Education stories start with the data

What does an education reporter cover?

An education reporter covers schools and colleges, from early learning through graduate programs, plus the boards, agencies and lawmakers that fund and regulate them. The beat includes test scores, budgets, special education, admissions, student aid and the people who teach and learn.

Get the number from the agency that collected it and read its definitions. District press releases, union statements and advocacy reports are useful leads, but the state or federal dataset is the record.

Start here

Federal agencies and oversight

Official sources for federal programs, funding and enforcement. Note which office issued a document and when.

• U.S. Department of Education: The federal education department. Policy announcements, program pages and offices.
• Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Education: Auditor and investigator of Education Department programs and funding. Check its reports when you follow federal money.
• OSEP monitoring: How the Office of Special Education Programs monitors states under federal special education law. Look for state-level findings.

Education data and research

Where to find the survey, the assessment or the study itself. Record the dataset name, year and definitions you used.

• NCES data collection programs: Index of National Center for Education Statistics surveys and assessments, including student performance and adult literacy.
• Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS): Core NCES data on colleges, universities and technical and vocational schools. Use the data tools or download the files.
• National Assessment of Adult Literacy: An NCES assessment of English literacy among U.S. adults, with state and county estimates. The data are old, so check the survey year before you cite it.
• ERIC (Education Resources Information Center): Online library of education research sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences. Filter for peer-reviewed or full-text results.
• ChildStats.gov: Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics. Indicators on children and families, including education.
• American Educational Research Association: Scholarly association for education research. Journals, a newsroom and researchers you can contact for expert comment.

State policy and school systems

Useful for comparing states and tracking legislation. Some of these groups represent the officials you cover, so note who they speak for.

• Education Commission of the States: Tracks state education policy and compiles resources by state. Takes media and state policy information requests.
• Council of Chief State School Officers (Trade group): Membership group for state education chiefs. Press releases and resources on state education policy.
• Council of the Great City Schools (Trade group): Association of large urban public school districts. Reports and fact sheets on member districts.
• Achieve (Advocacy): Nonprofit working on academic standards and college and career readiness. Reviews instructional materials against the Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards.

Special education and gifted students

Pair these groups with federal monitoring and state data. They speak for educators and families in the field.

• Council for Exceptional Children (Trade group): Professional association for special education. Resources on IEPs, learning disabilities, autism and other topics.
• National Association for Gifted Children (Advocacy): Organization focused on gifted and talented children. Position papers, standards and policy work.

College admissions, testing and aid

Good for explaining how admissions and aid work. Confirm program rules with the agency or institution that runs them.

• College Board: Nonprofit that runs the SAT, PSAT and AP programs and the BigFuture college search. It has a stake in testing debates.
• Finaid: Explainers and calculators on financial aid, student loans, the FAFSA and loan forgiveness. Check program details against federal sources.

Unions, foundations and advocacy

These organizations take positions. Quote them as interested parties and trace their figures to primary data.

• National Education Association issues (Trade group): Issue positions from the National Education Association, the teachers union, on school funding, public schools and more.
• Annie E. Casey Foundation (Advocacy): Private foundation focused on children and youth. Home of the KIDS COUNT data and policy work.

Education news and reporter resources

• Education Week: K-12 news on leadership, policy, funding, achievement and school safety.
• The Chronicle of Higher Education: Higher education news, opinion and a daily briefing. Some content requires a subscription.
• Education Writers Association: Professional organization for journalists on the education beat. Skills guides, data resources and events.

Reporting checks for this beat

• Which test, grade and year does the score come from, and did the test or its cut scores change?
• Are graduation, enrollment or discipline rates defined the same way in every school or state you compare?
• Did you get the number from the agency that collected it, or from a district, union or advocacy summary?
• For a small school or student group, are the counts large enough to support the comparison you are making?
• Is a per-student spending figure limited to operating costs, or does it include construction and debt?
• Does the study measure cause and effect, or only a correlation between a program and outcomes?

Links were checked in September 2026 for a live page from the same organization. Advocacy groups, trade groups and party sites are labeled and should be treated as interested parties. Verify ownership, date and context before publication.