The Education Writers Association has selected KOSU special projects reporter Kateleigh Mills and StateImpact Oklahoma education reporter Robby Korth to be members of its 14th class of EWA Reporting Fellows.
Their project is one of 12 selected for the fellowship and is described as follows:
At the Oklahoma state capitol, the mostly white legislature is passing a slate of bills banning books and critical race theory. This engagement-driven series will focus on the impact of these decisions on Oklahoma's youth, especially in the fast-diversifying city of Tulsa.
The fellowship is intended to support enterprising journalism that informs the public about consequential issues in education. It provides funding and other assistance to help journalists undertake ambitious reporting and writing projects.
“These new reporting fellows will bring fresh depth and breadth to their coverage of school communities, from K-12 through higher education,” said Caroline Hendrie, EWA’s executive director. “We are proud to support essential coverage of the critical challenges and opportunities facing our nation’s education sector and the public that sector serves.”
Mills and Korth have been spending time in listening sessions with teenagers, asking how the politicization of social issues affect them. The goal is to create a time capsule and sharing their concerns with a wider audience, which will hopefully create a richer debate surrounding these issues.
Two stories have already sprouted from these sessions:
- 'I love a place that hates me': How two transgender teens navigate current events in Oklahoma
- 'It's utterly ridiculous': trans Tulsa students react to Oklahoma’s school bathroom ban
More discussions and stories are forthcoming, as they aim to amplify the voices of young people in these increasingly difficult debates.
