Newswise — Washington, DC (August 2, 2011)—The National Education Writers Association is pleased to announce that its 2012 National Seminar will take place May 17-19 on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Under an innovative partnership, EWA’s 65th annual National Seminar will be jointly hosted by Penn’s Graduate School of Education (Penn GSE) and the American Educational Research Association (AERA), the Washington-based national research association for 25,000 scholars engaged in research in education and learning.
The partnership reflects a commitment by EWA Board of Directors to foster stronger links between the nation’s education journalism and research communities, in the interest of expanding the quantity and quality of coverage of education nationally and abroad.
“Despite a fast-changing media landscape, EWA is committed to increasing the quantity and the sophistication of education coverage nationwide,” said EWA President Stephanie Banchero, national education reporter for The Wall Street Journal. “AERA and Penn GSE are the perfect partners with EWA to help writers explore the most important education issues of the day at our 2012 National Seminar."
Attended by some 250 journalists, communications professionals, scholars, and newsmakers, the EWA National Seminar is the country’s premier conference for those working at the intersection of education and journalism.
“Reporters, researchers, and scholars all have unique perspectives on what makes educational improvement so challenging,” said Andy Porter, Dean of Penn GSE. “Working together on a seminar like this lets us address the most consequential topics in the field in a way that improves reporting and research.”
AERA Executive Director Felice J. Levine emphasized “the unique strengths of the EWA-Penn-AERA collaboration to make accessible significant research to journalists and to strengthen our collective capacity to serve the public good.”
EWA and AERA are building upon previous collaboration. AERA’s Annual Meeting and EWA’s National Seminar overlapped in New Orleans this past April, and the two organizations jointly held a seminar on education research for journalists. “We are just delighted to continue to support EWA’s efforts to build bridges between journalists and scholars,” Levine said.
Dale Mezzacappa, EWA’s immediate past president, said the conference’s location will open a window on a city being buffeted by cross-currents affecting schools across the nation. “Philadelphia is a poster child for the big issues surrounding urban education,” said Mezzacappa, contributing editor at the Philadelphia Public School Notebook.
Caroline Hendrie, EWA’s executive director, noted that the organization’s request for proposals to host the 2012 National Seminar yielded outstanding submissions from an array of top-tier research institutions. “Choosing among these thoughtful applications was tough,” Hendrie said. “EWA is grateful for the expertise and enthusiasm that Penn GSE and AERA bring to the table as we gear up for what promises to be our best conference ever.”
The American Educational Research Association (AERA) is the national interdisciplinary research association for approximately 25,000 scholars who undertake research in education. Founded in 1916, AERA aims to advance knowledge about education, to encourage scholarly inquiry related to education, and to promote the use of research to improve education and serve the public good.
The Education Writers Association is dedicated to improving the quality and quantity of education coverage to create a better-informed society. As the national professional organization of members of the media who specialize in education, EWA has worked for more than 60 years to help journalists get the story right. Today, EWA has more than 2,500 members benefiting from its high-quality training, information, and customized support.
Penn GSE is one of the nation's premier schools of education. Its faculty excel in education and social research, and they prepare leaders for the education industry, K-adult. The School is nationally known for its strengths in teaching, school leadership, the cultural contexts of education, language and literacy, higher education management, social research methods, policy research, and developmental psychology.
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