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Media Literacy

Join the AllSides Media Literacy Platform Pilot Team

Empower Your Students. Shape the Future of News Literacy.

AllSides for Schools and Project Look Sharp are launching a grant-funded pilot to develop and test a new “Media Literacy Mode” on the AllSides platform. In this mode, students will reflect on what they read, think critically about news, consider multiple perspectives, and engage in structured dialogue.

Funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Stone Family Foundation, this project integrates media literacy and critical thinking skills directly into real-time news engagement.

We are seeking high school school-based teams consisting of one classroom teacher and one school librarian to participate in Fall 2026.

Pilot Highlights

  • Be part of a national cohort shaping critical media literacy tools.
  • Implement and provide feedback on a cutting-edge news literacy prototype.
  • Participate in a summer kickoff, professional learning, and collaborative sessions.
  • Application Deadline - Closed: April 24th, 2026 12:00PM EST.

Why This Pilot Matters

Students see news daily, but media literacy is often taught separately from real-time news. This pilot teaches students to analyze sourcing, bias and credibility in news reports and to reflect on their own interpretations within the platform. It empowers students to practice media literacy as they read and discuss current events, with the goal of teaching habits of critical questioning when following the news.

What Students Experience

Using the AllSides Platform, students will:

  • Respond to embedded critical thinking prompts.
  • Identify missing perspectives.
  • Detect manipulation techniques.
  • Reflect on their own thinking.
  • Engage in structured dialogue (partner, group, cross-school).

The process will be transparent to educators and administrators — with the privacy of students fully protected.

Participating Educators Time Table

Spring 2026: Planning

  • Pilot schools announced.
  • Plan with AllSides and applicants where, when, and with what students to pilot the app.

Summer 2026: Pilot Kickoff + Professional Development

  • Participate in pilot kick-off and online professional development course on July 14, 2026, 2:00-4:00 EST.
  • Participate in asynchronous activities such as completing qualitative feedback.

Fall 2026 - Spring '27 | Classroom Implementation + Educator Feedback

  • Integrate the “Media Literacy Mode” prototype into student learning.
  • Facilitate student feedback and provide ongoing feedback on the platform's development.
  • Participate in periodic feedback sessions with other pilot educators.
  • Integrate new features (e.g., reflection, structured dialogue) into student learning after the release.
  • Additional PD winter and spring.

Compensation + Time Commitment

  • $540 stipend per educator.
  • Estimated up to 18 hours of work over one year, pilot outside of regular classroom instruction for planning, meetings, and feedback.
  • Participation spans the '26–'27 school year.

Who Should Apply

We are seeking applications from high school-based teams of librarians and classroom teachers who are:

  • Interested in news literacy, media bias and decoding, critical thinking skills, and civic engagement.
  • Able to pilot during the '26–27 school year.
  • Able to secure administrative/leadership support.
  • Application Deadline Closed: April 24th, 2026 12:00PM EST

We plan to select 10 librarian + teacher teams for this pilot.

School Context & Diversity

To ensure the app reflects diverse learning environments, we are seeking participation from a range of school contexts.