Education Week

Education Week (EW) is a newspaper whose declared mission is to elevate the level of discourse on PreK–12 education. The tag line under the title is “American Education's Newspaper of Record.” It is included in this encyclopedia because it is an effective communication tool for all stakeholders with regard to issues of reform and dissent in education. In its nearly 30-year history, EW has spawned a number of related publications.

The first issue of EW was published on September 7, 1981, by the nonprofit publisher Editorial [Page 331]Projects in Education (EPE). EPE is a nonprofit, tax–exempt organization based in Washington, D.C. Its mission is to help raise the level of awareness and understanding among professionals and the public of important issues in American education. EPE continues to publish EW, which had a paid circulation of 50,000 as of March 2008. EPE also publishes Teacher Magazine.

EW covers local, state, and national news and issues related to preschool through the 12th grade (PreK–12). It provides coverage of school reform debates and serves as a forum for the exchange of important developments in PreK–12 education. EW also provides links to grant opportunities and current research projects. A calendar of events allows readers to view the numerous conferences and sponsored programs related to PreK–12 education. The newspaper publishes 44 issues a year, 3 of them special reports (Quality Counts, Technology Counts, and Diplomas Count).

Quality Counts, launched in 1997, is an annual report card on public education in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. In addition to assigning grades to states based on more than 100 indicators related to PreK–12 education, each edition also includes an in–depth examination of current topics of concern to policymakers and practitioners. Some more recent topics were: state efforts in early childhood education; ensuring a highly qualified teacher for every classroom; school finance; and the role of state standards, assessments, and accountability in education. It is available both in print and on the Web.

Technology Counts, launched in 1997 and released annually, includes current information, essays, charts, and graphs on issues related to technology and education. The 2006 report examined how technology and education policies are evolving to support the use of data to improve student achievement. Previous reports have explored digital content or curriculum, e–learning, and the impact of technology on assessment. The 2007 report looks back, and ahead, after 10 years of the use of technology in education. It is available both in print and on the Web.

Diplomas Count was initially published in 2006 as the first annual report on high school graduation policies and rates for the 50 states as well as for the nation's 50 largest school districts. The 2007 issue explores what it means to have high school students graduate and be prepared for both higher education and the workplace. It is available both in print and on the Web.

In 1996, EPE created the Web site http://www.edweek.org to expand the reach of EW. The site initially contained online versions of the newspaper and Teacher Magazine, a publication whose mission is to inform teachers and to inspire them to act individually and collectively to help schools succeed for all children. Today, http://edweek.org provides both breaking news and multiple information resources useful to all involved with or associated with PreK–12 education.

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