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 2012-2013 project serves as an extension and expansion 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 has led to the creation of several distance-learning courses for education-focused journalists, the launch of an education blog/resource site, the organization of several Prague workshops for aspiring and experienced education journalists, and the publication of dozens of education-related articles. TOL has also localized a News U/Poynter course into Russian and developed the region's first distance-learning education reporting course for the BBC iLearn platform. The current project includes initiatives focused on increasing TOL’s impact and the organizational capacity to measure and regularly monitor that impact. The primary objectives of the 2012-2013 project are:

1. To continue 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 launch a cross-regional investigation into a topic high on the list of ESP priorities with simultaneous publication in English and local languages to increase potential impact;
3. To conduct a baseline needs assessment on coverage of educational issues, with a special focus on two sample countries;
4. To increase TOL’s monitoring and evaluation capacity;
5. To improve TOL's sustainability and overall impact.

Project Activities

• The participation of seven education reporters at a major education conference held in Brussels by the European Training Foundation and the EU’s Committee of the Regions;
• Two, in-depth investigations, published in local media in local languages and on TOL in English;
• The production of 20 articles and opinion pieces on education topics by reporters across TOL's coverage region with a special focus on issues high on the ESP agenda;
• Three, training-the-trainer trips related either to the special investigations or features related to the ESP priorities;
• The production and distribution of Open Society Education News;
• The adaption of the BBC iLearn education distance learning course to TOL's new Moodle platform and the running of one, mentor-driven course for 15 total participants;
• Synchronization of TOL's alumni databases and survey of past alumni to judge impact;
• Site and software development; and
• Participation in a program designed to improve TOL's sustainability and impact.