Firsthand

A national student reporting initiative on K-12 schools

Public education is being redefined in real time.

We want student journalists to tell the story of how it's happening. 

Classrooms are experimenting with new ways of learning while navigating everything from AI to teacher shortages. Yet, in most conversations about the future of K–12 education, students themselves are rarely heard.

At The Bell, we believe student voices don’t just bring us closer to the truth, they move people to act. This is the philosophy of Firsthand, a new editorial initiative that will feature student reporting from coast to coast on the most pressing issues in American schools.

Pitch a Story

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NOW Open!

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Pitch a Story * NOW Open! *

We’re interested in five big themes

  • Students have more exposure to news and current events than ever before with access to social media in an increasingly polarized landscape. We want to know how those tensions are changing school culture.

    The big questions:

    • How are policies at the local, state or national level affecting your classrooms?

    • How are students engaging with current events and news? How are teachers integrating those topics into their classrooms, if at all?

    • How are students organizing around or being affected by politics?

  • Many students don’t find their schoolwork engaging. Students who don’t plan to go to college report having even fewer engaging experiences. We want to know what’s happening in your school to address feelings of disconnection and disengagement.

    The big questions:

    • What kinds of programs does your school offer to better engage students? Are they working?

    • What is your school doing to address chronic absenteeism and poor attendance?

    • Is your school expanding career-and-technical education or introducing new experiential learning opportunities? What does that look like and how are students engaging with these efforts?

  • Surveys show that young people’s relationship with artificial intelligence is complex. We know AI is changing the way we teach, learn and work. We want to show people what AI actually looks like in schools.

    The big questions:

    • How is AI being talked about and used in your classrooms? How do students feel about those uses? How do you see AI changing dynamics in the classroom?

    • How are young people using AI outside of school? In what ways are teens embracing the technology? Where and why are they rejecting it?

  • No one knows what it’s like to be young better than you. We are looking for story ideas that are ahead of the curve. From Labubu collections to location sharing with all your friends, we’re fascinated by all the things that make Gen Z, well, Gen Z. 

    The big questions: 

    • What are the social dynamics, lingo and cultural phenomena that teens are engaging with? How is that showing up in your schools and how are teachers using it in their classrooms?

    • How does social media affect school culture and mental health?

    • What are the challenges that young people face that adults don’t seem to understand? Where and how are students pushing for changes that better serve them?

  • Oftentimes, the best stories are the ones that we can’t plan for. We want to find the stories that highlight what’s happening in America’s schools today.

    • Is there something that seems unfair happening in your school? Is there something new or exciting to you? 

    • What are the things that journalists are missing out on that need to be covered? 

    • What are the things you actually want to read or learn about? What are the ideas that you think your peers would actually be interested in seeing covered?

The Deets

Contributors should be:

  • Proactive, responsive and deadline-oriented. Most reporting will happen independently.

  • Able to commit to a rigorous reporting project on top of school and extracurricular commitments.

  • Prepared to work through multiple drafts, address feedback and meet journalistic standards.

Project timeline

Because school calendars and the nature of the reporting involved in each story will vary, each student will receive an individualized timeline. This is a sample:

  • July: Story pitch is selected; online orientation; pre-reporting and planning

  • Start of the school year: In-person reporting begins

  • 1 month into the school year: First draft due

    • Within 1 week, editor sends detailed feedback and next steps for revisions

  • After 2 months: Revisions due with fact-checking

    • Within 1 week, editor sends any additional feedback for final edits

  • After 2.5 months: Graphics, photo assets and other complementary elements due

  • After 3 months: Final draft approved for publication

Eligibility

  • Rising 10th-12th graders in public and charter high schools across the United States are encouraged to submit pitches.

  • Students must list an adult sponsor in their pitch. This can be an advisor, teacher, counselor or mentor – someone who knows the student and can support them with any on-the-ground needs as they report their story. This cannot be a parent or family member.

  • Prior journalism experience is not required. Selected students will receive training and one-on-one mentorship to execute their story idea.

What contributors receive

  • Monetary stipend that varies based on the length and complexity of your reporting project (~$300 to $800)

  • Official byline credit (great for your resume & portfolio!)

  • Coaching and mentorship from professional reporters, producers and editors.

  • Virtual opportunities to collaborate with other student journalists from across the country.

Submission deadline

Story pitches are reviewed on a rolling basis. You can expect to hear back from us within 2 weeks of submitting your pitch.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Frequently Asked Questions *

  • What we are looking for:

    • Stories about specific things happening in your schools and communities. 

    • Ideas that can use data and research to back up your on-the-ground reporting.

    • Pitches that can use multimedia elements like audio, video and data visualization.

    • Stories that high school students are uniquely positioned to tell.

    What we are NOT looking for:

    • Vague or broad topic pitches. Ex: “I want to write about cell phone bans.”

    • Profiles about individual students or teachers.

    • Stories about one-time events like speakers, concerts or performances. An event might be a reporting opportunity for a story, but should not be the whole pitch.

    • Promotional materials. This is not an opportunity to campaign, advocate or promote any cause or organization. Students will be held to journalistic standards.

    • Opinion pieces.

  • Approximately 20-25.

  • We want to make sure Firsthand stories reach as many people as possible — in your local community and across the country. The Bell will publish each story on its own channels and identify local, regional and national co-publishing partners. If you have a student media outlet at your school or in your community, we want to make sure your story is published there as well.

  • While it will vary based on the story and format, contributors should generally expect to spend a few hours a week on the project once the fall semester begins. We will share more about time commitment and expectations during the story selection process.

  • Students are allowed to submit up to two pitches.

  • Firsthand is edited by Karina Elwood, a journalist who worked most recently for The Washington Post covering education. You will also get to collaborate with other professional journalists, editors and students.

    • Carefully read through all the information on the Firsthand website, and make sure your pitch relates to one of the five Firsthand themes.

    • Conduct some background research and pre-reporting. Read articles on your story topic. Ask people in your school community what they’re seeing. Use all this information to shape your idea.

    • Name specific sources who you think will be good fits for your story. Avoid listing broad types of people you want to talk to (teachers, students, researchers).

    • Talk to people about your story idea. Brainstorming out loud often leads to strong questions or interesting points that you may want to include in your pitch.

  • Email firsthand@bellvoices.org

Submit your pitch

We highly recommend preparing responses to the following questions in a separate document and then pasting them into the submission form linked below.

  1. Which Firsthand theme does your story relate to? (select from dropdown)

  2. Tell us your story idea and why it matters. (2-3 sentences)

  3. How does your story connect to the bigger picture of what high school students are experiencing today? (200 words or fewer)

  4. How will your story differ from existing reporting on this issue? (100 words or fewer)

  5. Identify 3 potential sources you would interview for this story. (Include names and titles)

  6. What format(s) do you envision for this piece? (written feature, audio, video, photo essay)

  7. What visual elements (photos, graphics, data visualization) might this story include?

  8. (Optional) If you've already done some reporting or pre-reporting on this issue, tell us about it.

Submit your pitch

Sign up for updates

If you’d like to be the first to hear about Firsthand updates, including pitch guidelines and partnership opportunities, fill out this form.

If you’d like to get in touch with our team directly, email firsthand@bellvoices.org.

Firsthand is supported by the Walton Family Foundation.