School Reporting by Students

What if student wrote about the curriculum at school? Maybe they could write a report on the quality of school lunches? Not merely their opinion of the subjects but their attempt to do some objective reporting on what they are learning.

Imagine a reporter at our schools telling us what goes on inside the school house gates. Stories not just about the budget or some controversial student expulsion or teacher misconduct. We might actually learn about the day to day running of the school.

But is it possible? What will be the quality of reporting? Won't it be biased? And thousands of other questions. I believe it is possible to some degree and an worthy experiment on democracy.

One question I hope to obviate is, "Won't this be like rate my Teacher?" No, because I will try to moderate and edit it. Isn't that censorship? Yes an no. In the same way an editor censors his reporters, minimally.

I will attempt to post all stories from student reporters. However, I will attempt to put them into some order either by technology or personal judgement. In other words, stories that are contain libelous or defamatory statement would have to be edited, just like traditional journalism. However if the story is just of poor reliability or structure it might just go into the "back pages."

This is a suggestion and I want to see what your opinions might be? I will personally respond and post all questions and comments to evolve the discussion.

Constitutional Blueprint and the Tangled Threads

All organizations and every nation require guiding principles. Rules that are more principled than the mere will of fickle humans. We agree to make laws that prevent power from tuning into tyranny. That includes the tyranny of the majority.

Local Educational News will also require a constitution. The editors, reporters, financiers and other individual must swear to obey the principles that will inform and empower the public. In turn the public must also respect the rights of individual and minorities in their expression of opinion and ideas.

The forum for this journalistic experiment will try to be open marketplace of ideas. A marketplace where media monopoly owned by elites will be dismantled by the quality of the ideas. Ideas will be rise to the top by virtue of its merits not by financial dominance.

As I write this I am visiting my family. The adults are watching TV and 10 nephew and nieces are playing with new toys. The parents all tired from work and relaxing for the holidays. I feel that most people cannot spare the time or energy to read about their schools much less participate in writing about their schools.

While talking to my cousin about education, he said, “It’s all to overwhelming.” And he is right. National, state and local regulations combined with sociological and cultural phenomena can only be penetrated with a great deal of work.

But this is why I want this project to succeed. I want this information to be more accessible and consumable, yet not dumb-downed. That way we can talk about education. If there can be meaningful dialogue then there might be meaningful progress.

Ironically, all the adult members of my family have a degree and most have a graduate degree. I shudder to think how people with fewer resources can cope with educational decisions.

So what does this have to do with a constitution? Nothing really. But untangling the massive ball of education I begin to realize there is more than one thread.

I don’t want to be the sole author of a constitution for several reasons. The main reason is that I cannot do it alone. The other reason is that it would completely contradictory to the spirit of the project.

So here is this fledgling project with nothing to guide us, but this the exciting part. This is where we can use our intellect and creativity. Sometime soon I will actively try to engage people I know who might be willing to help.

Hopefully soon my monologue will end.

Constitutional Blueprint and the Tangled Threads

All organizations and every nation require guiding principles. Rules that are more principled than the mere will of fickle humans. We agree to make laws that prevent power from tuning into tyranny. That includes the tyranny of the majority.

Local Educational News will also require a constitution. The editors, reporters, financiers and other individual must swear to obey the principles that will inform and empower the public. In turn the public must also respect the rights of individual and minorities in their expression of opinion and ideas.

The forum for this journalistic experiment will try to be open marketplace of ideas. A marketplace where media monopoly owned by elites will be dismantled by the quality of the ideas. Ideas will be rise to the top by virtue of its merits not by financial dominance.

As I write this I am visiting my family are watching TV and 10 nephew and nieces are playing with new toys. The parents all tired from work and relaxing for the holidays. I feel that most people cannot spare the time or energy to read about their schools much less participate in writing about their schools.

While talking to my cousin about education, he said, “It’s all to overwhelming.” And he is right. National, state and local regulations combined with sociological and cultural phenomena can only be penetrated with a great deal of work.

But this is why I want this project to succeed. I want this information to be more accessible and consumable, yet not dumb-downed. That way we can talk about education. If there can be meaningful dialogue then there might be meaningful progress.

Ironically, all the adult members of my family have a degree and most have a graduate degree. I shudder to think how people with fewer resources can cope with educational decisions.

So what does this have to do with a constitution? Nothing really. But untangling the massive ball of education I begin to realize there is more than one thread.

I don’t want to be the sole author of a constitution for several reasons. The main reason is that I cannot do it alone.

The funny thing is that we will need to set some ground rules for making the rules. Any suggestions?

Next week I’ll propose some of my own.

Persistence in Reporting

Thus far this blog has little useful information for the public regarding education.

But first, I wanted to make transparent the journalistic style. I still have much work to do on that front. By making the journalistic process clear for others as well as myself I hope to make the information that we gather useful and relevant.

