Conor Morris
Reporter/ProducerExpertise: Education reporting, public records, general assignment, investigative reporting
Education: Wooster High School
Ohio University - Bachelor of Science, journalism
Favorite spot in Northeast Ohio: Upper Edgewater Park
Experience:
Conor Morris covers education in Northeast Ohio. A 2014 Ohio University alum, he previously worked at The Athens NEWS in Southeast Ohio, covering criminal justice, education and more. He moved to Cleveland in 2020 to work with the Northeast Ohio Solutions Journalism Collaborative as a reporter and Report for America corps member, where he covered poverty and the pandemic's impact on Northeast Ohio. Conor volunteers his time to run the Unsilenced Voices of CMSD, a blog for Cleveland Metropolitan School District students. He was born in Marietta, Ohio.
Highlights:
- Won numerous statewide press awards for his investigative and feature reporting on higher education, criminal justice and poverty with The Athens NEWS in Southeast Ohio.
- 2023 Ohio Associated Press Media Editors Award, First Place Best Digital Project & Ohio Society of Professional Journalists Award, Best Medical/Science/Health Care Reporting - “Redlining is affecting Northeast Ohio's children's ability to breathe. Here's what we can do”
- Past stories featured on the Solutions Journalism Network's Solutions Story Tracker, which highlights stories that dig into both a problem and its solution.
Why trust Ideastream Public Media?
The mission of Ideastream Public Media is to be a trustworthy and dynamic multimedia source for illuminating the world around us. Our highest priority is providing news and information that is reliable and accurate, that is gathered with integrity and professional care and that is presented with precision and respect for the intelligence of our audiences. We are transparent about how we discover and verify the facts we present and strive to make our decision-making process clear to the public. We disclose relationships, such as with partners or funders, that might appear, but will never, influence our coverage.
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The discussion on the "right size" of the Lakewood City School District comes as districts across the country face declining enrollment and challenges balancing multiple perspectives and community needs. -
The scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress shows the serious impact pandemic-related school closures had on children in Cleveland and elsewhere. -
The policy comes as schools face the potential for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to conduct raids at school buildings under a new directive from President Donald Trump. -
The process will help the Cleveland Metropolitan School District approach tough decisions like budget cuts and potential school closures. -
The group monitors the quality of education at Cleveland Metropolitan School District. The announcement comes as the district faces financial challenges and has struggled to raise students' academic profiles.
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Coupled with decisions last year to layoff some staff and offer buyouts, the latest move is meant to trim the university's budget to address an ongoing deficit. -
The news comes as the district has launched an investigation into allegations of misconduct against Superintendent Michael Robinson. -
The appeal comes after a Cuyahoga County judge ruled in December 2024 that the city should not have granted a variance zoning code to allow the project to move forward in a residential Ohio City neighborhood. -
Eliminating the U.S. Department of Education, crackdowns on K-12 curriculum and limits on speech on college campuses were all mentioned by the president-elect during the 2024 campaign. -
The merger comes as institutions of higher education face a challenging future, with declining birth rates and a public wary of the cost of higher education.
