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Friday, March 16, 2012

Education Reporting Awards: Contest Winners - Education Writers Association

Education Reporting Awards: Contest Winners - Education Writers Association:


EWA Announces Winners of National Reporting Contest  

March 15, 2012 – Whether investigating questionable test results, untangling Byzantine school budgets or revealing the hidden lives of homeless schoolchildren, members of the Education Writers Association distinguished themselves in 2011 with stories that were nuanced, affecting and important.
EWA – the only professional organization for members of the news media who specialize in education – each year recognizes excellence on the education beat across multiple media through its National Awards for Education Reporting. In print, radio, television and online, the work of EWA award-winners reaches millions, furthering the association’s mission of increasing the quantity and quality of education coverage across the nation.
For this year’s contest, our panel of judges has selected 61 winning entries from a total of 340 submissions. The winner of the Fred M. Hechinger Grand Prize for Distinguished Education Reporting will be selected from among the first-place award recipients and will be announced at EWA’s 65th National Seminar in May.
“Recognizing the contest winners will be a highlight of our upcoming conference, which is shaping up to be our most timely and energizing yet,” said Caroline Hendrie, EWA’s executive director.    
Contest judging was conducted independently, under the direction of Chief Judge Tamara M. Cooke Henry, Ph.D., of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism, University of Maryland. 
This year’s panel of distinguished judges were: Abby Brownback, The Gazette; Doug Cumming, Washington & Lee University; Wayne Dawkins, Hampton University; Duchesne Drew, Star Tribune; Steven Drummond, National Public Radio; Elliott Francis, WAMU 88.5; Sarahmaria Gomez, TU Multimedia and Medill School of Journalism,  Northwestern University; Steve Henderson, Detroit Free Press; Christy DeBoe Hicks, The Century Foundation; Maureen McCarthy, Star Tribune; Carrie Porter, AOL’s Patch; Tracey Wong Briggs, Graduate Management Admission Council; and Mary Jane Smetanka, Star Tribune.
I. PRINT, SMALL MARKET:
A. Single-Day News Coverage or Feature:
First Prize – Fawn JohnsonNational JournalReport Card
Second Prize – Albert SamahaRiverfront TimesIntentional Grounding
And
Dave Breitenstein, The News-PressEdison Admits Course Swaps
Special Citation – Dana GoldsteinThe American ProspectThe Test Generation          
B. Beat Reporting:
First Prize – Goldie BlumenstykThe Chronicle of Higher Education, The Business of Higher Education
Second Prize – Rebecca HarrisCatalyst ChicagoEarly Childhood Beat Reporting
And
Dave Breitenstein, The News-PressEducation Beat Reporting
And
Kay Luna, Steven Martens and Rashah McChesney, Quad-City TimesEducation in the Quad-Cities
Special Citation – Nancy WalserHarvard Education Publishing Group, Harvard Education Letter’s Education Coverage
C. Series:
First Prize – Craig DeVrieze and Kay LunaQuad-City Times, Hidden Homeless
Second Prize – Dave SaltmanHarvard Education Publishing Group, Tech Talk       
Special Citation – Rena Havner PhilipsPress-Register, Alabama’s Immigration Law
And
Charis Anderson, The Standard-Times, Building Better Schools
D. Investigative Reporting:
First Prize – Cathey O'Donnell and Gary SternThe Journal NewsToo Big to Fix
Second Prize – Nina ShapiroSeattle WeeklyDeaf Jam
Special Citation – Mc Nelly Torres, Florida Center for Investigative ReportingSchool of Hard Financial Knocks
E. Opinion:
First Prize – James Warren, Chicago News CooperativeJames Warren Columns
Second Prize – Colleen GillardHarvard Education Publishing Group, Good Teachers (the Movie You Won’t See)
Special Citation – Stephen LemonsPhoenix New Times, White Lies
And
Caryl Rivers and Rosalind Barnett, Boston UniversityOpinion Columns

