Saturday, January 22, 2022
About
About the Media Bullpen
America’s future, its short and long term viability, is wholly dependent on how we educate our children.
The Media Bullpen is a dynamic, virtual newsroom that covers the news and the news of education. It’s a sophisticated and unique technological environment that allows everyone to get in the game on the greatest discussions of our day. To understand those discussions, we need great information and reporting on all the issues relating to education—all the time.
Each day nearly 500 stories—and sometimes many more—are produced in the media about education, but they often lack the context for the public to get engaged.
The Bullpen reporters—the umpires—react and respond in real time to the press as it rolls out its coverage in print, online or broadcast, at the local, state or national levels. They score the coverage using the metaphors of that favorite American pastime, baseball. Articles are given strike outs, pop flies, singles, doubles, triples, and home runs, reflecting a particular story’s objectivity, proper context, its exploration of data, and search for accuracy.
In so doing, the Media Bullpen provides a critical eye to help the public better understand the complexity of the issues being reported.
More than anything else, the Bullpen allows readers to be their own umpires. A full suite of social media applications allows readers to get engaged by sharing the Bullpen’s content with friends, family, other media outlets, activists, and school leaders. Readers can help to make education great only by demanding greater education reporting.
The Media Bullpen is an entirely separate, editorially independent division of the Center for Education Reform, and the strategic evolution of its pioneering and well-known media relations and news monitoring work.
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The Media Bullpen. Because education is no longer a spectator sport.
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- Desperate to fill teacher shortages, school districts ask parents and various staff to become substitutes
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Jan 12, 9:56 AM, CNN:
With more teachers sickened or sidelined by the highly contagious Omicron variant, school districts across the country have resorted to extraordinary measures to keep classrooms running.
- Education: The Issue that Could Break Partisan Gridlock
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Jan 7, 9:28 AM, Newsweek:
Divisive and complex issues such as the pandemic response and critical race theory have a lot to do with the attention now focused on education, but there is also common ground sitting just below the surface
- As more schools start 2022 with remote learning, advocates say 2021 was 'historic year' for school choice
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Jan 5, 9:29 AM, The Center Square:
As school districts across the U.S. start 2022 in remote-learning settings or are considering doing so because of a rise in COVID-19 cases, parents now have more options as 22 states expanded or created school choice initiatives in 2021.
- Back to School, but Still Learning Online
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Jan 21, 10:10 AM, New York Times:
Federal stimulus dollars are dedicated to helping students recover from virtual schooling. Many districts are spending some of that money on virtual tutoring.
- State Efforts to Close the K-12 Digital Divide May Come Up Short
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Jan 21, 10:08 AM, US News & World Report:
Different communities took different approaches to handling the digital divide before and during the pandemic. A National Governors Association review showed that some education leaders sought to address the immediate needs of students, >
- Many schools go virtual, again, over COVID-19 concerns... but is it worth it?
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Jan 20, 10:06 AM, News4SA:
A total of $122 billion has been given to public grade schools nationwide during the pandemic. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona announced the final distribution of funds, calling it an important milestone to “help schools remain open >
- Teacher Unions Used Pandemic to Funnel Millions to Divisive Political Groups: Government Accountability Institute
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Jan 20, 10:04 AM, Epoch Times:
America’s largest teacher unions have funneled millions of dollars to divisive political movements as well as mostly Democratic political candidates, using the pandemic and their political influence to advance policies outside of >
- National parents group sends Cardona list of COVID-related demands, asks for transparency on federal spending
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Jan 20, 10:03 AM, Fox News:
A national parents group is asking the Biden administration to consider a series of measures designed to better prepare for pandemics like the coronavirus, as well as provide greater transparency into how federal relief dollars have been >
- Parent-activists, seeking control over education, are taking over school boards
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Jan 20, 10:02 AM, Washington Post:
This crop of activists is campaigning to restructure American public education so that parents, whether they come from an educational background or not, serve as final arbiters for a wide range of issues, from whether masks should be >
- Omicron closures surge GOP school choice push (CER in the news)
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Jan 19, 10:46 AM, Politico:
Now, as the highly contagious Omicron variant complicates the spring school semester and the 2022 midterms ramp up, GOP strategists say it is an opportune time to also propel one of their education priorities: school choice.
- Why Learning Loss Is Prompting Educators to Rethink the Traditional School Calendar: Start Earlier, End Later, Extend Breaks for Remediation
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Jan 19, 10:44 AM, The 74:
Pandemic-related school closures, which caused an alarming rate of learning loss among the country’s most vulnerable students, have prompted some administrators to reconsider the school calendar.
- How One West Side Charter School Kept Students In Class Through The Latest COVID-19 Surge
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Jan 13, 9:06 AM, Book Club Chicago:
Not all parents are happy North Lawndale College Prep has remained open — but many said the school has taken safety steps and communicated with parents in a way CPS could learn from.
