News Literacy Project adds nine district partners across U.S.
Participants include Los Angeles Unified School District, nation’s largest independent school district
WASHINGTON, D.C., Sept. 9, 2024 — Today the nonpartisan nonprofit News Literacy Project announced that nine school districts have been accepted to the News Literacy District Fellowship, a nationwide initiative that supports school leaders to design and implement district-wide plans for news and media literacy education, potentially impacting more than 1 million students across 13 states. The latest fellows are the third cohort in as many years and represent districts of all sizes in urban, suburban and rural communities.
The 2024 cohort includes the Los Angeles Unified School District, the country’s largest independent school district, which will join four other California districts to create a blueprint for teaching all students news literacy skills before graduation that can be replicated across the state.
“Students are at a significant civic disadvantage if they are not taught how to navigate our current information landscape. Together with these districts, the News Literacy Project is leading a movement to ensure that young people learn to identify credible information and recognize falsehoods, so they graduate with the knowledge and ability to participate in civic society as well-informed, critical thinkers,” said Charles Salter, President and CEO of NLP.
The fellowship is a two-year program. Each district receives $20,000 and support from NLP through professional learning, curriculum guidance and a network of like-minded peers. Support for NLP’s work in Los Angeles, which will take place over three years, comes from a $1.15 million grant from The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation.
Upon completion, fellows can apply to join an alumni network, demonstrating continued commitment to widespread adoption of news literacy education by mentoring and inspiring other school systems. This year’s cohort brings the total number of fellowships to 17.
“Through our fellowship and alumni programs, the News Literacy Project is sparking systemic change to public education at a national scale. Together we are paving the way for all students to graduate with news literacy skills, empowering students to think critically about information and preparing them to be active participants in our democracy,” said Shaelynn Farnsworth, director of the fellowship program.
This year’s News Literacy District Fellowship cohort includes:
California:
- Beverly Hills Unified School District
- Central Unified School District Fresno
- Elk Grove Unified School District
- Fremont Union High School District
- Los Angeles Unified School District
Florida:
- Broward County Public Schools
Nebraska:
- Kearney Public Schools
North Carolina:
- Johnston County Public Schools
Oklahoma:
- Norman Public Schools
Photos and b-roll are available upon request.
Quotes from the fellowship districts:
“Teaching news and media literacy to our students is no longer a supplemental skill, but a necessary one. We are committed to fostering news and media literacy skills in our students, so they are college and career ready. Our teachers are eager to dive deep into media literacy skills, too, and are looking forward to us leading the way.” –– Karin Ledford, librarian, Elk Grove Unified School District
“Students equipped with news and information literacy become more knowledgeable, informed citizens and lifelong learners. NLP’s support will allow us to make sure teachers and students have a wealth of resources at their fingertips and weave these important skills seamlessly into their curriculum.” – Julia Hedstrom, teacher librarian at Cupertino High School, Fremont Union High School District
About the News Literacy Project
The News Literacy Project is a nonpartisan nonprofit building a national movement to ensure that all students are skilled in news literacy before high school graduation, giving them the knowledge and ability to participate in civic society as well-informed, critical thinkers. Founded in 2008, NLP is the country’s leading provider of news literacy education and works with educators in all 50 states. Learn more at www.newslit.org.