Frequently asked questions
How do assignments work?
Your homepage shows today’s stories. Click assign, choose a reading level, toggle read, quiz, and poll, pick a due date, done. Students see it on their home screen, and scores land in your dashboard as each student finishes.
What do the stories cover?
The biggest stories across politics, world news, money, science, and culture, the same mix a general newsroom covers. Editors choose the stack.
Can I assign older stories, or only today’s?
Both. Today’s stories lead, and the full archive comes with every plan, so when your unit calls for a story from March, assign it the same way.
My school restricts phones. Can students still use it?
Yes. Newsreel runs in any browser, on Chromebooks, laptops, or tablets. The phone app is for schools that allow it, and for reading at home.
Do the reading levels change the journalism?
No. Lower levels keep the original reporting and add plain-language help and a built-in dictionary. Striving readers work with the same journalism as everyone else.
How much does it cost?
Today’s stories are always free for any teacher with a school email. A 30-day trial covers one class of up to 35 students. After that, one classroom is $49 a month, with no contract. Schools and districts get volume pricing by enrollment: book a demo for a quote the same day. We work with school POs and provide the quote, W-9, and sole-source paperwork your business office needs.
We already use a current-events platform. What’s different?
Today’s news written by journalists. Reading levels that support the original story instead of rewriting it. Contested stories shown as they’re being argued, with no left/right labels. No endless scroll and no ads.
Is it standards-aligned?
Quiz questions use C3 Framework and state ELA standards language, and every plan includes teacher guides and lesson plans. Ask in the demo for a mapping to your state’s framework.
Is it accessible?
Yes. Built to WCAG 2.1 AA, with a VPAT available on request for your procurement file.
Can I export quiz scores?
Scores live in your dashboard per assignment and per student; export is on the roadmap this school year.
Does it work with Google Classroom?
Yes. Import your classes and students straight from Google Classroom, or share a join code instead. Scores live in your Newsreel dashboard.
What about AI?
Every story is written by a human journalist. AI drafts quiz questions and powers the dictionary, disclosed in our AI use policy. No ads, no selling student data.
Start teaching with Newsreel Classroom in minutes.
2025 Media Literacy Resource of the Year
Included in Generation Citizen’s Digital Media Literacy Toolkit
Works with Google Classroom