Quill - December 2008 - (Page 27) Jack Dvorak for the NAA Foundation. The new study echoes Dvorak’s work from 20 years ago. Both show that high school students with journalism experience had higher grade-point averages in both high school and college; had higher ACT scores; and did better in college. Finally, they’re in the process of recruiting principals and superintendents who would be willing to present to their peers about the academic and other benefits of a free and responsible student press at national conferences for administrators. Peer counseling A few years ago, Bowen’s wife, Candace Perkins Bowen, and Dick Johns, then executive director of the Quill & Scroll Society, a scholastic honors society, had ASNE funding to present to a national principals’ conference. But they were scheduled for Sunday morning, and the conference was in San Diego — prime tee time, in other words, so attendance was dismal. “We have to talk to the ones who do get it and see if they can help translate for us to the ones who don’t get it,” Perkins Bowen said. “You don’t want it to look adversarial, and you’ve got to think about what are the things that are important to them and see if you can make some kind of fit with what we think is important about free speech.” Perkins Bowen is also now director of Kent State University’s new Center for Scholastic Journalism, another Knight Foundation-funded effort. She says they’re looking for ways to make inroads with administrators. One long-running effort that looks as if it’s about to pay off is an effort to help NEOLA, a company that works with 750 superintendents and school boards in seven states to provide policy manuals. Perkins Bowen said that a few years ago, they discovered that the company’s proposed policy manuals took the tack that the principal should act as publisher and make sure to clear all content decisions. When they met with NEOLA’s owner, “he basically agreed there was no reason they had to give just the one real restrictive option,” she said. So they’ve worked with them on alternative drafts that are far less restrictive. Those drafts are making the final rounds with NEOLA’s lawyers, she said, and will hopefully be in place soon. Going forward, Perkins Bowen says they’re trying to figure out what will work that won’t duplicate the efforts of others. “It’s not that there aren’t people out there working their darnedest to try to do these things. So let’s figure out ways to partner, lets figure out ways to complement each other, let’s figure out things that nobody else is doing,” she said. “There are plenty of things to do, but we just have to figure out what has the most impact.” Meanwhile, Faust has already been invited back to speak to the new principals’ group in Colorado next year. And a couple have already contacted her for resources and information. It’s got Faust convinced that targeting new principals is the way to go. “Now there are people in my district who realize they have, ‘quote,’ an expert,” she said. “I certainly don’t know all there is to know, but if they can call me first and I can find out answers before they have a bad reaction, that’s a good thing.” t Cynthia Mitchell is a professor of journalism at Central Washington University and also advises the school’s student SPJ chapter. In 2006-07, she chaired a yearlong First Amendment Festival at the campus, which featured 17 events and drew more than 4,500 participants. Before turning her career toward the classroom, she worked at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for 10 years and The Wall Street Journal for four years. Teacher Sean Clark of Lemont High School (Ill.), Superintendent Jim Dunnan of Washington Community High School (Ill.), and student editor Garrett Padera of Glenbard South High School in Glen Ellyn (Ill.) discuss ways to nurture student rights, responsibilities and respect in school. Photo: Randy Swikle DECEMBER 2008 Quill 27
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