Some of the information that we need is budget information and curriculum. These two pieces are vital. The information is out there somewhere. But it'll be buried in reports and hard to penetrate. This data will also need a context that will take much more research and reporting from us.

Persistence is key to gathering this information. Furthermore it will not be in vain. The information will be relevant for a long time. It will at least give us a historic context as we move forward.

So I implore you to go out and do some reporting. I'll read it with care and respond to your individual work. This dialogue is also a crucial component. Hopefully we can all participate in this dialogue.

There are many restrictions to a fluid form of conversation but in time I believe we will overcome this barriers by new technologies and hopefully elegant social solutions. But persistence is key.

The Public as the Fourth Estate, a Sub-Culture

Even my mom has email.

Soon most American will have Internet connection like most have a TV or radio. Except now people like you and me can broadcast, not just the "media." The personal broadcasts of YouTube and Myspace are an examples of this evolving form of communication.

What if we collectively reported on the government, schools and corporations and not just our personal lives?

This is the first time in the history of mankind that people without wealth and power can create the first draft of history. The news can be about the people's concerns and not the concerns of the elite.

Citizen Journalism is already happening. Ohmy in Korea has an English language version that covers international news as well as Korean news. Wikipedia's article on OhmyNews needs some some additional information. For example, it needs to give the history of Public Journalism and link. I'll try to edit that entry when I have some time.

There are links on the left column of this Blog to more Citizen Journalism but Ohmy is the largest and valued at $11 million.

It's the dawn of a new age. Thus far the dim light has shown us very little. Hopefully the Internet will grow up and be more than a lustful and escapist entertainment. (Not that that's all bad.) Put the strength of this tool to nobler goals won't simply happen.

There needs to be a culture in order for this phenomenon to happen. And cultural movements usually have there origins in some sort of sub-culture. I'm trying to create a sub-culture.

Even if, say, the New York Times poured million in to new technology and web-related services Americans might to support citizen journalism. After all only 70% of American people have Internet. But far less probably have access at home. I don't believe America has developed that kind of culture yet judging by low voter turn-out and other factors.

Still there may be a watershed event that could trigger public participation in the news.

For now this blog is a start. Perhaps if you, out there, can post information that concerns you about our local schools we can construct a new paradigm.

Remember the beginnings of MTV? Who would of guessed the culture that it has now become. Instead of Veejays with big hair posing in cheesy urban sets, people like my mom could be a part of the "media."

Relevant data takes time to process

$520 million is what it cost Pittsburgh to run the public school system last year to serve 29,000 students. These are not the exact figures but check them out; I'm just rounding out the numbers. It took me about ten minutes to find this information and I'm still not confident about the the figures. Sure it may take another ten minutes or so to get it down to the penny but that's not what matters.

What do we want to know about how the school board is spending our money? Wikipedia has some relevant information about our schools but no real analysis. I need about an half hour or so to find some meaningful information and about a week to read it and a day to write it. That would still only be my personal analysis. I want everyone to find information and post it so we can be well informed.

I'll try to pin point the most reliable information so we can discuss it. However, there is a wealth of information that is relevant. Meaningful discussion might not happen for a long time. But if you participate then we can discuss more immediately.

Sorry for the poor prose but research of a bulk of this effort.

National vs. Local (but mostly op-ed today)

The impact of national events effects citizen directly. These seems like a noble reason to cover the broad issues. To capture the zeitgeist and be the first draft of history is exciting to read and, I would imagine, to write. Stirrings of the heart and intellect ignite from a Supreme Court decision or a nation election.

Meanwhile local news only raises a heartbeat when a murder or massive scandal erupts. But local politics have the deepest effects in our day to day life. What happens when you dial 911 or park in the wrong spot or send you children to school is governed locally. In other words, our voices are not diluted by the great masses. We are more empowered to change our own lives and others influence us the least.

But it seems like we shun our local responsibility. After all it is more exhilarating to wield power over others than to exert self-control. Perhaps this is to harsh of an opinion. Maybe we simply do not have resources to take on this job so we leave it to others. After all what do we know about the logistics of trash management and who wants to. As long as someone else does a decent job at it even better.

However, trash never comes up as an important issue, unless some screwed up. Education has always been like a major concern for American. Yet there is so little reporting on local education. Stories that provide useful information would help guide us through the monolithic edifice of education.

The editor's goal of this news project should be to provide a usable resource of information on local education. We, as the Fourth Estate, need to pool this information like any other governmental body possess their own information resources.

Considering I'm the "editor" of this project I will begin to gather some useful information. Also as the "editor", I want you, the "reporter" and member of the Fourth Estate to collect this information and add it to our "library." Just email it to us - lenspittsburgh@gmail.com- and I'll post it.

Opinions, stories and advice are also information so send anything. Besides this project is so large I can't possibly do all of it, unless someone pays me. (hint, hint) This would be my dream job but since it doesn't pay it's a passion. (By the way passion literally means "enduring pain and suffering.")