Applications Open: Pulitzer Center Teacher Fellowship

How can engagement with under-reported global news stories support existing curricula, while also preparing students to engage curiously, critically, and empathetically with the world? As part of this paid, virtual fellowship, a small cohort of educators will explore this question in community with other passionate fellows, award-winning journalists, and the Pulitzer Center education team.

Fellows will develop short units (2–5 class periods) that engage their students in making local connections to global news, practicing media literacy skills, and building empathy. Fellows will then implement their short units, evaluate student outcomes, and share their projects publicly through Pulitzer Center's Lesson Builder platform and virtual professional development programs. 2020 applicants will have the option to apply for one or both of the following fellowship tracks:

1. Media, Misinformation, and the Pandemic: Navigating the news during COVID-19
2. Arts, Journalism, and Justice: Using creative storytelling to highlight justice issues

Fellows will only be selected to participate in one track.

Click here to apply! Applications are due Monday, September 7, 2020.

Upon successful completion of the program, fellows will be provided with…

• An $800 stipend
• A Pulitzer Center Teacher Fellow digital badge
• A certificate for 25 professional learning units (PLUs)

If you have questions after reading the eligibility requirements and fellowship details below, please reach out to us at [email protected].

The Pulitzer Center seeks to forward diversity, inclusion, and equity through our programs and partnerships. Please review our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion statement for more information on our commitments. Educators from historically marginalized backgrounds, and/or educators who are teaching students from historically marginalized backgrounds, are strongly encouraged to apply.

Eligibility Requirements:

This fellowship is open to all classroom teachers (grades 4–12) working in public, charter, independent, and alternative schools in the United States and U.S. territories. Educators working with adults and youth in jails, prisons, or youth detention facilities are also encouraged to apply. Applicants must be currently teaching virtually or in person in fall 2020, and plan to continue teaching through the end of the 2020–21 school year.

Because all sessions will be held virtually, applicants must have stable internet access and a computer with a webcam and microphone.

Fellowship Descriptions and Requirements:

Fellows will participate in a virtual orientation on Saturday, September 26 and join four–five evening sessions in September and October. Evening sessions will be two hours long and will include seminars with award-winning journalists, creative workshops, and collaborative curriculum development. All sessions will be held live via Zoom.

With the support of the Pulitzer Center education team, all Fellows will craft curriculum for a short unit related to their fellowship program theme, facilitate this project with students during the fall 2020 semester, evaluate their students' work, and provide documentation of their project in the form of a blog post, short video, or another format to be shared with the public.

Fellows may have the opportunity to share their work on the Pulitzer Center website, through teacher professional development webinars, and/or conference presentations.

The fellowship will launch on Saturday, September 26, 2020 and conclude on Tuesday, December 1, 2020. While the exact amount of time spent by each fellow will depend on their classes and projects, we anticipate the fellowship time commitment to be approximately 50 hours. This includes participation in virtual workshops, project design, project implementation, and project evaluation.

Fellowship Track 1: Media, Misinformation, and the Pandemic

In this fellowship program, we will analyze reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic and consider how these stories can help us—and our students—make local connections to global communities, practice media literacy skills, and build empathy. We will explore journalism on the under-reported stories within this headline-dominating pandemic, such as how COVID-19 has illuminated related systemic issues and the virus's effects on often under-represented communities throughout the world. Teacher Fellows in this program will design class projects that empower students to communicate their reflections on COVID-19, informed by their own experiences and what they learn about the experiences of others.

Fellowship Track 2: Arts, Journalism, and Justice

In this fellowship program, we will examine the intersections of contemporary justice issues, journalism, and the arts in order to make local connections to global communities, practice media literacy skills, and build empathy. We will engage with journalists who use creative methods to tell stories about justice issues, and will respond to these stories with creative projects of our own. Pulitzer Center journalists have used theater and graphic novelization to explore solitary confinement; photography to document the criminalization of youth; poetry to voice stories of migration, and more. Teacher Fellows in this program will design class projects that empower students to communicate their reflections on justice issues, using media literacy, journalism, and arts skills.

Key Dates:

Fellowship Track 1 Key Dates:

Saturday, September 26 11:30am–4:30 pm EST: Orientation
Wednesday, September 30 7:00–9:00 pm EST: Journalist presentation / workshop
Wednesday, October 7 7:00–9:00 pm EST: Journalist presentation / workshop
Wednesday, October 14 7:00–9:00 pm EST: Journalist presentation / workshop
Wednesday, October 21 7:00–9:00 pm EST: Unit peer review / workshop
Saturday, December 5 1:00–3:00 pm EST: Celebration/sharing of student work

Fellowship Track 2 Key Dates:

Saturday, September 26 11:30am–4:30 pm EST: Orientation
Tuesday, September 29 7:00–9:00 pm EST: Journalist presentation / workshop
Tuesday, October 6 7:00–9:00 pm EST: Journalist presentation / workshop
Tuesday, October 13 7:00–9:00 pm EST: Journalist presentation / workshop
Tuesday, October 20 7:00–9:00 pm EST: Unit peer review / workshop
Saturday, December 5 1:00–3:00 pm EST: Celebration/sharing of student work

Apply Now!

Click here to apply for the fall 2020 Pulitzer Center Teacher Fellowship. Applications are due Monday, September 7, 2020.

If you have additional questions, please contact us by emailing [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!

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