And I was just reading something in The Oregonian today, a piece from a week ago about reading. Everybody writes these stories when there’s a new report out that says people are reading less or that, you know, people stop reading for fun when they get to the eighth grade. And Betsy Hammond just did a really nice job of showing why that happens. The piece is a really nice weekender that helps you understand the cultural reality behind the data. I’m sure readers don’t often understand the level of reporting that goes into just being comfortable to be able to make some assertions about why things are happening. But it makes the data so much more powerful.

MG: What are some questions or issues in education that aren’t getting enough attention in the press right now?

LP: Well, I think it’s less a matter of what topics aren’t being paid enough attention to than the way things are looked at. I think it’s very easy to break down debates in education into black and white. There are so many shades of gray, and it requires a sort of deft touch to get at those when reporting. It’s so easy to go to the obvious arguments, but the best education reporting transcends that.

MG: How?

LP: A lot of it involves good sourcing—having a broader Rolodex than most, for a start, so you’re not going to the same obvious people (“anti-testing voice,” “pro-testing voice”). It’s also having a good set of sources inside the education world, so you can understand the unintended consequences of education policy, and so you can really show how things play out in the classroom. A lot of very well-intentioned public policy doesn’t make a lot of sense when it’s put into practice. And the best reporting doesn’t just show that when it happens, but it anticipates it ahead of time—and lays it out to give people a head start in thinking about it in different ways.

MG: I’ve found it frustrating that education has been such a non-issue so far in this presidential campaign. Is that something you’ll be addressing in your new role?

LP: I’m glad you asked about that. The EWA has a blog where they track what the candidates have to say about education. The problem is, it’s not very much. You know, for an issue we all pretend to care an awful lot about, our presidential candidates don’t have a lot to say on it. And that’s kind of frustrating. It’s easy to say, “Oh, let’s scrap NCLB,” but no one’s explained what they want to do instead.

Early in the campaign, the EWA wanted the candidates to sit down for one-on-one talks with a panel of education journalists to discuss their thoughts on various issues. And none of the candidates really wanted to do any sort of unscripted talk with education reporters. They were more eager to have a pulpit when they were ready to introduce a proposal…although, since then, they haven’t introduced many proposals. So I, for one, would like to hear more from them about education. But I’m not holding my breath. At the very least, we’re going to have to wait until the general election to hear more about it.

MG: How exactly will the position work? Are you planning on having reporters reach out to you for help?

LP: I’d love to hear from reporters. I’m going to be writing tips and highlighting what works and what doesn’t for stories. If there’s an important issue in regards to education coverage that I want to weigh in on, I may write an op-ed or something like that. I certainly have plenty of ideas…but I want to hear from reporters and know what they want to know about. I’m really looking forward to hearing what reporters are working on, and to helping them figure out where to take things, how to make their reporting better. In the process, I’ll get to learn a lot myself.

I know when I was at the Post, I would have loved to have had a person like this to go to. The EWA has always been such an important tool for my reporting, through their list-servs, which are completely invaluable, and they also have great conferences and seminars. And their Web site has resources and story ideas, and also helps give a perspective of whether something you’re observing is a national issue or something that’s just in your school system. Hopefully this is just an extension of what they’re already doing very well.

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