The Columbia Journalism School is receiving applications for the Spencer Fellowship for Education Reporting from interested journalists, educators and education policy researchers who aspire to develop ambitious, long-form journalism projects to advance the understanding of education.
Interested applicants including international candidates who wish to apply are expected to submit their applications online no later than February 1, 2018 for the 2018-2019 academic year. Successful applicants will be contacted by April 1, 2018.
Only applications submitted online via the online application platform will be processed. To be qualified for the Fellowship, applicants must be proficient in English language and all application materials including publication clips must also be translated into English if not originally produced in English.
Four fellows are selected for the highly competitive Spencer Fellowship programme, which is a combination of coursework in residence at Columbia Journalism School and Teachers College, as well as hands-on advising from education writing experts.
An application form should include a professional biography or resume, three samples of applicants’ work that demonstrates passion for education research and writing, including newspaper and magazine clips, broadcasts, films, books, monographs, academic reports, or other writing samples.
Applicants with reporting experience covering the education sector or educators who are interested in journalism are preferred for the Fellowship. They are to provide links to any work they submit as such links will be forwarded to Judges for their assessment. Works that are not written in English language must be translated to be eligible.
Applicants should also accompany their applications with an outline of a proposed project in education reporting, including projects currently in progress, an essay explaining how a greater understanding in education research and expertise would materially enhance the project and applicant’s ability to cover education.
The fellowship will give preference to applicants who can show proof that their work will be published, either through a letter of commitment from a news organization or a book contract. The application should also include the commitment to cover education in the long term.
Application should also include a brief essay on proposed areas of research applicants anticipate pursuing at Columbia University including courses and professors that may materially enhance their project. Applicants should also submit an essay about an education trend applicants have observed, but not necessarily related to their proposed project. It is geared to see how applicants are following education trends and policies, at least three letters of recommendation, including one from the publication that has shown interest in the project.
There are no academic prerequisites but an applicant must have an interest in pursuing academic coursework in support of the project. Applicants are encouraged to propose a course work of study, including a list of experts at Columbia who could be enlisted to work with them as fellows.
The fellows will work with Columbia Journalism School faculty members who will serve as project advisers. A curriculum specialist will coordinate the selection of the fellows’ academic courses, preferably in the fall semester, either at Teachers College, the Journalism School, or elsewhere at Columbia.
Each fellow will be awarded a stipend of $75,000 for personal living expenses, plus $7500 for project expenses.
For questions, contact: LynNell Hancock, lh50@columbia.edu, or Barbara Kantrowitz, bak34@columbia.edu
For further information and application, please visit http://spencer.jrn.columbia.edu/?page_id=14.
