Applications open for Pulitzer Center Teacher Fellowship (US)

Students today are confronted with a complex media ecosystem and a host of pressing global issues that can be overwhelming to navigate.

As part of this paid, virtual program, a cohort of up to 16 educators will explore this challenge over the course of the school year in a community with other passionate Fellows, award-winning journalists, and the Pulitzer Center Education team. Ultimately, educators will craft and implement units that help students better understand global issues, practice critical thinking skills, cultivate empathy and belonging, and take informed action.

Through text analysis, group discussion, and engagements with journalists, Fellows will practice applying a media literacy lens to news stories on a range of interconnected global issues like climate change, artificial intelligence, global health, migration, and others. Fellows will connect with journalists who cover these issues through a myriad of storytelling methods, including print, video, photography and data.

Theme

• This year’s cohort will explore the following theme:
  • Asking Critical Questions: Teaching Global Stories and Media Literacy
    • In the fall semester, Fellows will participate in eight evening workshops to explore underreported news stories and connect with Pulitzer Center-supported journalists.
    • As part of these workshops, teachers will also develop short units (three to five class periods) that support students in developing curiosity about underreported local and global issues, practicing media literacy skills, building empathy, and taking informed action.
    • In the spring semester, Fellows will implement their short units, evaluate student outcomes, and share their projects publicly through the Pulitzer Center’s online lesson library and virtual professional development programs.

Benefits

• Upon successful completion of the program, fellows will be provided with:
  • $1,200 stipend (made in three payments of $400 disbursed in December 2023, February 2024, and May 2024).
  • Pulitzer Center Teacher Fellow digital badge.
  • Certificate for 35 professional learning units (PLUs).

Eligibility Criteria

• This fellowship is open to all classroom teachers (grades four–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, and plan to continue teaching in their current school at least through the end of the 2023–2024 school years.
• Because all sessions will be held virtually, applicants must have stable internet access and a computer with a webcam and microphone.

Requirements

• Fellows will participate in a virtual orientation on Saturday, October 28, and join eight weekly evening sessions from October 2023 through January 2023.
• Each evening session will be two hours long.
• The first five sessions will include seminars with award-winning journalists, and exploration and evaluation of underreported news stories on a variety of systemic issues.
• The remaining three sessions will focus on strategies and resources to engage students, unit brainstorming and development, and opportunities for peer feedback on unit drafts.
• All sessions will be held live via zoom.

For more information, visit Pulitzer Center.