The project trains journalists through distance learning courses, workshops, and other resources to report on education-related topics while also raising public knowledge of education issues throughout TOL's coverage region and beyond. Donor: Education Support Program of the Open Society Institute

Objectives

The 2009-10 program has served as an extension of previous TOL projects, also funded by ESP, to publish education-related articles while simultaneously training the region’s journalists to foster public awareness about education issues. This cooperation, which began in January 2005, has led to the creation of the region’s first distance-learning course for education-focused journalists, the launch of an education blog/resource site (http://chalkboard.tol.org/), the holding of several Prague workshops for aspiring and experienced education journalists, and the publication of dozens of education-related articles (http://www.tol.org/client/interest/education.html). The current project’s activities are similar to years past:

1) To train journalists to report on education issues in a more engaging and professional manner, so as to increase public knowledge of and interest in education issues;
2) To create a wide range of resources to enable these journalists to improve their reporting;
3) To connect a network of education journalists across the CEE/FSU region; and
4) To take several first steps toward expanding project activities to other ESP priority countries/regions.

Project Activities

Project activities include another round of distance-learning courses, developed through TOL’s partnership with the BBC World Trust and the Guardian Foundation; two Prague workshops; and the development of an additional online course, of the self-directed type. This latter course will be a Russian-language version of a course currently offered by News U (www.newsu.org), the prestigious Poynter-operated distance learning platform. We will also continue to publish education-related articles, including at least one special report; compile a book that includes the best of our education coverage from the last few years; and expand the Chalkboard site. In the production of some of the articles, we will use a form of training that we call "shoulder-to-shoulder", whereby journalists will receive one-on-one coaching, out in the field with TOL trainers.

For more information about TOL's other current projects, please click here.