Education Week, an independent, nonprofit media organization that provides news, analysis, and research on K-12 American education, is seeking a Senior Staff Writer to join our newsroom. Our preference is that this position be based in the Washington, D.C. area.

Job Summary

Education Week seeks a versatile, experienced reporter to cover news and enterprise stories about one of the most important workforces: K-12 teachers. The reporter must be able to spotlight, explain, and elevate challenges and solutions facing the nation’s more than 3 million teachers. This reporter would join a three-person team primarily responsible for covering teaching and learning in U.S. classrooms but would also collaborate with reporting teams that cover some other topics, including classroom technology, leadership, and politics.   

The successful candidate must balance the ability to develop teacher sources and write about general, longstanding tensions within the profession, such as pay, morale, and career advancement, with trend and policy stories on how teachers are prepared, supported, and evaluated. The candidate should be skilled at spotting angles having to do with equity, such as recruiting and supporting teachers from diverse backgrounds and ensuring equitable access by students to high-quality teaching.

This position offers exciting opportunities for enterprise work, including contributing to one of Education Week’s marquee projects—an annual special project on the state of the teaching profession.

The ideal candidate should have a passion—and track record—for collaborating with a wide range of newsroom colleagues, including beat reporters, editors, and digital and visual journalists. This reporter must be willing and able to travel to visit classrooms and report from schools across the country. And we are looking for a strong writer who can weave compelling narratives one day and cover quick-turn breaking news the next.

Job Responsibilities:

• Pitch, report, and write a range of daily stories, as well as short and longer-term enterprise and analytical stories that elevate EdWeek’s expertise and command of the most urgent issues in the K-12 field.
• Collaborate with the Managing Editor, Assistant Managing Editors, and other newsroom leaders, including the Editor in Chief, to plan and coordinate coverage.
• Maintain and deepen command of issues essential to developing and sustaining a high-quality teaching force.
• Collaborate on multimedia and visual storytelling with digital and visual journalism teams to ensure integration of visual, digital, and written elements to create compelling and engaging journalism.
• Contribute to EdWeek’s other content areas, such as special reports, special projects, and live and virtual events, as well as production duties, proofreading and other assigned work duties.

Qualifications and Skills:

• A bachelor’s degree, and a minimum of 5 years of daily journalism experience is preferred, to include beat reporting, writing, and partnering with visual and digital journalists.
• Keen eye for spotting daily news opportunities and emerging trends in assigned beat area.
• Command of historical, political, and social dynamics that perpetuate systemic inequities for diverse groups with ability to apply that knowledge and context in coverage of the K-12 field.
• A sophisticated understanding of audience analytics and how to use the data to help make informed decisions on coverage, framing, and audience.
• Excellent communication skills, flexibility, and ability to foster creativity and collaboration with editing team, fellow reporters, visual and digital journalists, social media, and audience analytics teams.
• Excellent story ideation and building skills, writing prowess, as well as command of AP style and ability to learn and apply Education Week style.
• Ability to work well in a fast-paced, highly collaborative team environment.
• Excellent priority setting and time management skills with ability to juggle multiple assignments and projects.
• Ability and willingness to travel on occasion for reporting assignments.

About Education Week

We are principled. We are welcoming. We are passionate. We are expert.

Editorial Projects in Education (EPE) is a non-profit media organization that serves the nation’s leading K-12 policymakers, educators, researchers, marketers and other influencers with informed, independent, and highly respected journalism and research, with the goal of improving U.S. K-12 education through its products and services.  Education Week (www.edweek.org), America’s most trusted source of K-12 education news, analysis, and opinion, is a digital-first news operation that is dedicated to raising the level of awareness and understanding among professionals and the public of important issues in American education.  A leading authority in an ever-evolving space, we bring over four decades of experience to our journalism and research without bias or agenda. At Education Week, we believe that an equitable—and excellent—education for all students is possible, and we empower the field to make it a reality.

Benefits

Education Week is a vibrant workplace that is conveniently located in the heart of downtown Bethesda, Md., right outside Washington, D.C. We offer a competitive salary and benefits package including health dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k), PTO, and tuition assistance, and more. We value innovation, leadership, and forward thinking, and provide a friendly, intellectual, challenging work environment where employees can thrive and grow professionally.

Education Week is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, skin color, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or parenthood. EdWeek is committed to maintaining a diverse and multicultural working environment.

Education Week will not be able to sponsor applicants for work visas.