Public Agenda
Teachers In the News Website
Highlighting Education Journalism
Education journalism plays an influential role in shaping the perception of teachers and their impact in the minds of the public. In order to promote critical reflection in support of more insightful coverage of K-12 education, Public Agenda’s Teachers in the News project took an in-depth look at education journalism across America from 2009 to 2020.
Finding Stories in the Data
The original data was presented to us in an Excel spreadsheet. Our friends at Public Agenda provided us with a thorough walk-thru of the datasets and supportive presentations. Their research study was organized into ten key findings and we set out to find the best way to highlight each one. Our goal was to present a clear, compelling storyline for each finding. Collaboratively, we found the right balance between faithfulness to the data and ease of understanding for the audience.
Encouraging Engagement
The heart of the project involved the design and development of interactive charts. We didn't want to simply present the data, we crafted engaging charts that invite people to touch and explore the findings in different ways. Local and national newspaper coverage was gathered and the charts enable people to view this data in both ways.
Individual charts were also designed to reflect the specific nature of the data for each finding. Line charts, bar charts, infographics, animation, information icons and rollover effects all help bring the data to life. The data is presented in layers enabling skimmers and "deep-sea divers" to access the information as they prefer.
The site's navigational system utilizes a mega menu and fixed sub-menu to enable visitors to easily move back and forth between findings. Videos of education journalists helps lend their vital voice to the conversation.
Sharing Ideas
Supportive site content provides the audience with an opportunity to obtain details about Public Agenda's research methodology. Ideas are presented to journalists on how they can enhance coverage of teachers and the education sector. In addition, each finding has a "tweetable" highlight and each finding page is shareable on the major social media platforms.
