Spotlight on School Finance at SXSW EDU

Attention education journalists: Eager to step up your knowledge and skills to effectively cover school finance, a vital issue on the education beat? The Education Writers Association is offering a unique opportunity at the 2022 SXSW EDU conference in Austin, Texas. We will provide training, tools, and expertise on K-12 finance and how it connects to equity and educational quality. The EWA programming will be held March 8.

Journalists who applied for a travel scholarship to fund transportation and lodging will be notified. The deadline to apply has passed.

EWA will deliver a half-day, interactive workshop custom designed to meet reporters’ needs. Veteran education journalists will share tips, resources, and story ideas for compelling coverage of education funding. National experts will provide fresh insights on school finance and individualized support on valuable data sets and tools to help tell powerful stories on funding in your school communities. In addition, you’ll learn how COVID-19’s disruption of attendance and enrollment in school systems nationwide will impact school funding in the districts you cover.

Also, during a separate, public panel at SXSW EDU hosted by EWA, experts dive into the implications of research on the relationship between school funding and educational (and life) outcomes. These questions have a new urgency now that the federal government is pouring billions of dollars into the nation’s schools to help students recover from the pandemic. The session will also take stock of important policy changes in Texas and other states to revamp funding formulas and better target extra dollars to disadvantaged students.

The application form is now closed.