In the thirty-five-year history of the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) School Bell Award in Public Media, no high-school student has ever won. The award, which recognizes those who make outstanding contributions to education news coverage in the state, usually ends up in the hands of a veteran news reporter, education columnist, or journalism teacher. (In 2007, Wisconsin Public Radio news reporter and host Mary Jo Wagner won the award.) But history was made in 2008 when Deidre Green, a reporter and columnist for the Simpson Street Free Press and a senior at LaFollette High School in Madison, took home the School Bell Award in Public Media. "Deidre's entry was of outstanding quality because of her research on state and national educational initiatives," says Jane Weidner, WEAC's public relations committee chair. "I was amazed that a 16-year-old student was able to not only understand and care about achievement gaps, but also that she can write so well and be so inspiring on a major educational issue."
Green won the award for her regular column, "The Gap According to Green," which appears monthly in the Simpson Street Free Press, a Madison-based community newspaper written and staffed by middle- and high-school students. The column, which examines issues concerning the educational disparities between minority and white students within the Madison Metropolitan School District, reflects the findings of a 2006 report by the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute. The report, The Status of High School Education in Wisconsin, shows that Wisconsin has one of the largest racial achievement gaps in the country and details how the "graduation rate of black students in Wisconsin (50%) is barely half that of the state's white students (91%)."
Although the column has been around for only one of the four years she's been at the Press, Green's provocative mix of social critique and practical advice on bridging the minority achievement gap is a must-read for educators, parents, and students alike. "In order to overcome the much-talked about and growing achievement gap, we young people must take our educations and our futures seriously," she writes. "But we should also remember that we have the potential to be an important and positive force for change." Green takes her work seriously, and her experiences at the Press are emblematic of what this nonprofit organization aims to inculcate in its student reporters: professional standards and academic success.
"Dierdre is an excellent example of students who blossom in our program." says Press executive director James Kramer. The Simpson Street Free Press was founded by Kramer in 1992 as a way to help struggling students overcome writing deficiencies and to foster academic success and community engagement. By working collaboratively on a monthly newspaper, Kramer found that young people not only could acquire essential vocational and academic skills, but they also became mentors for other youth through their actions and words.
"Peer-to-peer revision is the key to getting buy-in from the kids," says Kramer, "older kids help the younger ones." He and assistant director Bronna Lehman advise their reporters to write on the issues and ideas that matter most to young people. While honing their writing and communications skills, the reporters in turn spread the positive message of youth achievement, academic success, and community service to others in their age groups. The 23,000 copies of the Simpson Street Free Press that are circulated each month carry this positive message to the minds of young readers in schools and throughout southcentral Wisconsin.
Simpson Street Free Press is run much like any other professional news organization--just with much younger reporters. The newsroom has student staff reporters, ages eleven to eighteen, a few adult supervisors, and college interns from UW-Madison. Working alone and with student-tutors, reporters write and research articles and submit drafts to the editor for revision. "We do the three Rs here," says Bronna Lehman with a smile. "Revision, revision, revision." A large sign on the wall reads: Think, don't guess. The sign below it reads: Never hand in your first draft. It's easy to spot the recurring theme in this newsroom, and Green, a senior editor, spends a lot of time working on revisions with younger reporters and enforcing deadlines. She also notes that "nothing goes out without being fact-checked."
Reporters are required to check in when they arrive, and everyone has their own desk space, even their own business cards. The newsroom atmosphere truly nurtures professionalism, and the Press holds their reporters to the highest writing standards. In addition to their monthly newspaper, the Press also hosts a Summer Media Institute in which students can enroll in four-week internships at local newspapers and television stations. It's a great way for young reporters to get some real-world experience: Green has spent her summers working at WKOW-TV 27, Madison Magazine, the Isthmus, and the Capital Times.
Green's story is like many of those who work for the Press, and Lehman notes that this it is "one that has been replicated year after year." The Press's formula is a successful one by any standard, especially if you measure success in scholastic achievement. Four high school seniors who worked at the Press last year received college scholarships for the 2008-2009 academic year. Press staff and supervisors alike insist that their program enhances the academic performance of students at school, citing the fact that over 90% of reporters see an increase in their GPA within six months of working in the newsroom. Even more amazing is the 92% of former Press reporters who have gone on to college. According to Kramer, working at the Press can also help students overcome learning disabilities and improve grammer for struggling ESL students.
Green is busy these days trying to decide whether she wants to go to a big school like UW-Madison or Marquette University, or a smaller school like Carroll University. While the UW might be nice because she would be closer to home, Green thinks that the intimate atmosphere at Carroll might make it easier to focus on her journalism major. Losing their star editor and columnist might seem to be bad news for the Press, but staff and supervisors alike can take heart in knowing that they are one step closer to overcoming the achievement gap that their soon-to-be former reporter writes about with insight and maturity.
