Alexander Russo

1 month ago | kappanonline.org | Alexander Russo

Critics of COVID school closures share their success and frustrations —  including with themselves and the media. By Alexander Russo This fourth feature from The Grade’s March 2025 series on COVID coverage features some of the experiences and reflections of parents, educators, and advocates who fought against school lockdowns and other COVID mandates.

1 month ago | kappanonline.org | Alexander Russo

Current and former education journalists look back and share lessons on the 5th anniversary of the start of the pandemic. By Alexander Russo Hard to believe it, but the pandemic came to America five years ago. To mark the moment, The Grade is publishing a series of pieces about COVID coverage. In this week’s installment, we asked education journalists to reflect on their experiences and share their insights. As you will see, the respondents’ insights and reflections range widely.

2 months ago | kappanonline.org | Alexander Russo

The Boston Globe reporter has found the video-based platform surprisingly useful — even as it verges on being banned. By Alexander Russo Education journalists have been experimenting with social media video for as long as I can remember – on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, and most recently TikTok. This is a good thing — especially now that more and more people avoid the news or get it ad hoc on social media or via podcasts.

Jan 8, 2025 | kappanonline.org | Alexander Russo

An investigative reporter shares how she discovered the many ways schools protect coaches accused of abusing students. By Alexander RussoLate last year, the Courier Journal’s Stephanie Kuzydym published a powerful series on school coaches who’d been accused of sexual misconduct — often with little public acknowledgement.

Oct 2, 2024 | kappanonline.org | Alexander Russo

Though not exclusively an education reporter, he isn’t afraid to connect the dots. By Alexander RussoOne of this fall’s obvious themes is school closings and consolidations. Pretty much every school district seems to be doing them. And it’s an easy story for journalists to cover, given how concrete and emotionally charged the decisions can be. But how to cover the story in a way that’s useful and compelling? That’s the hard part. The stories and updates can all start to blur together.