ChalkBeat us looking for an advice columnist

Chalkbeat, the growing nonprofit news organization telling the story of education in America, is seeking an experienced educator and writer to serve as our advice columnist.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

halkbeat is the nonprofit news organization committed to covering one of America’s most important stories: the effort to improve schools for all children, especially those who have historically lacked access to a quality education. We are mission-driven journalists who believe that an independent local press is vital to ensuring that education improves. Currently in eight locations and growing, we seek to provide deep local coverage of education policy and practice that informs decisions and actions, leading to better schools. Read more about our mission and values.

Our organization is committed to antiracism, and our staff is taking part in ongoing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging work. Our leadership team of seven is 100 percent female and includes four women of color. Our overall Chalkbeat staff is 43 percent non-white.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The columnist is responsible for producing a weekly advice column responding to reader-submitted letters from educators (teachers and those who work in schools including social workers, counselors, administrators, etc.) who are dealing with various challenging situations. We will initially focus the column on answering questions about mental health, including maintaining students’ mental health, maintaining teachers’ mental health, and advice when there are problems in the classroom. We will eventually introduce other Q&A topics.

The columnist will read through reader submitted questions and select those that are best suited to our column. In many cases, the columnist will need to do research and/or outreach to mental health experts for suggestions on how to best answer questions.

This position will work closely with Chalkbeat’s Director of Program Innovation and a column editor.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

You are an experienced educator with a wide range of classroom experiences to draw upon in your responses. You are committed to providing teachers with a wealth of knowledge on how to navigate the classroom. You’re a strong writer and communicator, with a sense of warmth and empathy that comes across in your writing — the column should feel conversational. You’re excited by the idea of finding a variety of diverse experts to weigh in on reader questions. You’re inspired by the idea of building a relationship with Chalkbeat readers, and you value reader engagement and feedback.

EXPERIENCE

5+ years of in-classroom experience with K-12 students
The ability to write clearly, cleanly, and on deadline for weekly columns
Autonomous work habits, including proactive initiative and diligent task management while working remotely
Interest in or experience with reader engagement, including finding creative ways to connect with a diverse set of readers
The ability to accept feedback and use it to grow

BONUS POINTS IF YOU’VE GOT:

A firm grasp of AP style and proper grammar
Journalism experience

WHAT TO INCLUDE IN SUBMISSION

Write a short introduction about yourself
Include a paragraph highlighting your writing experience, relevant credentials and publication credits
Attach links to your strongest work or portfolio, and online profile.

COMPENSATION