- Memphis mother starts her own micro school for cultural identity, social emotional learning
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Jan 13, 6:08 AM, WATN-TV:
"For me, education is about learning versus knowing. I don’t think there’s an endpoint or an arrival,” said Lab School of Memphis founder Coi Morrison.
- Union, parents mull if Chicago teacher standoff was worth it
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Jan 12, 9:52 AM, Associated Press:
For some, the ends didn’t justify the means, dragging out uncertainty for students in the largely Latino and Black low-income district.
- Flint schools extends virtual learning period indefinitely
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Jan 21, 9:49 AM, MLive.com:
Flint students will remain at home indefinitely starting next week, as the school district today announced that it will not be returning to the classroom on Jan. 24.
- Thousands of Oakland teachers threaten to strike over COVID safety protocol
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Jan 21, 9:04 AM, KTVU:
Teachers say they want to keep schools open, but want to ensure they are safe for teachers and students amid the latest COVID surge. Union representatives and the district say they plan to meet through the night Thursday and if an >
- New Hampshire voucher program part of national school choice wave fueled by pandemic
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Jan 21, 8:52 AM, Manchester Ink Link:
Funding school choice options has long been controversial in New Hampshire. Proponents say education is not a one-size-fits-all affair, and parents can best decide what’s best for their children. Opponents say it drains money from public >
- Opinion: Pandemic offers fresh look at education
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Jan 21, 8:45 AM, Arizona Capitol Times:
Three years ago, the education conversation in Arizona was sinking into firm trench lines between the #REDforED movement and education reform advocates. When the coronavirus pandemic struck, it brought not just disruption but also a fresh >
- Kramer Elementary principal says school staff is ‘thinking outside of the box’ as it navigates pandemic-era learning
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Jan 21, 8:41 AM, Journal-News:
An innovation this school year was establishing students in “pods” of four – reorganized each month – to provide them with interactions with other students but also limit contact with larger numbers of students to decrease the possibility >
- Thank you, Meek Mill — a phrase I never expected to say | Jenice Armstrong
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Jan 21, 8:33 AM, Philadelphia Inquirer:
I don’t blame Meek, Hart, and Rubin for choosing to help kids attend private schools. It’s hard, even for me, an advocate of public education, to have much confidence in the Philadelphia School District these days.
- SD Senate votes to increase private school scholarships from tax credit program to $3.5M
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Jan 21, 8:28 AM, Argus Leader:
Senators voted to increase the amount of money the Partners in Education tax credit program can give out for scholarships to private school students.
- Attorney: Ohio kids merely 'income statements on a balance sheet' to school voucher opponent
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Jan 21, 8:22 AM, The Columbus Dispatch:
For the past two decades, Ohio has made a simple promise to its parents: If your child is zoned to attend a poorly performing school or if your family meets certain income guidelines, your child can receive a scholarship to attend a >
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- New Hampshire voucher program part of national school choice wave fueled by pandemic
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Jan 21, 8:52 AM, Manchester Ink Link:
Funding school choice options has long been controversial in New Hampshire. Proponents say education is not a one-size-fits-all affair, and parents can best decide what’s best for their children. Opponents say it drains money from public >
- Thank you, Meek Mill — a phrase I never expected to say | Jenice Armstrong
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Jan 21, 8:33 AM, Philadelphia Inquirer:
I don’t blame Meek, Hart, and Rubin for choosing to help kids attend private schools. It’s hard, even for me, an advocate of public education, to have much confidence in the Philadelphia School District these days.
- Opinion: Ending the dual process for charter school approval
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Jan 21, 7:16 AM, CT Mirror:
Connecticut has slipped from 20 out of 40 in 2010 to 31 out of 43 in 2021 in the quality of charter school laws. The state must reverse this trend and immediately overhaul the charter school laws in order to foster an environment that >
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- Flint schools extends virtual learning period indefinitely
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Jan 21, 9:49 AM, MLive.com:
Flint students will remain at home indefinitely starting next week, as the school district today announced that it will not be returning to the classroom on Jan. 24.
- Kramer Elementary principal says school staff is ‘thinking outside of the box’ as it navigates pandemic-era learning
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Jan 21, 8:41 AM, Journal-News:
An innovation this school year was establishing students in “pods” of four – reorganized each month – to provide them with interactions with other students but also limit contact with larger numbers of students to decrease the possibility >
- SD Senate votes to increase private school scholarships from tax credit program to $3.5M
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Jan 21, 8:28 AM, Argus Leader:
Senators voted to increase the amount of money the Partners in Education tax credit program can give out for scholarships to private school students.
