The News Literacy Project (NLP) is seeking volunteers from the ranks of working journalists to speak with students about how they do their work and why it matters as part of its "Newsroom to Classroom" program.
NLP works with more than 7,000 teachers across the United States and around the world to educate middle and high school students, giving them tools "confidently sort fact from fiction and determine what information they can trust, share and act on."
More than 750 professional journalists have visited students either in their classrooms or virtually, through NLP's Checkology virtual classroom in the last 10 years — including Pulitzer Prize Administrator Dana Canedy. Students engaged with NLP curricula also have attended the annual April announcement of the winners of the Pulitzer Prizes.
From NLP:
The Newsroom to Classroom program expands on NLP’s original journalist volunteer program in a few exciting ways:
- Classroom Connection scheduling and preparation take place online, minimizing wait times.
- Educators can filter the journalist directory by journalist location and areas of expertise to find the best fit for their classrooms.
- Classroom Connections can take place in person or virtually, which means there’s no limit to the reach of each journalist volunteer.
Here’s how it works: Journalists interested in volunteering complete an application form, listing their current position, experience, areas of expertise and availability. NLP staff vet the applicants, ensuring that they have a background in standards-based journalism, and ask journalist volunteers to complete a short online orientation.
Educators with a Checkology Premium account can search the journalist directory to find a journalist who they believe will be a good fit for news literacy topics relevant to their students. For each Checkology class they create, educators get one “credit” to use on a Classroom Connection.
The educator sends the journalist an invitation to connect; if the journalist accepts, the two coordinate the Classroom Connection independently. NLP encourages educators and journalists to decide on a learning objective and specific tools and resources to guide each Classroom Connection.
The Newsroom to Classroom program will further expand NLP’s reach by connecting our generous, skilled journalist volunteers with our dedicated news literacy educators.
Interested in volunteering? Sign up here.
For general information on the News Literacy Project, visit its website, here.