Mission Statement The mission of the Tampa Bay Times Newspaper in Education program is to serve educators, students and families by providing funded newspapers, companion materials and instructional support in an effort to build Times readership and secure the newspaper's place as a vital component of lifelong education.
The Tampa Bay Times Newspaper in Education (NIE) program is a cooperative effort between schools and the Times to promote the use of newspapers as an educational resource - a "living textbook". NIE provides schools with class sets of the Times plus our award-winning curricula at no cost to schools, teachers or students. The Times absorbs all production costs and 75 percent of the cost of newspapers; the remaining 25 percent of the newspaper cost is paid for through the sponsorships of generous community-minded companies, government agencies, foundations and individuals. In the Tampa Bay area, teachers order more than 5 million newspapers for their classrooms every year.
In addition to making newspapers available free to classrooms, NIE also provides an e-edition, iPad app, supplemental materials, curriculum guides, scholastic contests and educator workshops free of charge. Our teaching materials cover a variety of subjects and are consistent with Florida's Next Generation Sunshine State Standards. NIE also publishes statewide projects in partnership with other newspapers under the auspices of Florida Press Educational Services, Inc. (FPES), a 501(c)(3) organization. Educators can also contact NIE to arrange classroom speakers or tours of our newsroom or printing plant.