Alexander Russo
@alexanderrusso.bsky.social
350 followers 280 following 81 posts
Founder @thegrade_ and many other things. Author: Stray Dogs, Saints, and Savors. London-born, Chicago-raised, Brooklyn-based.
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alexanderrusso.bsky.social
Louisville's integration program "looked good on paper, but it didn’t work well," according to @KristaJ1993, who reflects on what mattered most to her when she was a kid growing up poor in Iowa.

NEW: Rethinking integration & reflecting on childhood experiences
open.substack.com/pub/alexande...
Rethinking integration & reflecting on childhood experiences
Louisville's program "looked good on paper, but it didn’t work well," according to reporter Krista Johnson, who reflects on what mattered most when she was a kid growing up poor in Davenport, Iowa.
open.substack.com
Reposted by Alexander Russo
alexanderrusso.bsky.social
Video-first reporting for education journalists

Oliva Krauth on getting started with video-first journalism — even if you don't like being on camera. The latest in our series on innovations, nontraditional voices, & emerging platforms.

open.substack.com/pub/alexande...?
Ins & outs of video-first education journalism
Oliva Krauth on getting started with video-first journalism — even if you don't like being on camera. The latest in our series on innovations, nontraditional voices, & emerging platforms.
open.substack.com
Reposted by Alexander Russo
gailcornwall.com
Wildly misleading headline alert!

Hed: Efforts to fund schools more equitably actually worsened racial inequality

Article: States’ equity-focused school funding reform worked! But racial inequality grew anyway for other reasons (and b/c of differences b/n states).

www.edweek.org/policy-polit...
How Efforts to Fund Schools More Equitably Actually Worsened Racial Inequality
Researchers examined three decades of school finance reforms in 40 states.
www.edweek.org
alexanderrusso.bsky.social
If California finally joins other states in passing comprehensive reform against school sexual assault, investigative reporter @mattdrange will have had a lot to do with it.

NEW: One reporter's efforts to end 'passing the trash' in California schools alexanderrusso.substack.com/p/one-report...
One reporter's efforts to end 'passing the trash' in California schools
If California finally joins other states in passing comprehensive reform against school sexual assault, investigative reporter Matt Drange will have had a lot to do with it.
alexanderrusso.substack.com
Reposted by Alexander Russo
drannd.bsky.social
From @alexanderrusso.bsky.social: Jon Haidt is going to be contributing to the education page at Bari Weiss’s The Free Press.

So maybe we can all take Haidt with a much, much larger gain of salt now?

And here’s a nuanced critique of Haidt’s Anxious Generation to send to all your friends.
Is Jonathan Haidt right about smartphones?
In ‘The Anxious Generation’, Haidt makes the case that social media and smartphones have ‘rewired’ today’s teenagers, but his critics say the evidence tells us something very different - and that bann...
www.tes.com
Reposted by Alexander Russo
martajewson.bsky.social
My journalism career began when I responded to a Craigslist ad seeking a team of reporters to cover New Orleans charter school boards for $50 per meeting.

The Lens' Charter School Reporting Corps monitored adherence to sunshine laws during the rapid expansion of charter schools. We set the tone.
alexanderrusso.bsky.social
NEW: Disaster, decentralization, & the slow climb back to school transparency

"We were the enforcers of public meetings law." - The Lens' @martajewson.bsky.social

alexanderrusso.substack.com/p/disaster-d...
alexanderrusso.bsky.social
NEW: Disaster, decentralization, & the slow climb back to school transparency

"We were the enforcers of public meetings law." - The Lens' @martajewson.bsky.social

alexanderrusso.substack.com/p/disaster-d...
Reposted by Alexander Russo
claudiarowe.bsky.social
Even in our public schools, foster kids are mostly invisible.

Gratefiul to @alexanderrusso.bsky.social at The Grade for posting this excerpt from my new book, WARDS OF THE STATE, which shows how much impact one person can have.
alexanderrusso.substack.com/p/45f6acd7-a...
Alexander Russo's The Grade
Taking a Closer Look at Education News. Click to read Alexander Russo's The Grade, a Substack publication with thousands of subscribers.
alexanderrusso.substack.com
Reposted by Alexander Russo
leevgaines.bsky.social
Hello! I'm currently working on a series of stories for NPR about AI and education. I'm reporting on equity issues, academic integrity and the future of work -- as well as the risks and benefits this tech poses for children and teens.

First up: www.npr.org/2025/08/19/n...
An AI divide is growing in schools. This camp wants to level the playing field
For years, research has shown a digital divide when it comes to schools teaching about new technologies. Educators worry that this could leave some students behind in an AI-powered economy.
www.npr.org
Reposted by Alexander Russo
beachwoodreport.bsky.social
"Nearly 40 percent of young adults get at least some of their news on TikTok, but fewer than 1 percent of all TikTok accounts followed by Americans are traditional media outlets."

From @alexanderrusso.bsky.social's "The Grade," alexanderrusso.substack.com/p/democrats-...
Democrats in disarray, understanding Trump’s reversal, & 2 big departures in Dallas
🏆Best Education Journalism of the Week🏆(08/08/2025)
alexanderrusso.substack.com
alexanderrusso.bsky.social
Hey, everybody -- the 🏆 Best Education Journalism of the Week🏆 is now on Substack:

Pushback against the Post, a new podcast about post-Katrina New Orleans, & new content from 'Sold a Story' (08/15/2025)
alexanderrusso.substack.com/p/pushback-a...
Pushback against the Post, a new podcast about post-Katrina New Orleans, & new content from 'Sold a Story'
🏆Best Education Journalism of the Week🏆(08/15/2025)
alexanderrusso.substack.com
alexanderrusso.bsky.social
"Journalism, I love you. But you’re bringing me down.”

Why I Became an Education Journalist — & how I know the profession needs to change

www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/ed-mag...
www.gse.harvard.edu
alexanderrusso.bsky.social
Like many journalists, former WAMU ed reporter
@jennyabamu.bsky.social had long resisted video-first content creation. But then she figured out a way to join in that worked -- and she's got ideas how others could, too:

NEW: Why I finally joined TikTok kappanonline.org/abamu-why-i-...
alexanderrusso.bsky.social
NEW: Three education journalists talk about the challenges and successes covering education in June -- and what might come next! www.youtube.com/watch?v=48Dj...
Covering education - June 2025 in review
YouTube video by The Grade
www.youtube.com
alexanderrusso.bsky.social
So fun talking with actor Gabriel Ebert about favorite teachers, reconsidering classic plays, and being the cool teacher in the hit Broadway play "John Proctor Is the Villain."

youtu.be/O88pvft4Nk0?...
Inside the mind of the 'cool' teacher [beware spoilers!]
YouTube video by The Grade
youtu.be
Reposted by Alexander Russo
nbeaudrot.bsky.social
Having the mayor/city council accountable for the schools *generally* gives incentives to elected officials who want schools to be successful.

Of course, many mayors just don't want the heat...
alexanderrusso.bsky.social
"Local control is a core value of many people, but as it turns out such control may stand in the way of effective schools."

"Voters who participate in school board elections routinely prioritize symbolic politics, employment concerns, and home values."

NEW: kappanonline.org/learning-fro...
Learning from San Francisco  - Kappan Online
"By trying to discern the message conveyed by a particular school board race, reporters may overlook many of the disturbing patterns that hold consistently across elections."
kappanonline.org