Greetings to those who care about journalism and who want students to have a chance to learn about how to responsibly report about their schools and communities. Welcome to SacSchoolBeat.com, the website of the NorCal Scholastic Journalism Initiative's Student Education Reporter program.

OUR MISSION

Student journalism programs that produce a school newspaper or student news website – once a staple of the American high school experience – are increasingly rare. For several years now, two retired Sacramento-area high school journalism teachers have made it their goal to train and mentor students to report and write about what’s happening on their school campuses and in their communities. And – something unique to our program – we pay students for their efforts!

The stories they produce are published on the SacSchoolBeat.com website and are made available to other local publications for republication at no cost. Stories like these:

Cell phone restrictions increasingly implemented in Sacramento area schools

Robotics and resilience

Capitol Creatives and Black Screen Productions help spotlight Sacramento creators and young voices

STUDENTS LOVE DOING JOURNALISM!

We’ve worked with hundreds of students in the last five-plus years. Here are just a few of their thoughts about their experiences:

“The Sacramento School Beat has opened doors for me and provided opportunities unlike any other high school program. It gave me the chance to speak on a panel alongside professional journalists, where I addressed the importance of student reporters. The Sacramento School Beat has taught me the importance of local student news to a community.” -- Jamie Lam, Cosumnes Oaks High School

"In a world where I've always been told that journalism is a dying industry, the SacSchoolBeat program has revived my interest in reporting and given me the tools to succeed. By reporting on my school, I can connect communities together through writing and be a voice for those who are unheard." -- Stephanie Olvido, St. Francis High School

"The Sacramento School Beat has not only sharpened my reporting skills, but made me a more aware student and a well-informed thinker. The program also represents an important investment in the future of local journalism, all the while putting a renewed focus on public education at a critical time." -- Adam Abolfazli, Rio Americano High School

OUR GOAL

Our other funding sources have unfortunately dried up, and so to continue this important work of helping students learn how to tell significant stories about their campuses and communities, we need your support.

SacSchoolBeat.com is working with Journalism Funding Partners to actively fundraise to be able to continue our work with up to 25 students from across the Sacramento area each school year. We are hoping to raise $50,000 for the 2025-26 school year.

Any contributions you make are TAX-DEDUCTIBLE! Every little bit helps and will allow us to continue to create even more content at SacSchoolBeat.com.

If you support what we do and how we’re doing it, we’d love to have you join us.

HOW WE’LL USE THE FUNDS

Student Staff - Reporters receive up to $1,200 for producing 10 stories during the school year and attending training sessions and virtual meetings
Writing Coaches/Advisers - Two retired teachers receive stipends for working approximately 10 hours a week as writing coaches and mentors, helping students craft publishable stories about their schools and communities
Other Experts - Small stipends to current and former journalists who offer critiques of student work and help mentor student reporters
Website Hosting Fee - approximately $800 for the school year
Other Expenses - Snacks for training week, an awards dinner at the end of the school year, a Zoom subscription and other incidental costs

Help us continue to make a difference for students who would otherwise miss the opportunity to learn about journalism in the best way possible – by going out and doing it.

This campaign is a program of Journalism Funding Partners (JFP), tax ID #84-2968843, a verified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission to “increase the depth, diversity and sustainability of local journalism by building and stewarding connections between funders and news organizations.” www.jfp-local.org.

JFP is providing funds to this news organization for their endeavors in support of this educational purpose, and will share your information with the publication you are supporting. JFP takes your privacy seriously, and we are committed to safeguarding, preserving, and respecting the privacy rights of our donors, website visitors, and other supporters. For additional information on how JFP maintains your personal information, please see our Privacy Policy.

All support is appreciated! In the meantime, if there is a topic related to students and schools in the Sacramento region that you’d like us to cover, we’d love to hear from you. Send us an email at adviser.sacschoolbeat@gmail.com. Thank you for supporting SacSchoolBeat!

Support scholastic journalism education: SacSchoolBeat