Ten favorite AUDIO stories — AND ten lessons THEY TAUGHT ME

(1) When possible, show how kids actually learn.

(2) When possible, show how teachers actually teach.

(3) When possible, get out of your subjects' way. (Below: Part One. Here's Part Two.)

(4) When possible, break format. Almost none of this story was scripted.

(5) Make datasets talk to each other — that's where the stories hide.​

(6) Public policy is a story with a beginning, middle and an end.

(7) …did I mention public policy is a story with a beginning, middle and an end?

(8) Yes, you can crank this story out in a day. This feature came out within 24 hours of a gun going off in a middle school.

(9) When you have a good feeling, go back. It'll be worth it. In this case, it turned into an hour-long documentary about a really interesting school.

(10) When you get a big story, lose sleep for it. It'll be worth it. I covered the 2015 Seattle teacher strike. The coverage helped galvanize the station's education audience.

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