The study that tore the Internet apart, 'big tech in a sweater vest,' & a Pulitzer nod for the Banner: 🏆 Best Education Journalism of the Week 🏆 (5/8/2026)

All the best education journalism, media commentary, & newsroom changes.

May 08, 2026

In this week’s newsletter:

📌 A school cellphone study divides the Internet.

📌 How did a “cluster” model in San Diego turns into a cluster****?

📌 How to cover ed tech in the middle of a national reckoning.

📌 The Banner wins Pulitzer recognition with school transportation series.

📌 Just a crossing guard eating some ice cream and talking to a reporter.

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THE STUDY THAT TORE THE INTERNET APART

The big education story of the week:

The big education story of the week is the school cellphone study that divided the Internet.

The coverage was abundant, thanks to strong recent interest in all things related to education technology. Some of the early stories focused on the lack of impact on school test scores and attendance (Washington Post). Others played it safe with “mixed results” or question-mark headlines (The 74, NYT, ABC News, EdWeek, The 74, NPR, Inquirer). I yearned for coverage that didn’t make the study appear more definitive or comprehensive than it really is, but I appreciated the attention to the multiple findings.

The hot takes were endless and largely overheated, but anti-cell phone evangelist Jonathan Haidt responded with a call to study the results from other ways of restricting cell phones (besides Yondr pouches). And study co-author Thomas Dee told me via email that he was concerned that the coverage or those reading it might “jump to the conclusion that phone bans aren’t a good idea.” He told NPR it would be “wrong for policymakers to see the results as a reason to shy away from restrictions.”

At present, 37 states require cell phone restrictions. Georgia just passed its new law. Three states have already gone further this year, enacting screen time limits. So this one study won’t likely be enough to stop the current ed tech backlash in its tracks. However, Connecticut lawmakers decided at the last minute against mandating a statewide ban, citing unclear research and local control. A handful of other states including Illinois, Massachusetts, and Washington have not yet taken action. Recent stories from NPR and Politico detail the momentum and the tensions in California and other places. More info via Ballotpedia.

Other big education stories of the week include the likely effects of the recent Supreme Court decision on school boards (Stateline, Votebeat, New York Times, Washington Post, Houston Chronicle), growing concerns about students’ basic math and reading competency (Inquirer, Chalkbeat, EdWeek), & budget cuts, closures, and layoffs (Chalkbeat, NYT, LA Times, NYT).

FAILURE OF A DISTRICT-RUN PARENT EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM

The best education journalism of the week:

🏆 San Diego Unified Created a System to ‘Empower’ Parents. It Unraveled.

On the surface San Diego’s “cluster” system seemed like a perfect tool for community engagement, promising everything from increased attendance to improved safety. But Voice of San Diego’s Jakob McWhinney details how a time-intensive model with limited district support wound up losing parents — particularly in poorer and less white areas of the city. Scandals make great journalism, but it’s rarer to see coverage of a good idea that withered away. McWhinney’s story shows why such reporting is still important to pursue.

🏆 A lost ‘golden goose’ or ‘reasonable’ deal? How a landfill tested Utah’s school trust lands system

It may be odd to describe a long, in-the-weeds story about how the sale of a landfill potentially denied millions of dollars to Utah’s public schools as highly engaging, but this piece from Utah News Dispatch’s Katie McKellar merits the description. Even without knowing anything about the entities involved, it was easy to follow this 6,000-word exposé on whether land earmarked to benefit Utah schools and later sold for $10 million could have instead been developed into an ongoing source of millions for public education. Kudos to McKellar for both the scope and clarity of this investigation.

🏆 A Mass. preschooler was put in timeout 40 times. His parents weren’t notified.

The word “timeout” sounds innocent enough, but this story shows effectively why it has become such a contentious topic in Massachusetts education. The Boston Globe’s Mariana Simões documents how — even as the state tried to put harder limits around “timeout” and “seclusion” for young children placed in “closet” sized rooms alone — parents are still not routinely notified about the practice.

Other stories we liked include Trump’s Deportation Campaign Has Harmed Scores of Kids With Tear Gas, Pepper Spray (ProPublica), As Enrollment Shrinks, a Clash Between the Have- and Have-Not Schools(NYT), and Why some schools are cutting back on the technology they spent billions on (Washington Post).

COVERING THE ED TECH BACKLASH WITHOUT SENSATIONALIZING IT

The latest from The Grade:

Asked what she thinks of media coverage during the current ed tech backlash, The Bell Ringer’s Holly Korbey (above) described some of it as ‘sensationalistic’ — and then gave several great ideas about how to report the story in a deeper way: How to cover ed tech hysteria.

Also this week: USC education professor Morgan Polikoff wrote a scathing response to a critique of education research, then came on the Education Show, described what it’s like to be the most conservative faculty member in the department, and revealed part of the reason he’s not back on Twitter yet. See the whole thing here: Don’t mess with Morgan Polikoff.

In a bonus conversation you might have missed, Massachusset’s-based newsletter guru Gin Dumcius tells us that knowing the audience is key, as are scoops. The rest — subscribers, advertising, & fame — will follow. Read all about it in The importance of specialization — & scoops.

‘CAN YOU READ?’

This week’s secret bonus section for paid subscribers:

Here’s the link to last week’s secret bonus section, posted Monday: High school students who can’t read, the need for a great ed tech newsletter, & the Yale study goes mainstream.

PEOPLE, EVENTS, & MORE

Above: Asked how it compared to other stories, the Banner’s Liz Bowie described the story that earlier this week won her and her colleagues Pulitzer recognition as the ‘hardest’ and the ‘worst.’ Read why in How the Banner won Pulitzer recognition for 'Missing the bus'.

📰 People: Former local education reporter Hannah Natanson shared in the Washington Post’s public service award after her home was searched by the FBI earlier this year. (How fun to see national education reporter Laura Meckler standing and clapping next to her). Meantime, former Chronicle of Higher Education reporter Emma Pettit has joined Longview with a broad beat — although education is still part of it. Ten years ago at #EWA16, education reporters (including me) all wanted to talk to Nikole Hannah-Jones.

📰 Numbers: As of last year, nearly 90 percent of schools have given each kid a laptop or tablet. Nine out of ten middle and high school English teachers are still assigning at least one full book a year. One out of five school-aged children now attend something other than a traditional public school. Texas this week continues what may be the largest-in-the-nation launch of school vouchers, with roughly 96,000 students receiving notices. Black and Latino kids make up about 75% of students with disabilities in New York City, but only 24% of those receiving city funds to attend private schools.

📰Episodes: The cellphone bans study made the nightly news, with the Washington Post’s Lauren Lumpkin appearing on NBC Washington to discuss her reporting. Chalkbeat’s student-produced podcast P.S. Weekly took on school mergers this week.

📰 Jobs: The Washington Post is hiring a local education reporter. Block Club Chicago is hiring a general assignment reporter. Hechinger Report is hiring a senior editor for higher education. And while the Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism might have saved the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette from closure, it’s followed that up with some major cuts — including education reporter and union president Andrew Goldstein.

📰 Quotes

“Ed tech is just big tech in a sweater vest.”
“It felt like as long as you retake the exam and get 100% it doesn’t matter if you really know what you’re doing or not.”
“Drop the standards and you’ve told kids you don’t believe in them. Raise the bar without helping them get there and now they don’t believe in themselves.”
“Do we need to look a little bit less at what the Trump Administration is doing ... & look a little more in the mirror?”
“There are two types of journalist: Those who file in the CMS and those who google doc in case CMS crashes.”
“Why do mainstream media orgs refuse to link to relevant court docs?”

Alexander Russo's The Grade

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