NASHVILLE, Tenn. ñ U.S. News & World Report’s newly named education editor will discuss his publication’s approach to
covering education, as well as how it arrives at its renowned "Best
College" and "Best Graduate School" rankings, in an upcoming Vanderbilt
address.
Ben Wildavsky will speak Tuesday, Nov. 9, at 4:10 p.m. in Wilson Hall Room 126. His lecture is free and open to the public.
Named education editor in October, Wildavsky supervises national
education coverage for the weekly magazine and serves as editor for U.S. News’ "America’s
Best Colleges" guide, published every fall, and "America’s Best
Graduate Schools" guide, published every spring. Many consider the U.S. News rankings preeminent among the growing field of publications that
conduct surveys of the nation’s university and professional school
programs.
Wildavsky is also the lead author of a new book, the U.S. News Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Teacher,
which addresses teacher quality and accountability and was called "must
reading" for aspiring teachers by the Progressive Policy Institute’s
21st Century Schools Project.
Wildavsky has been at U.S. News since 1998 and was formerly the deputy education and culture editor. He co-edited a special double-issue of U.S. News in spring 2004 commemorating the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education.
He also co-edited the cover story "The SAT Revolution," which received
the Education Writers Association award for best national magazine
article of 2002.
Media contact: Kara Furlong, (615) 322-NEWS
kara.c.furlong@vanderbilt.edu