For the past decade, the Knight Foundation has been a supporter of the American Society of News Editors’ High School Journalism initiative. This week brings the announcement that the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation will help to support this project well into the next decade.

A $4.6 million grant from the Reynolds Foundation will fund five years of Reynolds High School Journalism Institutes for educators, extending the training that Reynolds has supported since 2007. From the news release:

During the two weeks of training, 175 competitively selected journalism advisers are steeped in journalistic practices and responsibilities, ethical decision-making and news media freedom issues, plus learn to maximize online and digital platforms and integrate new technologies. In the past three years, 434 teachers were accepted to the Institute. Of this group, 232 (54 percent) taught at schools where young people of color were in the majority, and 86 (20 percent) identified themselves as people of color.

Every key expense is covered by the grant, including transportation, housing, meals, continuing education credits and instructional materials. This removes financial barriers for the majority of teachers who otherwise could not afford to pay for this kind of specialized training or who work in disadvantaged school districts.

‘We couldn’t be more pleased to see this important program further supported and expanded,’ said Jessica Goldfin, Journalism Program Associate at the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. ‘These journalism educators have the opportunity to impact hundreds of students, not only improving how these kids view journalism, news and the First Amendment but also helping to spark a lifelong appetite for quality journalism.’

As an added bonus, this news gives us the opportunity to throw in a plug for the stellar (and growing, see traffic graph at right) HSJ.org, a fantastic resource for high school journalists and their educators.