Tennessee Watson, an education reporter with Wyoming Public Media, was selected as a finalist by the Education Writers Association for her contribution to the audio documentary "Students on the Move: Keeping Uprooted Kids in School." Watson collaborated with Chris Julin, and Catherine Winter from APM Reports. WPM/APM Reports and two other stations were nominated for best Audio Storytelling by the EWA in the smaller newsroom category (<35).
"It's a great honor to have Students on the Move recognized by the Education Writers Association," according to Wyoming Public Media. "The audio documentary examines how the highly mobile lives of homeless kids, and kids from migrant farmworker families, limits their access to education. Tennessee is deeply grateful to the students, families, and educators who let her into their lives so she could document the determination and creativity that makes graduation possible for kids who constantly move from school to school."
A growing body of research finds that repeatedly uprooted children are more likely to struggle in school and more likely to drop out. But there are ways to help them succeed. This documentary tracked homeless students and the challenges they face. The story also traced the history of efforts to increase access to education for students from migrant farmworker families.
According to the APM website, "Moving a lot is hard on school kids. And millions of children in the United States have unstable housing. This APM Reports documentary focuses on two groups of kids who often change addresses - homeless kids and children of migrant farmworkers - and explores efforts to help these students do well in school."
Tennessee Watson was selected in 2019 as a Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard Fellow. The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, home to internationally recognized journalism fellowships, programs and publications, selected 27 Nieman Fellows for the class of 2020.
