Las Vegas NIE FAQ

Newspapers In Education (NIE) puts the newspaper, literally a "living textbook," into the hands of educators and students. NIE also provides nationally acclaimed curriculum materials that help teachers incorporate timely content from the newspaper into all areas of study for their students.


Why is this program valuable for educators, students, and our whole community?
How does the NIE program work?
What is the history of the NIE Program?
How Do Students Use the Newspaper in School?

Why is this program valuable for educators, students, and our whole community?
Newspapers In Education lessons help students apply skills they learn from textbooks to the real world around them. All curriculum materials are aligned with Nevada State Department of Education standards, the No Child Left Behind Act, and Clark County School District Curriculum Guidelines to help students learn what they need to succeed in school. Studies have shown that in classes where the newspaper is utilized as a learning tool, students perform ten percent better than those students whose learning does not include the newspaper. Additionally, the greatest benefits of the NIE program were found in schools with large minority populations. In southern Nevada, the newspaper is a crucial tool for teaching English Language Learners, as well as our adult education population.
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How does the NIE program work?
Any educator that teaches in an accredited school within the Review-Journal/Sun delivery area (primarily Clark County) and who wants to receive the newspaper in the classroom is qualified to request our services. We try to accommodate any teacher that would like papers; however, the number of papers we are able to distribute is based primarily on outside sponsorship. To sign up for newspapers, visit our Web site at www.LasVegasNIE.com.

Currently, about 2,000 educators use the Review-Journal or Sun in their classrooms. In 2008-2009, the RJ/Sun NIE program distributed more than 2.5 million newspapers to students.
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What is the history of the NIE Program?
Newspapers In Education is a concept dating back to June 8, 1795 when the Portland (Maine) Eastern Herald published the following editorial. "Much has been said and written on the utility of newspaper; but one principal advantage which might be derived from these publications has been neglected; we mean that of reading them in schools, and by the children in families..." Beginning in the 1930s and 1940s, a handful of newspapers started to deliver their product to schools. Thus was born the "Living Textbook Program." During the 1960s and 1970s, the program grew and eventually became the "Newspapers In Education" program. Today, nearly every major newspaper has an NIE program. Locally, the RJ/Sun's NIE program, begun in the mid 1970s, has blossomed into a much sought-after community resource. Our NIE program has won national awards for locally developed and locally significant curriculum on our desert environment.
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How Do Students Use the Newspaper in School?
There was a time when newspapers were used only tangentially to the rest of the curriculum, perhaps just for a current events lesson once a week. Now, however, there are countless ways to integrate the use of the paper into the required curriculum while having fun! Newspapers provide "real-world" applications to skills learned in textbooks. They help vary the lesson content and motivate students.

Newspapers In Education (NIE), a cooperative program of the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Las Vegas Sun, is committed to delivering sponsored copies of the Review-Journal and Sun as educational tools, in turn stimulating life-long learning and healthy reading habits in children and adults. The program is grounded in the belief that use of the newspapers is an essential element in the formation of responsible, informed, and literate citizens. The RJ/Sun NIE curriculum is meant to nurture the next generation of newspaper readers and to bridge the gap between students, schools, and their communities by developing meaningful and appropriate educational materials and resources. We are committed to providing businesses, corporations, foundations, and community leaders with opportunities to partner with NIE in promoting literacy in southern Nevada.
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