Seminar will train journalists to analyze teacher readiness, registration ends Oct. 11

The National Education Writers Association is hosting an intensive day-long seminar to teach journalists how to analyze career readiness of teachers. The pressures of accountability increases the scrutiny faced by education colleges, and the seminar, "Ready to Teach: Rethinking Routes to the Classroom," will guide journalists through examination of "the growing efforts to revamp how aspiring educators are prepared for the classroom and how teacher-preparation programs are held accountable for results," NEWA says on its website.

The seminar will offer lessons on how to analyze federal education-school and teacher certification data, information about how schools are trying to reform and alternative programs designed to replace them, insights into the debate over new ways to evaluate teacher prep programs, perspectives from teachers about how ready they were for the classroom and tips from reporters who have successfully covered the topic.

The seminar will be Oct. 27 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the University of Minnesota's McNamara Alumni Center, and registration ends Oct.11. A tentative agenda can be found here. To RSVP, click here.

The Rural Blog makes the list of top blogs for students of journalism

The Rural Blog is published mainly for rural journalists, but we have long known that it is also read by many people interested in rural policy. And now we know that others see a value in it for students of journalism. We're No. 27 among "The 40 Best Blogs for Journalism Students," selected by Online Education Database.

OEDb says the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, through The Rural Blog, "turns a keen eye toward the news and views impacting such towns and villages." And, we would add, the places between towns and villages, with an occasional look at rural news media, which can provide good examples for student journalists.

The Institute does have a journalism-student blog, the Midway Messenger, but it's primarily by students, not for them. We do it for the community of Midway, Ky., halfway between our base at the University of Kentucky in Lexington and the state capital of Frankfort. There's also a website, www.MidwayMessenger.org.