Position: News Literacy Ambassadors
The News Literacy Project, a national nonpartisan education nonprofit, is seeking middle and high school educators in Alabama, Arizona, California (Bay Area, Los Angeles and Inland Empire), Delaware, Illinois, New Jersey, Michigan and Texas (Houston) to join our News Literacy Ambassador Program.
Where you fit in
NLP deeply values diversity in the workplace and strongly believes that a diverse team enriches our organization and strengthens our ability to realize our mission (read/print NLP’s Organizational Values [PDF] and Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion [PDF]). This principle is at the forefront as we expand our capacity to meet the intense interest in NLP programs from school districts across the country and as we work to build a national movement to advance the practice of news literacy in all sectors of American society.
This is a great opportunity for you to be part of this engagement and community-building work as a core component of NewsLitNation, our national educator community.
Over the next four years, we will mobilize news literacy practitioners to collectively push back against misinformation in all its forms. This work will move us much closer to changing cultural attitudes toward mis- and disinformation, mirroring previous successful public education efforts that targeted smoking, drunken driving and littering. Our goal is to build a more news-literate nation, and in turn, a more robust, equitable democracy. Learn more here.
The ideal candidate will have most, if not all, of the following:
- Be a certified middle or high school educator working directly with students in a teaching capacity.
- Have experience integrating Checkology® or other NLP resources into curriculum to facilitate news literacy instruction with students.
- Engaging, culturally responsive public speaking skills, virtually and in-person, particularly with audiences of educators, in order to facilitate relevant professional learning.
- Proficiency with visual presentation methods, such as PowerPoint, in order to support professional learning or other relevant public speaking events.
We’re looking for someone who can have an immediate and meaningful impact in the field, is unafraid to experiment and can work collaboratively as well as independently. This person should also believe in the importance of quality professional learning to empower educators to teach middle and high school students how to sort fact from fiction in the digital age.
Ambassadors are a core part of our regional movement-building model to mobilize news literacy advocates for systemic change, in order to embed news literacy in the American education experience. The overall goal is for ambassadors to champion news literacy education at the local level, helping fellow educators teach students how to think (not what to think).
This position reports to Miriam Romais, the director of NewsLitNation.
About the position
An ambassador is a paid local educator invested in the mission of NLP and the goals of the educator network. This part-time role requires a two-year commitment spanning September 2023 through June 30, 2024, and September 2024 through June 30, 2025. A stipend of $3,000 per year is provided, in addition to guided support, training and an event-related budget. We estimate a time commitment of approximately eight to ten hours per month. NLP supports ambassadors with a toolkit of various NLP assets: one-pagers, talking points, webinars and first-look access into any new NLP collateral.
Specifically, in this job you will:
- Plan and execute two free regional events per year, with NLP’s support.
- Virtually attend the initial kickoff event in early October, three ambassador-specific training events, monthly one-on-one calls and occasional group gatherings.
- Complete our news literacy certificate program.
- Have an opportunity to present in NLP webinars and conferences.
- Help build awareness about news literacy and engage with local school districts.
- Identify education trends that relate to the mission of NLP.
- Communicate regular progress to NLP staff and local partners.
- Network and build relationships with administrators, key stakeholders and decision-makers in your region.
NewsLitNation encourages educators to come together beyond geographic borders to participate in professional learning opportunities, providing needed support and access to early-bird registration for professional learning and celebratory events. You are a key part of this community. You will gain access to exclusive resources, support and incentives and, in turn, share with and help other educators learn best practices.
About you
In addition to the qualifications noted above, the successful candidate will have all or most of the following criteria:
- Be an active educator with a minimum of three years of experience, particularly with middle or high school students.
- Reside and/or work in the following states:
- Alabama
- Arizona
- California (Bay Area, Los Angeles and Inland Empire)
- Delaware
- Illinois
- Michigan
- New Jersey
- Texas (Houston, specifically)
- Have experience collaborating with colleagues and/or other organizations.
- Be familiar with adult learning practices and comfortable presenting to fellow educators and administrators.
- Be an active leader in their professional community/area of expertise, with a desire to see news literacy embedded in the American education experience.
- Be a self-starter with a keen ability to follow through.
- Value relationship-building and creativity as means to nurture fellow educators.
- Be an advocate for historically underresourced communities that flourish with additional support, access and resources.
To apply, please follow this link for the ambassador application. The application deadline is 11:59 p.m. ET on July 31, 2023. We hope to hire as quickly as possible for a start in September.
The News Literacy Project welcomes applicants from diverse backgrounds. We offer equal opportunity in employment for all qualified persons and prohibit discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), national origin, ancestry, age, veteran status, disability unrelated to job requirements, genetic information, military service or other protected status.
