Madeline Thigpen covers education for The Atlanta Voice in Georgia. As an independent journalist, she has reported on the school district in her hometown of South Orange, New Jersey. Her coverage tackled the district’s elementary school integration plan and its struggle to reopen schools during the pandemic. She has written about parents groups that demanded that schools be reopened, and the teacher’s union that undertook multiple job actions to ensure safe working conditions. Thigpen has also provided local news coverage in Elizabeth, New Jersey, writing about the city’s large community of domestic workers and the intersection of labor and immigration rights that affects their community. She interned at “The Brian Lehrer Show,” a daily call-in program on WNYC, New York’s leading public radio station, and for four years hosted a show on WVAU, American University’s student-run radio station.
Beat: Education in Atlanta schools
This reporter covers K-12 education in Atlanta schools. In light of today's pandemic, there is no more emerging issue than the ever-evolving status of education. Not only has the transition to virtual learning exposed planning concerns within school systems, but it has also unearthed a whole new set of issues related to parenting, technology access and equity among resources for children.