Pulitzer Center Update August 6, 2024
Pulitzer Center Teacher Fellows Inspire 1,300 Students
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Eighteen teachers who participated in the 2023-2024 Teacher Fellowship inspired 1,300 students in grades four-12 across 12 U.S. states to embrace engagement with global news stories, empowering student creativity and action.
“This program harnesses the power of storytelling to illuminate underreported news, engaging students in critical thinking and empathy. By exploring diverse global issues, it inspires students to take action, fostering a deeper understanding of their role in creating a more informed and compassionate world.”
- Andre Pineda, 2023-2024 Teacher Fellow and educator at Canyon River Junior High School in Whiteriver, Arizona
“I learned how broad the issue of global public health is… I feel more connected and more passionate about this issue now, knowing there are so many sub-topics that desperately need to be addressed.”
-Toni, 16, a student from Kennesaw, Georgia, who engaged with a Fellowship unit focused on critical analysis of seven news articles on a global topic that students selected
As part of the projects developed in this year’s Fellowship, U.S. government students in Oklahoma engaged in socratic seminars about the laws and policies that affect voting access in the U.S. world geography students in Texas conducted in-depth research projects connecting global reporting to the Sustainable Development Goals from the United Nations. Middle school students in Chicago created presentations focused on fresh water access in their city, world literature students in Georgia created podcasts and photo essays about environmental justice, Mexican studies students in New Mexico created digital “cuentos” capturing stories of migration in their communities, students in Chicago and Texas collaborated on an in-depth examination of reporting on artificial intelligence, and so much more.
Teacher Fellows worked with Pulitzer Center staff and journalists from October 2023 to January 2024 to explore a wide range of global reporting and begin brainstorming project ideas for their students. Through a series of workshops, educators evaluated how engaging their students in global news could help students increase their critical knowledge of the Center’s five focus areas. As educators analyzed reporting, they also discussed their students’ comfort engaging with news and what resources they could use to talk to students about how to critically analyze news stories to expand their knowledge of global issues.
“I did present part of the unit with my students at my school at an event with parents, incoming students, and administrators. They loved the work the students did... Most importantly, they liked how the students developed their critical thinking to understand the news better, especially during these times where a lot of students got their news without knowing who is sharing that information.”
Maria Ahmad Aparicio, 2023-2024 Teacher Fellow and educator at Bard Early College High School in New York, New York
In each of these 18 educators’ classrooms, students explored reporting on global health, migration, racial justice, climate change and the environment, and AI accountability with the support of teacher-designed materials and activities. By applying media literacy and critical thinking skills to Pulitzer Center news stories, students developed a deeper dialogue with the world - recognizing personal and community connections to global issues. Students ultimately processed their learning by creating photo exhibitions, analytical essays, podcasts documenting stories from their communities, and digital and print advocacy campaigns for student audiences. They also engaged in debates, created posters to inform other students at their schools, presented to their PTAs, and published their own reporting in their local newspapers.
“One student said that because of the experience with my Pulitzer unit, she has decided to pursue a career in journalism and more specifically wants to work in underreported stories. My students' works were published in the local newspaper and the fact that one story was in the top three most read stories that week was telling.”
Stephanie King, 2023-2024 Teacher Fellow and 12th grade English language arts teacher in Granger, WA
“Students spoke about the impact of the unit, and how it provided space for them to connect to their communities and see the world from new perspectives. Those perspectives provided both new information and reiterated that they are not alone in their concerns and actions in the world. Student projects focused on their everyday stories, and brought to life the ways that their voices can have an impact.”
Rivanna Jihan, a 2023-2024 Teacher Fellow and high school educator in Chicago, Illinois
All Fellowship units and examples of students’ work will be published throughout fall 2024 and highlighted in our weekly K-12 Education newsletter. Subscribe to the Pulitzer Center’s education newsletter for more on the Fellowship program, including the full unit plans from all 2023-2024 Teacher Fellows and applications for the fall 2024 Teacher Fellowship program.
