Scaling Media Literacy in a School District Environment
Implementation science, the study of methods and strategies that facilitate the uptake of evidence-based practices, is emerging as a framework to study the application of media literacy. Implementation science emerged in the public health field, and is just becoming known and applied in media literacy programs.
A research team led by Dr. Tessa Jolls from the Center for Media Literacy in California, and including Dr. Barbara Walkosz from Klein Buendel, conducted a panel discussion at the Global Media Education Summit held March 2-4, 2023 at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada. The panel was entitled, “Implementation Science: The Road to Scaling in a District Environment.” Two additional panelists included Dr. Marilyn Cohen from the University of Washington and Ms. Heather Van Benthuysen from the Chicago Public Schools.
The research team discussed the rising field of implementation science and presented an example underway in a U.S. school district. Relying on theories of change and rigorous evaluations of programming that exemplify these theories of change, the panelists described how implementation science provides a solid foundation for dissemination, scaling, and helping media literacy take its rightful place as a central educational offering. The panelists illustrated how implementation science works to strengthen and sustain media literacy in schools.
The Global Media Education Summit is convened by the UK’s Centre for Excellence in Media Practice, in collaboration with a leading media education space, in a different country each year. In 2023, the School of Communication and the Community Engaged Research Initiative at Simon Fraser University hosted the event, in partnership with the McLuhan Foundation. The Global Media Education Summit brings together an international network of researchers, educators, and practitioners across all aspects of media education, media and digital literacies, youth media production and media and technology in education. As the leading global showcase for research, pedagogy, and innovation, the Summit explores the changing currents across media education and media literacy communities around the world.
