Paul Rochford, a former City Year Cleveland AmeriCorps member based in a charter school, covers K-12 education. Paul joins us from Cleveland Documenters, where he focused on creating infographics and civic tech to make public information more accessible. Paul is also a musician, photographer and graphic designer.

How did you get your start in this work?

Before I became a reporter, I studied history at Georgetown University, where I got to work in the university’s archives to help uncover stories of people formerly enslaved by the school and the stories of their families and descendants.

I also worked in Cleveland schools for a year before starting a job editing and reporting on local government with Cleveland Documenters.

Why did you join Signal Cleveland?

I joined Signal because of Documenters! Attending local government meetings and reading the notes and tweets from other Documenters on a daily basis gave me a passion for reporting on local government. It also helped me realize how much news and information is out there about our city that doesn’t get shared by the media.

What’s your favorite story you’ve worked on so far? Or What’s your favorite story you’ve ever done?

I really enjoyed working on the 25-year timeline of Cleveland Schools. I learned so much about the school district’s history and about Cleveland’s history, and I found some fascinating newspaper clips and images with the help of the Cleveland Memory Project and the Cleveland Public Library.

Second to that would be covering the celebration of Glenville High School’s state championship in football.  It was the first time a CMSD school has ever won such a title, and folks from all over the city were beyond excited.

What do you want to work on/cover in 2023? Or What would you like to learn more about in Cleveland?

Education story ideas and thought-provoking questions have been coming in hot from community members! So far these include:

• Highlights of CMSD specialty schools and curriculum programs
• How investments in intervention specialists can impact school performance (In Cleveland and in suburbs)
• Auxiliary staffing issues in Cleveland schools–security guards, bus drivers, etc.
• Student learning-loss recovery in the 2022-23 school year

If you have an idea related to education you’d like us to cover, email Paul at paul@signalcleveland.org

Do you have a side hustle? (hobbies count!)

Late spring through early fall I work evenings and weekends as a kayak instructor and tour guide on Lake Erie. Throughout the year,  I enjoy playing saxophone and piano with friends in a jam group.