If you’re a journalist excited about the high stakes of K-12 education, the bare-knuckle politics, the challenge of closing an achievement gap and the promise of more than 6 million students each year, then you may be the next education reporter at CalMatters.

This is one of the most important issues in California and the single largest segment of the state budget. For a reporter, it’s an opportunity to reveal the politics and interests behind state education policy, to evaluate how major state programs are working and to hold educators and policymakers accountable. It’s a beat that will range from the California Capitol to district-level comparisons, classrooms and students. 

The pandemic has made this beat even more vital, as Californians look for information about how schools are reopening and how to remedy lost learning and other consequences of a year of remote instruction.

Responsibilities include:

• Report and write longform and short stories and multimedia presentations about California education issues with close attention to state policies and legislation, the lobby community and advocates. 
• Follow district and school examples that illustrate relevant responses to statewide issues. 
• Think creatively about formats and tools for communicating issues to a broad, statewide audience.
• Appeal to a broad audience in a big, diverse state with keen awareness about social and cultural distinctions and story sources that reflect our population.
• Participate in radio shows, public events and live video.
• Work with our data, visual and social media journalists to maximize engagement.

These would be a plus:

• There is a strong preference this reporter will be based in Sacramento
• Experience covering K-12 education
• An understanding of education policy, especially in California

We are an expanding and collaborative newsroom, successfully forging a new model for sustainable, intelligent, nonprofit journalism. We’re committed to diversity, equity and inclusion,  and especially encourage members of underrepresented communities to apply. If you’re interested, please provide a resume, a cover letter that outlines how you would approach the job and links to at least six online samples of your work. Write to jobs@calmatters.org with the job title in the subject line.