HALIFAX COUNTY, N.C. — When Ivy McFarland first traveled from her native Honduras to teach elementary Spanish in North Carolina, she spent a week in Chapel Hill for orientation. By the end of that week, McFarland realized the college town on the outskirts of Raleigh was nowhere near where she’d actually be teaching. This story […]
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
X: @arielgilreath
