EDUCATION

NEPM’s Department of Educational Engagement provides learning opportunities and works closely with the community to improve outcomes for youth, families, educators, students, and community partners. We strive to take an active role in the community by creating, planning, and participating in a wide range of initiatives.

Even prior to the pandemic, NEPM has responded to challenges of content accessibility in a variety of ways, for instance partnering with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to provide enhanced distance learning opportunities on broadcast television and via the internet to ensure students in grades K-12 have access to the highest quality educational programs. Initiatives include:

NEPM is an implementing partner of the 413Families text message campaign, which offers families with young children information about fun things to do and tips about health, learning, and more. So far, there are over 3,500 recipients who receive messages weekly.

As part of NEPM core education services, the station offers professional development workshops to regional educators, highlighting PBS educational resources that include PBS Learning Media, a powerful platform for teachers and students. Professional development workshops have been well attended by well over 100 PreK-12 teachers in our region (annually), often to those who serve low-income communities.

In this last year, NEPM also provided a free
webinar on Project Based Learning for over
300 educators from across the state, including recipients of the Pioneer Valley
Excellence in Teaching Awards. The WGBH
Distance Learning Center shares best practices with educators, including integrating PBS programming into the classroom.

During the pandemic PBS Parents, a trusted source for information on child development, early learning and expert tips on raising children has provided educational kids activities and fun games for toddlers, and preschoolers.

is centered on three (3) overriding principles:

New Voices In Education

1

Leveraging PBS/NPR and WGBH educational assets from national producers to assist Pre-K through 12th grade teachers and school programs.

2

Presentation of Civics and the role of journalistic
media in society through holistic exploration of the US Constitution, Government and Democracy coupled with the exhibition of fact-based journalism and the evolution of media.

3

Media Lab as a multi-platform training opportunity for regional students and prospective NEPM talent. During the Summer of 2020, in-person workshops offered High School students all the basics to get students producing their own audio narratives, from writing and interview skills to audio and video production and editing. During the school year, we partnered with the Latino Education Institute and Springfield Public Schools to pilot a Middle School “Media Lab” program during the school day at two different schools: Duggan and Kennedy with 25 students. However due to the impact of COVID-19, we were forced to postpone all in-person workshops and explore remote learning.

In particular, we seek funding to expand:

Internships and Youth Workshops – Increase internship opportunities in production, development, management and journalism. Create more opportunities to expose young people to storytelling through in-person and virtual youth workshops. We will focus on offering more hands-on and remote learning opportunities in partnership with diverse, inner-city, middle school and high schools. We will develop a pipeline of students skilled in multi-platform storytelling and journalism, leading to personal and professional growth. This creates pathways to a wide variety of career opportunities including journalism, teaching and other media-based professions.

Teacher & Parent/Caregiver
Resources and Training –
We will build on the lessons learned during the pandemic and increase the distribution of NEPM’s content. This will expand our reach to parents and early-child caregivers and professionals and continue on through elementary, middle and even high school.

Community and Education
Partnerships – A convener and collaborator, NEPM will build on dozens of existing partnerships with community-based organizations, as well as educational, cultural and human-service institutions to create opportunities for young people from middle school through college to engage in hands-on and remote learning experience. Further investment in the education department will grow and deepen our community partnerships, increase overall youth participation, and enhance learning opportunities.

Civics, Democracy and Media - NEPM will create educational multi-media cross platform components for K-12 students and adults presenting civics and the role of journalistic media in society through a holistic exploration of the U.S. Constitution, Government and Democracy. This will be coupled with the exhibition of fact-based journalism and the evolution of media. A major focus of our work will primarily be about educating young people so that they can discern what are facts and what is fiction—and understand how the internet and other sources can manipulate and distort reality—thus endangering our democracy and our civil society.