Finding stories on the education beat

On this episode, IRE editorial assistant Nakylah Carter recaps “Separate and unequal: 5 must-have stories from the K-12 education beat,” a panel from IRE’s inaugural AccessFest 2023 conference, featuring two veteran journalists who cover education. Melissa Barragán Taboada is the editor of the Globe’s “Great Divide” education team, which examines inequities in education. Prior to coming to the Globe in 2021, Taboada was a reporter and editor for 20 years at the Austin American-Statesman, where she led the paper’s education coverage. Taboada taught a "Reporting on Education" course in the School of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin, her alma mater. Chastity Pratt is the education bureau chief responsible for leading The Wall Street Journal's coverage of pre-kindergarten through higher education, including managing education reporters based in bureaus across the country. She previously covered education at Bridge Magazine, the Detroit Free Press, Newsday and The Oregonian. Nakylah Carter reported this episode and is our host. IRE Editorial Director Doug Meigs edits the podcast. We are recorded in the studios of KBIA at the University of Missouri. You can find the podcast on Soundcloud, Spotify for Podcasts, Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music. If you have a story you think we should feature on the show, drop us a note at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you. Music credit: "Thoughtfulness," De Wolfe Music