The News Literacy District Fellowship champions the news literacy approach to media literacy education at the district level.

About

The next generation is at a significant civic disadvantage because they are vulnerable to misinformation and are not prepared to discern fact from fiction. Education leaders and policymakers across the country already recognize the critical thinking skills necessary for students to combat misinformation and actively participate in civic life. While media literacy mandates gain momentum across the country, the media literacy field in practice lacks both definition and classroom materials that reflect the way students consume information.

The News Literacy District Fellowship, a two-year commitment, invites proposals from district leaders who wish to partner with NLP to design and execute innovative and sustainable initiatives to embed news and media literacy education into their districts. NLP provides fellows with professional learning, curriculum and community to help fellows meet the requirements of participation.

Objectives

The News Literacy District Fellowship is designed to improve education and civic engagement for students by involving district leaders in the development and implementation of news and media literacy learning. The Fellowship seeks to:

  • Create a community of administrators, curriculum directors, instructional coaches, discipline leaders and teachers within a district who share expertise and collaborate with NLP on news and media literacy education issues.
  • Involve administrators and educators who work daily with students and teachers in developing a district-wide implementation plan that impacts classrooms and schools.
  • Highlight practitioners’ voices and expand educators’ critical leadership in the area of news and media literacy at the national, state and local levels.
  • Results in a sustainable and replicable district plan for implementing news and media literacy learning at the completion of the fellowship.

Fellowship Opportunity

Each year, a new cohort of fellows from around the country are selected to reimagine media literacy learning at the district level, creating a positive and lasting impact in their school communities. During the first year of the two-year fellowship, fellows will spend one year working with NLP to design an action plan for news literacy implementation in their district. Fellows will spend the second year implementing their proposals.

Current Fellows

Members of the 2022-23 News Literacy District Fellowship Cohort are located in five states. Read about them below!

Bloomfield Hills Schools logo

Bloomfield Hills Schools

  • Location: Bloomfield Hills, MI
  • Number of schools: 11
  • Number of students: 5,785

Cornell School District

  • Location: Coraopolis, PA
  • Number of schools: 2
  • Number of students: 600

Gunnison Watershed School District

  • Location: Gunnison, CO
  • Number of schools: 6
  • Number of students: 2,080
Las Cruces Public Schools logo

Las Cruces Public Schools

  • Location: Las Cruces, NM
  • Number of schools: 41
  • Number of students: 23,000+
Iowa City Community School District logo

Iowa City Community School District

  • Location: Iowa City, IA
  • Number of schools: 29
  • Number of students: 14,000+
Canyons School District Logo

Canyons School District

  • Location: Sandy, UT
  • Number of schools: 41 traditional, 6 specialized/programs
  • Number of students: 34,000+
North Salem Central School District logo

North Salem Central School District

  • Location: North Salem, NY
  • Number of schools: 2
  • Number of students: 1,000+
Greater Albany Public Schools logo

Greater Albany Public Schools

  • Location: Albany, OR
  • Number of schools: 20
  • Number of students: 9,000+

Apply

Applications are closed and will reopen in the spring.

For more information on the News Literacy District Fellowship, contact Shaelynn Farnsworth at [email protected].