No Reader Left Behind: Improving Media Coverage of Education

The American educational system is fundamental to promoting social and economic mobility, civic engagement and global competiveness. Yet the subject of education receives disproportionately less media coverage than other major public policy issues.

A new report by Brookings scholars, “Invisible: 1.4 Percent Coverage for Education is Not Enough,” offers creative solutions to improve education reporting and to promote quality public discourse.  It explores how the “perfect storm” of a weak economy, a drop in viewers and readers, and the emergence of new competitive threats has arisen at a time when people need more – not less – information about education issues and proposed reforms.

On December 2, Senior Fellows Grover “Russ” Whitehurst and E.J. Dionne presented their findings on the implications of education’s significant lack of media coverage. Following the presentation, an expert panel discussed how to engender a stronger media focus on education research, school reform, teacher quality and curricular innovations.