Something new is brewing at All Saints’ Episcopal School in Fort Worth, Texas. The school’s student-run newspaper returns after a three-year hiatus. The return of the online newspaper also means that more students are able to reap the benefits of being involved in scholastic journalism. Below is an excerpt from Kent State University’s website on The Value of Scholastic Journalism, and how a student-run newspaper benefits all students, and the broader school community.
No one has a magic answer to improving student academic performance, but the Journalism Education Association and Newspaper Association of America Foundation want to share with you some information about the importance of journalism and media courses to your students and to your school system.
The NAA Foundation released research by Dr. Jack Dvorak of Indiana University showing that, as the title indicates, “High School Journalism Matters.” Specifically, the research reveals that students who take journalism, or work on high school newspapers and yearbooks:
- Get better grades in high school,
- Score higher on the ACT, and
- Earn higher grades as college freshmen.
These statistically significant results mirror Dvorak’s 1987 research. Both were extensive studies with the 2008 version gathering responses from 31,175 students across the nation.
In an effort to allow your students to benefit in the same way, JEA and NAAF encourage school systems to support responsible student-directed journalism of all kinds, where students learn by applying the best concepts of decision-making, critical thinking and establishing authentic and thoughtful voices.
You can obtain more information about the study at the NAA Foundation website.
