Education reporters Annie Ma and Sharon Lurye noticed a study indicating girls’ math scores fell behind boys’ during the pandemic and continued to decline, reversing years of progress in addressing math’s gender gap.
Collaborating with Stanford researchers, they accessed test scores from 5,000 districts across 33 states, creating an unmatched district-by-district dataset to illustrate the effects on students across the country.
Ma’s reporting focused on the underlying reasons for the decline. Research suggests girls thrive in hands-on learning rather than rote memorization — a teaching approach that disappeared during the pandemic. Ma and Dallas videojournalist Kendria LaFleur showcased efforts to bring it back, featuring classes for girls that use Legos.
The team also wanted to assist local newsrooms in holding school districts accountable and promoting solutions. They shared the data with members through a Localize It guide, crafted by contractor data journalist Todd Feathers. In a Zoom coaching call, AP journalists and researchers answered questions about individual districts and shared insights behind the trend.
Hundreds of local and nonprofit journalists received the story and data in advance under embargo, and some outlets produced their own stories with data from their respective school districts.
For providing invaluable support to AP customer newsrooms while doing original, unmatched analysis, the nominees earn this week’s Best of AP — Second Winner.
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