Apply Now: Information and AI Teacher Advisory Council

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The Pulitzer Center's Information and Artificial Intelligence (AI) initiatives support journalism and audience engagement on in-depth AI accountability stories that examine governments' and corporations’ uses of predictive and surveillance technologies to guide decisions in policing, medicine, social welfare, the criminal justice system, hiring, and more.

Program Goals

This K-12 engagement program equips educators with resources to utilize our in-depth reporting on Information and Artificial Intelligence as a tool that informs critical conversations around questions of AI ethics and accountability in their learning communities. The program recognizes that, as target audiences for many AI tools, educators and students can offer meaningful contributions to the ongoing work of addressing the challenges and opportunities in AI development. This is particularly true in the case of the predictive and surveillance tools deployed in classrooms and other learning environments. In order to effectively facilitate these critical conversations within their learning communities, educators need support developing their own awareness of AI accountability and directly engaging in conversations about AI ethics in the education space. 

2026 AI Council members will work together to explore the ways journalism can inform classroom conversations and teaching practices that hold AI accountable. Council members will take a project-based approach to the work, applying an AI accountability lens to plan and implement a project in their communities.

All Council projects must use Pulitzer Center-supported AI accountability journalism to engage at least 60 students, educators, and/or parents in a critical conversation about the use of AI technologies in school environments. Council members will have the option to:

• Develop a school or classroom AI policy and facilitate community conversation around its implementation 
• Design and facilitate a space for community conversation (involving teachers, students, and parents) about the risks and impacts of AI technologies in the classroom space
• Propose their own project/model for meeting program criteria

Council Expectations

Council members will participate in five evening workshops to explore news stories about Information and Artificial Intelligence, connect with Pulitzer Center-supported journalists reporting on AI accountability, and use Pulitzer Center education frameworks as tools in their collaborative discussions about the opportunities and challenges for K-12 schools and classrooms seeking to apply an AI accountability lens to their technological practice. Over the course of the program, Council members will be expected to:

• Apply by March 15, 2026, with a critical question about AI technologies in education that can anchor their project and community conversation
• Use data from audience research, resources created by the previous AI Teacher Advisory Councils, and AI accountability reporting to further inform their exploration of the anchor question
• Develop a community engagement project that uses AI accountability as a lens for critical dialogue
• Implement their project by facilitating a critical AI conversation in their classrooms or school community
• Demonstrate the impact of the project on the learning environment through photos, videos, quotes, and/or reflections
• Present their learning and impact as a part of a public-facing showcase on August 29, 2026

Compensation

Upon successful completion of the program, Council members will be provided with:

• $850 in total stipends (made in three payments)
  • Payment 1: $550 (includes $300 for participation in workshops and $250 for the facilitation of their community engagement project)
  • Payment 2: $150 for the documentation of their work and impact
  • Payment 3: $150 for presenting as a part of the final showcase
• A Pulitzer Center AI Council member digital badge
• A certificate for 20 hours of professional development

Eligibility Requirements

This program is open to all educators working with K-12 students and educators in public, charter, independent, and alternative schools in the United States and U.S. territories. Applicants must be currently working as a K-12 educator and/or administrator and must be planning to continue their work in their current school or district through the end of 2026.

Applicants should be able to provide confirmation of their ability to implement their proposed project in their school/district either through the nature of their role (principal, instructional coach, etc.) or by including a commitment to participate form signed by all relevant school and district leaders.

Because all sessions will be held virtually, applicants must have stable internet access and a computer with a webcam and microphone.

The Pulitzer Center is committed to making real, measurable progress on diversity, equity, and inclusion in all of our programs and partnerships. Please review our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion statement for more information on our commitments. Educators from historically marginalized backgrounds, and/or educators who are teaching students from historically marginalized backgrounds, are strongly encouraged to apply.

Key Dates and Deliverables

Council members will be expected to:

• Attend the following workshops:
  1. Thursday, April 9, 2026: Workshop 1, 6:00-8:00pm EDT 
  2. Thursday, April 16, 2026: Workshop 2 , 6:00-8:00pm EDT 
  3. Thursday, April 23, 2026: Workshop 3, 6:00-8:00pm EDT 
  4. Thursday, April 30, 2026: Workshop 4, 6:00-8:00pm EDT 
  5. Thursday, May 7, 2026 : Workshop 5, 6:00-8:00pm EDT 
• (Between May 8 and June 15, 2026) Implement a community engagement project using AI accountability journalism to engage at least 60 students, educators, and/or parents in a critical conversation about the use of AI technologies in school environments
• (Between June 15 and July 15, 2026) Collaborate with Pulitzer Center staff to document and share impact updates about their projects
• Participate in a virtual showcase of Council work and impact that will take place on Saturday, August 29, 2026, at 12:30-4:00pm EDT.  

Application Requirements 

Educators who are interested in applying to this Council should complete the AI Accountability: Education Interest Survey. We encourage applicants to share the survey with other teachers in their network.

The program application requires educators to include:

1. A question about AI technologies in schools that could anchor their project.
2. At least one Pulitzer Center-supported AI accountability story that connects to the question at the center of their project
3. A selected or proposed model for their community engagement project
4. Information about their anticipated audience for their AI dialogue in their applications 

Applications are due Sunday, March 15, 2026. The application review process will include interviews as a part of the final selection. 

If you have additional questions, please contact us by emailing [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!