Focus on the newspaper education

Analyzing Educational Issues and Articles; Reading Educational Ads

Almost daily, newspapers carry articles about local, national and international issues in education. Covering topics ranging from the new educational products for tots to trends in employment retraining for adults, education articles are typically found on the news pages. Some papers publish special educational supplements several times a year. In addition to describing the latest in education news, these supplements have advertisements from colleges, universities, educational camps and other schools so that the reader can be informed of educational possibilities.

Issues in Education Articles

Often education articles hit the newspaper when there is a problem or an issue of some sort. Here are some typical ones.

1. How is our national educational system doing? Are the scores and knowledge of current students declining compared with those of 5 or 10 years ago?

1. What is being done by the government to address problems with the educational system and to improve it?

1. Are students being adequately trained to deal with the world of work?

1. What groups in society have access to education, especially to higher and further education?

1. Are traditional classroom practices being changed?

1. What are new trends in education in other countries?

These are all issues that make an educational topic appear on the news pages.

Exercise 1. Find the Issues

Look back over the recent newspapers that deal with education. Identify the issue that each addresses. Can you find a pattern of what educational issues are currently being debated?

Exercise 2. Learn All About It

Analyze an education article by answering these questions

1. What’s the headline? What key words helped you predict the contents of the article?

2. What is the purpose of the article? (to report a problem in education, a new government policy, a new way of teaching, etc.)

3. What is the main idea of the article?

4. Does the article report a problem? If so, what is it? Does the article offer any solution to the problem? If so, what is it?

5. Does the article make you feel optimistic or pessimistic about this topic in education? Why?

Educational Advertising

Newspapers often have ads for schools, colleges and universities. You can find out what schools offer courses and diplomas you are interested in.

Exercise 3. Looking at Education Ads

Find several educational ads in newspapers or in the Internet. Imagine that you are interested in attending some school, and answer the questions.

1. What school have you chosen? Why?

2. What is the chief benefit of the chosen program?

3. Compose a brief letter requesting information about one of the programs.