There are topics we cover in The Herald which, when pitched by my team, I feel confident will get strong reader engagement; discussion on our website, social media comments and shares, for example.
It is of course exactly why we choose to write what we write; we monitor closely what our readers enjoy and want, and then work hard to deliver more of it.
Back in July, we made a promise to cover education differently. We admitted we did not think we had got it quite right in the past, having focused too much on data alone and not enough on context or the much bigger picture. We had also done too much criticising and not enough celebrating.
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Since then, and off the back of a lot of hard work and vision, stories regarding Scottish education have quickly been added to the list of topics I am confident readers really want from us. The appetite for more, for fuller, meaningful discussion, and for expert analysis, feels clear given the volume of comments on our stories. The number of people reading our education content and subscribing to The Herald off the back of it is an even stronger indication.
I remember one reader in the summer tentatively wishing us well with our new approach, stating in particular that it would be helpful for him when quantitative data is being reported on, 'that it is put in some kind of context’. He added, that only ‘time would tell’ on our new direction, however.
I am confident we have not disappointed him, our wider readership, and indeed the educators and learners across the country who are eager for an authoritative voice on Scottish education in the media. And we have indeed held true to our promise to do things differently (and better), shown well in this last week where we picked apart the most recent ACEL data, hot off the heels of our detailed coverage of the PISA results the week before. We are most certainly putting data in context.
Taking the ACEL (Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels) data, not only did our reporter Garrett Stell give the straight news story, but our education specialist, and former teacher, James McEnaney explained in detail exactly what ACELs are, going on to ask (and analyse) whether attainment really is at a ‘record high’ in Scotland? Furthermore, he brought in the politics in a longer comment piece, holding former first minister Nicola Sturgeon to her word when she asked the public, in August 2015, to judge her on her record on education.
“Judging the SNP on its ability to ‘close the gap’ as promised isn’t just perfectly fair – it’s absolutely necessary,” wrote McEnaney on Tuesday. “And on their own terms, using their own measurements, they have very clearly failed.”
I believe education is the foundation of our society; the key to what we can achieve as individuals and collectively as a nation. We at The Herald take what we are doing with our education coverage very seriously, believing we can influence meaningful change. As journalists, we are in a privileged position to be able to use our work to push for improvement. Our readers, of course, play a key role as they engage, through our pages, in lively, detailed and incisive discussion about our education system. I welcome and thank you for this.
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But while there is much to be critical of, and so much aspiration, we must never lose sight of all the good. We are committed to holding the powers that be to account, and that will never change, but we have an equal dedication to shining a light on the many success stories in Scottish education. I look forward to delivering so much more on this throughout 2024.
Catherine Salmond
Editor
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