OXFORD, Miss. — The role of The Clarion-Ledger in passage of the state’s
historic Education Reform Act of 1982 is the subject of a new book by a
University of Mississippi journalism faculty member.
“The Role of The Clarion-Ledger in the Adoption of the 1982 Education Reform:
Winning the Pulitzer Prize” (Edwin Mellen Press, 2007), by Associate Professor
Kathleen Woodruff Wickham, marks the 25th anniversary of the act, which
established a kindergarten system and greater funding for public schools in
Mississippi.
The book analyzes the newspaper’s massive coverage and “attempts to explain
how a medium-sized newspaper with a long-standing negative reputation
transformed itself into a paper worthy of public recognition,” Wickham said.
Ronnie Agnew, executive editor of The Clarion-Ledger, praised Wickham for taking
on “the arduous task of putting together a piece of history.”
“Kathleen’s book is an exhaustive effort that really takes a look at a
historic event that even today continues to pay dividends to the state of
Mississippi and will reap dividends for many years to come,” Agnew said.
In 1983, the Jackson newspaper was awarded the Pulitzer Prize Gold Medal for
public service for its coverage of the special legislative session that enacted
educational reforms in the state, including the adoption of a national model for
performance-based accreditation of the public schools, publicly funded
kindergartens and a mandatory attendance law.
For her 420-page book, Wickham researched and analyzed all stories, columns
and editorials submitted to the Pulitzer Prize jurors.
The impact of the coverage also meant that Mississippi, a state lagging
behind its peers, managed to move up the ladder in mandating education reform.
Wickham’s book also includes copies of the Pulitzer Prize-winning news
articles, which allows researchers to analyze the material.
Wickham is also author of “Math Tools for Journalists” (Marion Street Press,
2001).
For more information, contact Wickham at 662-915-5501 or
kwickham@olemiss.edu. To learn more about journalism programs at UM, visit