Many education reporters are drawn to the beat because of its complexity and rich variety. Few topics provide such a wealth of political, business, human interest, breaking news, feature, and investigative stories. A reporter's day can start in a classroom with 4-year-olds struggling to learn to read, and end at a school board meeting with politicians struggling to get a $1 billion budget passed. As they grow in knowledge and skills, reporters begin to appreciate the intricacies of both processes--as well as the connections between them. In a beat that is so wide-ranging and evolving, reporters will inevitably differ in interests and approach. Some will become spreadsheet experts who can analyze test scores and budgets with an ease others dream of. Others will immerse themselves in classrooms and specialize in telling the frontline stories of educators and children. And some will closely track the political landscape, reporting in depth on policy debates and changes at the national, state, or local level. This guide lays out the basic standards education journalists should strive to follow, regardless of their particular specialties or areas of expertise. It draws on the comprehensive work of Oregonian reporter Bill Graves, who wrote the "Education Writers Association's" first set of standards 11 years ago. It has been updated to reflect the transformation of the industry, including the rapid growth in online journalism and social media; it has also been revised to incorporate changes on the beat, such as the rise of charter schools and online education, as well as shifts in federal education policy. The recommendations presented here should be viewed as guidelines, not rules. [This guide was made possible in part by a grant from the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation.[