The Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD) was one of nine districts across the country accepted to the News Literacy District Fellowship, a two-year program that helps educators bolster media literacy training.
A program of the nonprofit nonpartisan News Literacy Project (NLP), the fellowship teaches students to navigate the current media landscape and become active participants in civil society, said NLP Senior Vice President of Educator Engagement Ebonee Otoo.
“Our mission is … that all students in the U.S. are skilled in news literacy when they graduate high school,” she said.
The fellowship is effectively split into two parts, with districts devising an “action plan” during the first year and then focusing on implementation in the second year, Otoo told the Courier. Participating districts then have an unofficial third year where they become fellowship alumni and share their model and experience with other school systems, she added.
“We provide support. We continue to meet with them on a quarterly basis. So, it’s not like after the two years we abandoned them,” Otoo said. “We want to make sure that everything that we put in place, that the action plan is actually working, that we’re still helping collect data to see what students are learning and when.”
Otoo noted that media literacy is not federally required in public schools, but California legislators have made efforts to increase media literacy training. Last October, Gov. Gavin Newsom approved AB 873, a bill that requires state officials to consider requiring media literacy training in English Language Arts.
“We’re just trying to be proactive in our approach by making sure that we understand what resources are out there, being able to ensure that we have opportunities to be able to train up our teachers in preparation, and really understand what other people are doing,” BHUSD Assistant Superintendent, Education Services, Dustin Seemann told the Courier.
BHUSD has already taken strides to teach its students how to responsibly consume information, and it has received a Common Sense Media certification recognizing that more than 75% of the student body has been trained in digital media skills including privacy laws and password protection.
Seemann said the district is committed to combatting misinformation and enhancing digital safety outside of the classroom, too. Staff educates parents on how they can keep their kids safe online and partners with the city to host events that bolster this message, he said.
He added that the district also works to show that if used responsibly, technology can help students learn.
“You can utilize it to leverage other resources and expand your knowledge on topics,” Seemann said.
With the school year recently underway, staff have held two planning meetings and formed a committee including Seemann, Beverly Hills High School Head Librarian Jessica Jay, a social studies teacher and Superintendent Dr. Michael Bregy to plan next steps, Seemann said.
“We really have to figure out before moving forward … where do we want this to live? Where would it best serve the students? Where would they get the most information out of it?” Seemann added.
The News Literacy Project was founded in 2008 by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Alan C. Miller after he visited his daughter’s classroom and realized that news literacy skills needed to be implemented in the instruction.
Though disinformation continues to affect American society and politics, Otoo is hopeful that by creating a national model for teaching young people to thoughtfully consume news, the organization can be a lasting solution for a persistent problem.
She added that the organization does not lobby for legislation, though she welcomes legislation inspired by the NLP model.
“If our work encourages legislation, if the educators that use our resources encourage and advocate for legislation to pass in their states, then great, that’s wonderful,” she said.
