Applications Open: Pulitzer Center Teacher Fellowship

How can engagement with underreported 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, two cohorts of educators will explore this question over the course of the 2021-2022 school year in a community with other passionate Fellows, award-winning journalists, and the Pulitzer Center education team. One cohort will be open to educators from Chicago, IL and the other cohort will be open to educators nationwide. Both cohorts will explore the following theme: Journalism and Justice: Elevating Underreported Stories in the Classroom.

In the fall semester, Fellows will participate in eight evening workshops to explore underreported news stories and connect with Center-supported journalists. They will then develop short units (three–10 class periods) that engage their students in making local connections to global news, practicing media literacy skills, and building empathy.

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.

Click here to apply! Applications are due Sunday, September 26, 2021 at 11:59pm EDT.

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

• $1200 stipend (made in three payments of $400 disbursed 11/20, 1/21, and 4/21)
• Pulitzer Center Teacher Fellow digital badge
• Certificate for 35 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, equity, and inclusion 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 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 2021–22 school year.

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

Fellowship Description:

Fellows will examine systems of (in)justice by engaging with underreported global news stories from diverse media platforms. Fellows will explore media literacy skills and connect with journalists who cover stories on a range of pressing global issues from migration to racial justice and from climate change to incarceration. Ultimately, teachers will design standards-aligned units that guide students in making local connections to global issues, highlight the relationship between journalism and justice, cultivate empathy by centering underreported stories, and empower students to share their learning and take action.

• National Fellowship track: Open to educators who teach in all U.S. states and territories
• Chicago Fellowship track: Open exclusively to educators who teach in Chicago, IL

Fellowship Requirements:

Fellows will participate in a virtual orientation on Saturday, October 23, and join eight weekly evening sessions from October 2021 through January 2022. 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 four 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.

With the support of the Pulitzer Center education team, all Fellows will then…

1. Write and revise a short unit with detailed lesson plans related to the Fellowship theme
2. Facilitate their unit with students during the spring 2021 semester
3. Evaluate their students’ work, and provide documentation of their project in the form of student work, lesson plans, teaching materials, evaluation materials, and/or images and video.

Fellows’ work will be shared on the Pulitzer Center website. Fellows may also have the opportunity to participate in teacher professional development webinars and/or conference presentations.

The Fellowship will launch on Saturday, October 23, 2021, and conclude on Saturday, May 21, 2022. 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 75 hours. This includes participation in virtual workshops, project design, implementation, and evaluation.

Key Dates:

Key Dates for National Track:

Part 1: Exploring Underreported News Stories and Media Literacy Skills

• Saturday, October 23, 11:30 am-4:30pm ET: Orientation
• Tuesday, October 26, 7:00-9:00pm ET: Workshop
• Tuesday, November 2, 7:00-9:00pm ET: Workshop
• Tuesday, November 9, 7:00-9:00pm ET: Workshop
• Tuesday, November 16, 7:00-9:00pm ET: Workshop

Part 2: Crafting and Revising Units

• Tuesday, November 30, 7:00-9:00pm ET: Workshop
• Tuesday, December 7, 7:00-9:00pm ET: Workshop
• Tuesday, December 14, 7:00-9:00pm ET: Workshop
• Tuesday, January 11, 7:00-9:00pm ET: Workshop

Part 3: Unit instruction and Fellowship Closing

• Tuesday, January 25-Friday, April 1: Teaching units / Virtual classroom visits with Center journalists
• Saturday, May 21, 1:00-3:00pm ET: Closing celebration

Key Dates for Chicago Track:

Part 1: Exploring Underreported News Stories and Media Literacy Skills

• Saturday, October 23, 10:30 am-3:30pm CT: Orientation
• Wednesday, October 27, 6:00-8:00pm CT: Workshop
• Wednesday, November 3, 6:00-8:00pm CT: Workshop
• Wednesday, November 10, 6:00-8:00pm CT: Workshop
• Wednesday, November 17, 6:00-8:00pm CT: Workshop

Part 2: Crafting and Revising Units

• Wednesday, December 1, 6:00-8:00pm CT: Workshop
• Wednesday, December 8, 6:00-8:00pm CT: Workshop
• Wednesday, December 15, 6:00-8:00pm CT: Workshop
• Wednesday, January 12, 6:00-8:00pm CT: Workshop

Part 3: Unit instruction and Fellowship Closing

• Tuesday, January 25-Friday, April 1: Teaching units / Virtual classroom visits with Center journalists
• Saturday, May 21, 6:00-8:00pm ET: Closing celebration

Deliverables and Fellowship Payments:

• Week of November 22, 2021: First payment of $400 upon completion of first four workshops
• Monday, January 14, 2022: Unit plan due
• Week of January 14, 2022: Second payment of $400 upon review of unit plan
• Monday, April 4, 2022: Teaching materials and student work due  
• Week of April 4, 2022: Third payment of $400 upon review of teaching materials and student work

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

Learn more about past Teacher Fellows and their work here.