Hall of Famer Brenda Field is the local chair for the JEA/NSPA's 2018 Fall Convention. It's not too late to get involved, she says — and your efforts will pay dividends throughout your career.

Reflecting on power, purpose of scholastic to collegiate programs

Scholastic journalism programs around the country have united to assist their Texas counterparts affected by Hurricane Harvey. Read on to learn how you and your students can join this effort.

Do you have writers on your staff whose talents you would like to showcase at this Friday's IJEA Fall Conference? Here's an opportunity for them to refine their skills under real-world conditions — and perhaps even win an award!

Did that just say "Cheat"? Is that legal if I'm a teacher and adviser? Turns out, it is — especially if it's rewarding the most driven and passionate students in your newsroom with the honor of being on the IJEA All-State Journalism Team for 2017.

The IJEA's annual James A. Tidwell Award recognizes our state's top journalism educators. With the March 1 deadline for 2017 nominations quickly approaching, we asked a recent Tidwell honoree, Mike Doyle, to discuss what winning the award has meant to him. "It means that every day I know I made a difference in the lives of so many students and that I was able to teach the values of fairness, ethics and integrity to so many of them," he writes.

Never before in American history have the media and the First Amendment come under such ridicule and hatred by a sitting president. During Scholastic Journalism Week — Feb. 19 to 25 — scholastic media outlets should encourage their audiences to become civically engaged and contact lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to let them know that an assault on the First Amendment is not only an attack on professional journalists but on the nation’s students as well.

As the Feb. 15 deadline nears for entering the 2017 Illinois Journalist of the Year contest, former IJOY Alexandria Johnson offers her reflections on what scholastic journalism has meant to her. Now working for Northwestern's Center for Civic Engagement, Alexandria says she's still using the lessons she learned from high school journalism to help others.

Who will succeed Libertyville's Hannah Boufford as Illinois Journalist of the Year? The Feb. 15 IJOY deadline is only a few weeks away, and JEA State Director Brenda Field has some advice for those seniors who plan to compete for the honor: Let your passion for scholastic journalism shine through!

The IWPA High School Communications Contest showcases the excellent work of Illinois students and their schools’ communication programs, with the winners in each category automatically advancing to the national competition. The deadline for entries is Feb. 21. Read on to learn more about the contest — a great opportunity for your students to shine!

There’s never been a time when the need for a free and responsible press has been more imperative. As 2017 arrives, make a resolution to recognize that scholastic press rights are for every scholastic journalist and journalism educator in Illinois — and together we can make a difference!

As IJEA board member Katie Comeford explains, a curriculum map holds the grand, overarching goals for the year while the pacing calendar is what helps a teacher actually figure out how to squeeze it all in between days off, assemblies and, of course, testing. Together they can help journalism teachers prepare even more effectively for their classes.