'New York Times' Rethinks Decision to Shrink Education Coverage

By Katherine Mangan

A decline in advertising revenues that has plagued the newspaper industry nationwide has forced even the titans to cut back. Two years ago, The New York Times disbanded its education desk, bought out or reassigned a few of its education reporters, and dispersed the rest to other parts of the newsroom.

At its peak, in 2007 and 2008, the education desk had at least nine reporters or correspondents and two editors. This year, with several fewer people on the beat, the newspaper