“Student Journalism Provides Literacy Learning and Motivation to Write” is the perfect headline for Sean Thompson’s two-part series about the importance of journalism. And for me as a journalism teacher and adviser, Thompsons gets at the true essence of why journalism students do better than their peers: “When a student journalist writes an article that will be published and distributed, they are doing so with the knowledge that it will be read by a number of potential authentic audiences.”

When authentic student voice and choice meet authentic audiences, true learning occurs because such occasions have the potential of producing excellence. Such occasions demand close reading and a deeper understanding of facts and supporting details. And at the best moments, student writers who are in the zone discover truths and write with clarity and balance that is often neglected when they find themselves writing for their teacher.

Last week I sent out this two-minute promotional video to encourage students to register to join the high school newspaper staff or the yearbook staff: