Editorial Projects in Education—A History

In 1957, 15 editors of university alumni magazines launched a bold experiment that would have a substantial and lasting impact on all of American education.

In the era of Sputnik, they called their endeavor the "Moonshooter" project. With a $12,000 grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York, they sought to speak with one voice to their collective alumni through unique research and writing. Eventually, 150 colleges signed up for the initial report. American Higher Education: 1958, a 32-page document, reached almost 1 million college-educated Americans that April.

Not long after, the group incorporated as Editorial Projects in Education (EPE), a nonprofit educational organization. From there, many successes followed, and, in November 1966, with a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York and on the eve of one of the most turbulent periods in American higher education, The Chronicle of Higher Education was born. The Chronicle was a popular and critical success.

In 1978, EPE sold The Chronicle to its editors and shifted its attention. With the support of several philanthropies, EPE went on to launch Education Week.

Education Week

The first issue of Education Week appeared on Sept. 7, 1981, and sought to provide Chronicle-like coverage of elementary and secondary education. It was an immediate critical success. Today, Education Week has achieved its original objectives and is recognized as "American education’s newspaper of record."

Education Week has a dedicated staff of reporters and editors, each and every one an expert in the complicated world of covering education.

In terms of serving as a bridge between the worlds of policy and practice, Education Week and other EPE staffers have the expertise, the understanding of context, the long-standing sources in the K-12 community, and the in-house research capacity to take our reporting beyond the norm and to provide coverage that both energizes debate on reform and spurs change. And, increasingly, the newspaper’s editors and reporters are focusing their efforts on coverage that seeks to help policymakers and practitioners identify "what works," promising strategies, and model programs.

Education Week has made a significant impact on the school reform debate through its focused and nuanced coverage and its continuing role as a forum for the exchange of important ideas in K-12 education.

Since the launch of Education Week, EPE has grown and changed. Today, its many components include:

edweek.org

EPE has pursued several approaches to expanding the reach of the various projects, most notably with the creation of edweek.org in 1996. The site now hosts breaking news stories and features from Education Week and other news providers; audio, video and photo galleries, blogs on a host of topical issues; community features such as online chats with education experts; forums, links to new research; and the complete Education Week archives.

EPE Research Center

The EPE Research Center was established in 1996 as the research-support team for Quality Counts. The Center conducts a range of original research each year for the annual Counts reports, Education Week, edweek.org, and outside clients. The center compiles statistics from all the Counts reports into a searchable database accessible through edweek.org. Its annual reports are:

Quality Counts was first published in 1997, and offers an annual report card on public education in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report is produced with support from the Pew Center on the States. In addition to grading the states based on more than 100 indicators related to K-12 education, each edition of the report has examined a topic of central concern to education policymakers and practitioners.

Diplomas Count was first published in 2006, Diplomas Count is an annual report on high school graduation policies and rates. It is supported by a four-year, $2.5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, for what is known as the Graduation Project.

teachermagazine.org

Because significant school improvement can only happen with the commitment of well-informed teachers, EPE offers teachermagazine.org and its many online resources. The Web site is targeted specifically at teacher-leaders and offers a wealth of news and information, along with blogs, columns, and interactive events.

The site is the successor to the award-winning Teacher Magazine, which ceased print publication in 2007. Teachermagazine.org also produces the Teacher Professional Development Sourcebook, which offers timely articles, interviews, and an extensive directory of professional development vendors.

TopSchoolJobs.org

TopSchoolJobs.org is Education Week’s career community—offering premium career resources to K-12 teachers and administrators as they explore their career potential, and providing K-12 recruiters with access to the most qualified candidates worldwide.

Digital Directions

Digital Directions is a channel on edweek.org which includes news and feature articles, a print periodical, and audio interviews with specialists in the field. Readers may also sign up for a monthly e-newsletter offering updates on news developments, trends, and practical advice in the world of educational technology.

Education Week Press

Education Week Press publishes books written by educators and experts from both within EPE and outside the organization. Education Week Press has partnered with Jossey-Bass to expand the reach of these informative and timely publications. Its releases include: The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child, by Donalyn Miller; The Obama Education Plan: An Education Week Guide; and The Education Week Guide to K-12 Terminology.

Summing Up

Over the years, EPE has sought to capitalize on its unique assets: It has created one of the best information-gathering systems in American education; it has assembled the best collection of education writers in the nation; over a quarter-century of publishing Education Week has resulted in an extensive and valuable database of information on education; and, EPE has established itself as an independent source of accurate and objective information in the field.

For more information about EPE, please contact EPE Library Staff at library@epe.org.