II. PRINT, LARGE MARKET:
A. Single-Day News Coverage or Feature:
First Prize – Gendy AlimurungLA Weekly, Bad Lunch
Second Prize – Linda Wertheimer, The Boston Globe MagazineTest of Faith
Special Citation – Liz Bowie, The Baltimore Sun, Slow Turnaround
And
Erin RichardsMilwaukee Journal SentinelFinland
And
Lillian MongeauThe Dallas Morning NewsBringing Lessons to Life
B. Beat Reporting:
First Prize – John HechingerBloomberg News, Charter Schools, Broken Promises
Second Prize – Daniel de ViseThe Washington Post, A Day to Remember
Special Citation – Sarah Garland, Sarah Butrymowicz, Jon Marcus, Jill BarshayThe Hechinger ReportHechinger Report Beat Reporting
C. Series:
First Prize – Daniel Golden and Oliver StaleyBloomberg News, Lost in Translation 
Second Prize – Todd Lighty, Stacy St. Clair, Jodi S. Cohen and Ryan Haggerty, Chicago Tribune, Campus Sexual Assaults
Special Citation – Stephanie Ebbert, Jenna Russell, James Vaznis, Akilah Johnson, Meghan E. Irons, Patricia Wen, Andrew Ryan, Maria Sacchetti and the Globe’s video and graphics staffThe Boston GlobeGetting In
D. Investigative Reporting:
First Prize – Linda Mathews, Marisol Bello, Jack Gillum, Greg Toppo, Jodi Upton, Dennis Cauchon, Denise Amos, Chastity Pratt Dawsey, Peggy Walsh-Sarnecki and Kristi Tanner-WhiteUSA Today, Testing the System
Second Prize – Heather Vogell and Alan JuddThe Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionAtlanta Public Schools Cheating Scandal
Special Citation – Michael Finnegan and Gale HollandLos Angeles Times, Billions to Spend
E. Opinion:
First Prize – William McKenzie, The Dallas Morning News, Education Reform
Second Prize – Monica Yant Kinney, Philadelphia Inquirer, Monica Yant Kinney's Opinion
Special Citation – Paul OwensOrlando Sentinel, Student Debt
And
Sharon BroussardThe Plain Dealer, Cleveland Schools

III. BROADCAST
A. Short-Form Coverage:
First Prize – Jim Bell, Don Nash, Dee Dee Thomas and Antoinette MachiavernaNBC News/TODAYInside the College Admissions Process
Second Prize – Jim Bell, Don Nash, Debbie Kosofsky, Jennifer Long and Amy RobachNBC News/TODAYJudge Jimmie Edwards
Special Citation – Dan CarsenSouthern Education Desk at WBHMPolice Pepper-Spraying Students on Campus
B. Beat Reporting:
First Prize – Phyllis Fletcher, Jim Gates and Guy Nelson, KUOW Public RadioKUOW's Phyllis Fletcher Reports
Second Prize – Maura WalzGeorgia Public BroadcastingMaura Walz on Georgia schools
Special Citation – John Merrow, John Tulenko, Cat McGrath and David Wald, PBS NewsHour/Learning Matters, 2010-2011 Learning Matters Compilation
C. Feature, News Feature, or Issue Package:
First Prize – Emily Hanford, Catherine Winter and Stephen SmithAmerican Public MediaDon’t Lecture Me 
Second Prize – Dan CarsenSouthern Education Desk at WBHMPoor Neighborhoods, Polluted Schools               
And
Bob Holtzman, Nicole Noren, Tim Hays, Dwayne Bray, Douglas Colby, Marc Lustig and Vince Doria, ESPNESPN Outside the Lines, “Burt Grossman”
Special Citation – Ana Tintocalis and Tyche HendricksKQED Public MediaHow School Budgets Passed From Local to State Control and Untangling the Web of California School Funding
D. Series:
First Prize – Kavitha Cardoza, Ginger Moored and Rebecca Blatt, WAMU Public RadioThe Heavy Burden of Childhood Obesity 
Second Prize – Jim Bell, Don Nash, Natalie Morales ,Curtis Vogel, Marc Victor and Audrey Kolina, NBC News/TODAYClass of 2020      
Special Citation – Noreen O'Donnell, Jackson Loo and Devon PugliaThe DailyNew Orleans’ New Start
E. Investigative Reporting:  
First Prize – Rob Schmitz and Amy ScottMarketplaceThe Chinese Student Syndrome        
Second Prize – Sarah Gonzalez and John O'Connor, StateImpact FloridaNo Choice: Florida Charter Schools Failing to Serve Students with Disabilities      

IV. BLOGS
A. Journalism blogging:       
First Prize – John O’Connor and Sarah GonzalezStateImpact FloridaStateImpact Florida Blog Coverage 
Second Prize – Elizabeth Green, Philissa Cramer, Geoffrey Decker, Rachel Cromidas, Jessica Campbell, Sarah Darville, Anna Phillips, Maura Walz, Chris ArpGothamSchoolsGothamSchools
Special Citation – Benjamin Herold, Dale Mezzacappa, Paul Socolar and Chris SatulloPhiladelphia Public School Notebook,Cheating coverage
B. Community blogging:
First Prize – Dana Chivvis, Christopher Tine, Soraya Gage and Colleen NowersNBC News / Education Nation / NBC Learn, Education Nation's The Learning Curve Blog
Second Prize – Mary Churchill and Meg Palladino, Inside Higher EdUniversity of Venus
Special Citation – Jessica StahlVoice of America, The Student Union

V. SPECIAL INTEREST, INSTITUTIONAL, and TRADE PUBLICATIONS
First Prize – Sarah KarpCatalyst Chicago, The Right Move?
Second Prize – Ben WildavskyForeign Policy, Think Again: Education    
Special Citation – Jack Stripling, Andrea Fuller and Josh Keller, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Executive Compensation: What Private College Presidents Make