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- OpEd: B1 gives control over schools to taxpayers, rather than parents and teachers
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Jan 21, 7:20 AM, Lexington Herald-Leader:
That schools should be under the control of parents of children in the district and the taxpayers who fund them is not a controversial position. If you asked most people, they would say that that’s exactly what they want. But for 32 years >
- Education advocates call on Gov. Bill Lee to give additional $1B to Tennessee schools
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Jan 21, 7:19 AM, Nashville Tennessean:
The State Collaborative on Reforming Education called for Tennessee to add an additional $1 billion in recurring funding to the nearly $6 billion the state already spends each year on public schools.
- Gov. Abbott promises parental ‘Bill of Rights’ in Texas education
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Jan 21, 7:06 AM, Dallas Morning News:
Gov. Greg Abbott released a parents’ “Bill of Rights” on Thursday, mirroring a national conservative push fueled by fractious debates over how race and sexuality are addressed in schools.
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- Thousands of Oakland teachers threaten to strike over COVID safety protocol
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Jan 21, 9:04 AM, KTVU:
Teachers say they want to keep schools open, but want to ensure they are safe for teachers and students amid the latest COVID surge. Union representatives and the district say they plan to meet through the night Thursday and if an >
- Opinion: Pandemic offers fresh look at education
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Jan 21, 8:45 AM, Arizona Capitol Times:
Three years ago, the education conversation in Arizona was sinking into firm trench lines between the #REDforED movement and education reform advocates. When the coronavirus pandemic struck, it brought not just disruption but also a fresh >
- Bill would assist charter schools with building needs
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Jan 20, 9:31 AM, Roswell Daily Record:
Legislation introduced into the current session of the New Mexico Legislature is intended to make it easier for New Mexico public charter schools to purchase, lease or construct buildings.
- How One West Side Charter School Kept Students In Class Through The Latest COVID-19 Surge
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Jan 13, 9:06 AM, Book Club Chicago:
Not all parents are happy North Lawndale College Prep has remained open — but many said the school has taken safety steps and communicated with parents in a way CPS could learn from.
- Memphis mother starts her own micro school for cultural identity, social emotional learning
-
Jan 13, 6:08 AM, WATN-TV:
"For me, education is about learning versus knowing. I don’t think there’s an endpoint or an arrival,” said Lab School of Memphis founder Coi Morrison.
- Union, parents mull if Chicago teacher standoff was worth it
-
Jan 12, 9:52 AM, Associated Press:
For some, the ends didn’t justify the means, dragging out uncertainty for students in the largely Latino and Black low-income district.
- Flint schools extends virtual learning period indefinitely
-
Jan 21, 9:49 AM, MLive.com:
Flint students will remain at home indefinitely starting next week, as the school district today announced that it will not be returning to the classroom on Jan. 24.
- Thousands of Oakland teachers threaten to strike over COVID safety protocol
-
Jan 21, 9:04 AM, KTVU:
Teachers say they want to keep schools open, but want to ensure they are safe for teachers and students amid the latest COVID surge. Union representatives and the district say they plan to meet through the night Thursday and if an >
- Kramer Elementary principal says school staff is ‘thinking outside of the box’ as it navigates pandemic-era learning
-
Jan 21, 8:41 AM, Journal-News:
An innovation this school year was establishing students in “pods” of four – reorganized each month – to provide them with interactions with other students but also limit contact with larger numbers of students to decrease the possibility >
- Thank you, Meek Mill — a phrase I never expected to say | Jenice Armstrong
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Jan 21, 8:33 AM, Philadelphia Inquirer:
I don’t blame Meek, Hart, and Rubin for choosing to help kids attend private schools. It’s hard, even for me, an advocate of public education, to have much confidence in the Philadelphia School District these days.
- Opinion: More free effective, personalized schooling available
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Jan 21, 7:52 AM, Mankato Free Press:
While the pandemic is on people’s minds Mankato area students and families have terrific opportunities to personalize their education in the next two months, thanks to many public school options.
- Parents pressure Danbury schools to invest in academics, social emotional support in 2022-23 budget
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Jan 20, 9:44 AM, News Times:
As students continue to face academic and social gaps due to the coronavirus pandemic, Danbury school leaders and parents aim to invest in these and other areas.
- Charter school for students with dyslexia will open in St. Tammany after BESE vote
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Jan 20, 9:40 AM, The Advocate:
A charter school for students with dyslexia is coming to St. Tammany Parish following a state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education vote to approve it, a first for a parish that has not had any charter schools.
- Editorial: Hochul must get NYC’s charter cap lifted — fast
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Jan 20, 9:35 AM, New York Post:
Gov. Kathy Hochul threw New York's charter schools a bone in her budget plan, but Mayor Eric Adams needs to let her know that NYC desperately needs dozens of new charters.