Retro Report Welcomes 145 Educators to New Advisory Teams

News media queries: Isadora Varejão, Engagement Producer (ivarejao@retroreport.com)

Two teams of accomplished educators will soon serve as advisors to Retro Report as the nonprofit news organization expands an innovative program supporting teachers, David Olson, Retro Report's Director of Education, announced today. The two teams will guide Retro Report's efforts to serve educators and students with journalism informed by history. They will collaborate in the creation of classroom-ready lesson plans and student activities and will inform new professional development opportunities.

“We are committed to learning from and with teachers, and these groups of educators are a big part of that,” Olson said. “The Council of Educators and Teacher Ambassadors will help us respond to the needs of classroom teachers and help create amazing resources for students.”

Retro Report, an Emmy Award-winning nonprofit news organization, creates short-form documentary videos that explore the connections between today's headlines and the past. Its new initiative, Retro Report in the Classroom, is an online collection of free resources including videos, interactive maps and timelines carefully aligned with national education standards. The materials are tailored for use in middle- and high school classrooms and foster critical thinking skills and civic engagement, supporting teachers as they confront a growing problem: engaging students at a time when historical and civic literacy are diminished.

Today, Olson announced the names of 145 educators selected to serve on its advisory groups:

The Council of Educators is composed of 20 middle- and high school teachers of U.S. history, social studies, government, English, environmental science and other subjects. This group will advise Retro Report on serving teachers nationwide, and will work to create lessons and activities connected to Retro Report films, testing them in classrooms and providing feedback. Meet the Council members here.

Ambassadors will serve as Retro Report's sounding board for new ideas, resources and outreach efforts, and will share ideas on how they use Retro Report materials. The group of 125 educators includes middle- and high school teachers, college instructors and administrators working in public and private schools. Meet the Ambassadors here.

“We are committed to learning from and with teachers, and these groups of educators are a big part of that,” Olson said. “The Council of Educators and Teacher Ambassadors will help us respond to the needs of classroom teachers and help create amazing resources for students.”

The time is now for Retro Report in the Classroom, said Retro Report's Executive Producer, Kyra Darnton. “The U.S. invests only 5 cents per student in social studies, compared to $50 per student in STEM subjects at a time when civic and historical literacy are in crisis,” she said. “Educators are interested in using our videos and resources to help their students understand the importance of history and how it relates to them. In turn, we want to learn about their needs so we can keep supporting them with our journalism.”

Retro Report was founded on the conviction that without an engaging and forward-looking review of high-profile events and the news coverage surrounding them, a critical opportunity to understand the lessons of history may be lost. Retro Report's work is meant to inspire critical thinking and discussion about history, civics, and science. The staff comes from news organizations including 60 Minutes, PBS Frontline, CBS News, ABC News and The New York Times.