Insights on Educational Testing and Media Coverage
Explore the perspectives of experts in educational testing and media coverage, unveiling insights on assessment policy, journalist sources, and common core sourcing. Delve into the Overton Window concept, the impact of funding on expertise representation, and topics of expertise in education writing.
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Presentation Transcript
US Education Journalists Source Research Expertise Richard P. Phelps NCME 2023 Winter Webinar Series, Informing Assessment Policy Session 1: Media Coverage of Educational Testing January 19, 2023
Real Clear Educations Common Core Sourcing, 20142016 1000 Supporters # of links Opponents 500 0
Education Writers Association member survey, 2016 most frequent sources of story ideas: #1. news release, news conference, or public relations professional #2. news coverage
Counting mentions - Search parameters Several national publications or organizations Journalists who cover education research Searched for names of wide range of experts (over 100) Used organizations own search engines
The Overton Window 1 Over-represented Under-represented Economists, Education professors Psychologists, Program Evaluators Think Tankers, at well-known, national tanks Most non-academic Practitioners Most universities Most prestigious universities (e.g., Ivy League, Stanford, Johns Hopkins) The unaligned and truly independent Well-funded research centers Overton Window on educational testing excludes most genuine experts
The Overton Window 2 Over-represented Under-represented Those who: Those who: consider uniquely promoting their research to the public and policy- makers ethical and professional consider uniquely promoting their research to the public and policy- makers un-ethical or un-professional AND OR have money, lots of it lack money Overton Window on educational testing excludes most genuine experts
Topics on which Scholar #1 has been sourced as an expert, in USA Today and at Education Writers Association Culture wars, school boards, CRT College student loan forgiveness Schools re-opening after COVID COVID relief funds NEA and charter schools DeVos troubles Charter schools, vouchers NAEP math and reading score trends ADHD and stimulant medication use Homework Congressional sequestration, federal budget Urban middle class and diversity Civil rights debates School Accountability Understanding opponents of Common Core Local educational spending disparities Out-of-School factors and opportunity State takeovers State takeovers in Mississippi Media coverage of Chicago teacher strike Gifted education Parenting versus poverty issues State grading systems Rock star superintendents Los Angeles superintendent controversy Linking home and classroom in Oakland Academic tracking Pell Grant and Scholarship rules Policies of NYC chancellor Common Core tests success or failure Desegregation and education reform Rate of change with Common Core How TN and DE won Race to the Top funds
Top Ten Scholar-Journalist Twitter interactions, July 2020 to November 2021 Journalist Erica L. Green Laura Meckler Andrew Ujifusa Alexander Russo Politics K12 Evie Blad Joanne Lee Jacobs Erin Richards Dana Goldstein Karen Vaites Media outlet New York Times Washington Post Education Week Phi Delta Kappan Education Week Education Week freelance USA Today New York Times freelance Twitter interactions 183 173 168 164 143 125 122 98 87 81
Four of 100+ Scholar journalist compliments, July 2020 to November 2021 An excellent article by @Stephen_Sawchuk @educationweek Today's must-read: @educationweek's @madeline_will And another great ed-election preview, this time from @EvieBlad @educationweek @PoliticsK12 Today's must read, via @amandaripley
Conflict of Interest Statements "who is a strong supporter of the controversial standards "a think tank supportive of the common core," "think tank that advocates for the standards a Common Core proponent
The Strategic Advantage of Citation Cartels 50,000 Strategic Scholars 40,000 Sincere Scholars Number of Citations 30,000 20,000 10,000 0 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 Time
Particularly Insidious: Explainer Journalism Explainer Journalists are NOT news reporters They KNOW what is true and who is right, and they explain it to you No need to represent multiple points of view and evidence
Q. Do ed journalists adhere to standard journalist ethics? A. Some do not Society of Professional Journalists Ethics Code: Conflicts of Interest (real OR perceived): avoid and disclose Identify content provided by outside sources, whether paid or not Deny favored treatment to advertisers, donors Distinguish news from advertising Be vigilant and courageous in holding those with power accountable Give voice to the voiceless; Seek sources whose voices we seldom hear
Shameless Self-Promotion coming April 2023 The Malfunction of US Education Policy: Elite Misinformation, Disinformation and Selfishness, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
