REALLY, IT'S NOT THAT BAD: By contrast, the U.S. press may be arching through a predictable backlash, contending that education isn't really as bad as everyone has been saying. Paul Farhi of the Washington Post charges that screeching headlines about our education "crisis" and "failing" schools have the makings of yellow journalism. Mainstream coverage seems obsessed with painting a bleak picture of inept schools and teachers despite measures that suggest "America's educational attainment has never been higher," writes Paul, who notes that he is both son and husband to school teachers. One very real problem that EdSurge would echo: underreporting what actually goes on in classrooms. Sometimes districts try to control the message; sometimes reporters just don't put in the effort. In either case, we agree that more feet in the classroom reporting would benefit all.
