Reporters In Schools

Anyone who's ever wondered why it's so important for reporters (and parents) to have open access to schools should read Bob Sipchen's column about trying to get into an LAUSD school last week (Bully tactics). It's not a rant, but rather a meditation on the service reporters provide to parents and the public by being in schools, and the impact of being there on the reporting. The amazing thing is that it seems like many education reporters (including me) aren't in schools regularly enough, except for press events.