The High School Journalism Institute at ASU will continue educating high school teachers from across the country for the next five years thanks to a $4.6 million grant from the Reynolds Foundation.
The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at ASU hosts the program, one of five of its type in the nation.
Kristin Gilger, assistant dean of the Cronkite school, said high school journalism teachers often need support and access to resources.
“Lots of times they’ve had no experience, so here at ASU we can offer them training,” she said.
Thirty-five teachers are selected for the two-week program, organized by The American Society of News Editors. The “journalism boot camp” will take place on the Downtown campus on June 13 through 25.
The Reynolds Foundation aims to enhance the quality and integrity of journalism, focusing on better training for journalists, according to a statement by the foundation.
The $4,646,100 grant covers transportation, housing, meals and instructional materials, enabling teachers who otherwise might not have received specialized training to attend the seminar, according to a statement by ASNE.
The program will move at a brisk pace, with the teachers constantly updating their multimedia skills, Gilger said.
Steve Elliott, director of Cronkite News Service and the Reynolds Institute at ASU, said the boot camp incorporates many basics of journalism.
The first few sessions will include topics like creating story ideas, mapping story angles and lead into more difficult concepts like disaster scenes or covering speeches, where the teachers must write a story on deadline, Elliot said.
Wickenburg High School teacher Rick Burd was initially hired to teach a marketing and business class, but was given the opportunity to teach journalism at the end of his first year.
“I had no idea what I was doing, but I thought that if I didn’t accept the offer I would never be asked again,” he said.
Burd attended the Reynolds Institute in June 2009 at the Cronkite school and had the opportunity to meet other journalism teachers from across the country.
“The most beneficial aspect to me and to my students was the confidence that I got from interfacing with 34 other journalism teachers,” he said, “and from sitting at the feet of the masters.”
Elliott encouraged the teachers to be actively involved with the program, Burd said.
“The program has a great impact on the teachers,” Elliot said. “It enables them to feel more confident and establish networks.”
When compared to the previous year, when only three editions of his high school newspaper were published, Burd said that since attending the ASU program his class was able to produce six editions, a class blog, a writer’s club and an online newspaper.
Studies show students who participate in high school journalism programs are more likely to perform well on an overall level in high school and college because of their experiences, Gilger said.
Continuing journalism in high school is important to students learning how to write well, Elliot said, an opportunity they might not get at another level.
“Our goal is to help foster journalism,” Gilger said.
Reach the reporter at amoswalt@asu.edu
