a comprehensive way to track education bills dating back to the 104th Congress. Summaries and full texts of bills are available as is a schedule of committee meetings. Testimony from committee hearings is available here. The site provides additional information on education and human resources issues, workforce issues and oversight issues, all of which the committee identifies as "hot topics."
The Center for Public Integrity
http://www.publicintegrity.org
This is not an education site, but it is great for anyone researching Washington politics. The Center played a role in exposing the White House Lincoln Bedroom scandal. There is a section on the site termed the 50 States Project, which has information about the campaign finance laws in each state as well as directions indicating how to obtain personal financial disclosure forms for state lawmakers and conflict-of-interest voting procedures for different state houses. The founder and executive director of the Center is Charles Lewis, a former investigative reporter for ABC and CBS and the former producer of 60 Minutes. |
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For more information, click on Education
A State Government Reporter's Guide To The WebIntroductionGeneral ResourcesWelfare Reform ResourcesUtility Deregulation ResourcesHealthcare ResourcesTax and Budget ResourcesGovernors'/Legislative/State Sites Staff Writer Bios
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 | Stateline.org has put together a list of state public policy resources organized by issue. Here, you will find useful links to essential information from government, academia, and think tanks. If you have a link to add, please email us.
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