GREENVILLE, S.C. — On one end of the classroom, high school juniors examined little green sprouts — future baby carrots, sprigs of romaine lettuce — poking out of the soil of a drip irrigation system they built a few weeks prior. This story also appeared in The Guardian On the opposite end of the room, […]
Ariel Gilreath
What I do: I write national education stories, with a focus on K-12 schools in the American South as well as routes from high school and college into the workforce. I also write The Hechinger Report’s biweekly newsletter on elementary, middle and high school education.
My background: I’ve covered education for more than a decade, first as a daily newspaper reporter in a small rural town in South Carolina. There, I covered the trials and triumphs of half a dozen school districts, several public universities and a few community colleges. Eventually I moved to a larger newsroom to write about the students and teachers in South Carolina’s largest K-12 school district. In 2021, I joined The Hechinger Report, where I work to write nuanced stories about schools in the region that go beyond national stereotypes and talking points. While my primary focus is on schools in the American South, I also write about early education and higher education across the country. My work has been recognized by the South Carolina Press Association and the Education Writers Association.
Journalistic ethics: It’s my job as a reporter to ensure my stories are fair and accurate. I do not accept gifts or special considerations from sources. Because I frequently report on young people, I make sure to have parental consent or parent-signed media releases before quoting and naming a student in a story. In addition, our newsroom is guided by The Hechinger Report’s code of ethics, which requires fair, honest and nonpartisan reporting.
Phone: 212-678-3639
Signal: arielgilreath.46
Bluesky: @arielgilreath.bsky.social
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