There are many reasons why there has not been a widespread availability of professional development opportunities for either new or veteran teachers interested in media literacy.

The challenges to the dissemination of media literacy as an educational process in U.S. schools are formidable — a decentralized education system consisting of 16,000 autonomous school districts, little funding, a long tradition of content-based learning methods using printed texts, and a lack of knowledgeable and professional trainers and the infrastructure organizations to support them. In addition, U.S. educational systems are notorious for deep-seated resistance to technological innovations, such as computers, which enable student inquiry and independent learning which are the cornerstones of effective media literacy pedagogy.

The U.S. has had to depend upon educational materials developed in other countries — primarily Canada — and on the passions of a few dedicated professionals determined to advance media literacy to levels enjoyed elsewhere in the world.

But the climate for U.S.-based professional development in media literacy is changing.

Although few colleges or universities have formal degree programs for teachers to learn the core concepts of media literacy at the pre-service level, an ongoing research study at Webster University is tracking patterns and trends with respect to media literacy education in U.S. institutions of higher education. In the meantime, professional development in media literacy through in-services is blossoming through a multitude of small projects and individual initiatives plus a growing number of summer institutes, seminars and courses. Other promising developments include:

• Media literacy connections to all curricular areas have been identified for educational standards in all 50 states. McREL recently added standards for "viewing" and "media" to the traditional language arts strands for reading / writing and speaking / listening. Standards in social studies, health, the arts and even math and science, are increasingly common. The door is now open for widespread professional development efforts to connect media literacy to what teachers are already mandated to teach in all areas of the curriculum.
• To help professionalize the teaching of media literacy in the U.S., a new national professional membership organization was chartered in June, 2001 - the Alliance for a Media Literate America (AMLA). Among other activities, the organization sponsors the National Media Education Conference (NMEC) every two years in locations throughout the United States.
• The first federal grants for demonstration projects linking media literacy, the arts and violence prevention were awarded by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Endowment for the Arts in 2000/2001. CML's Project SmartArt received one of the 17 grants provided by this first federal authorization.
• The State of Maryland, partnering with the Discovery Channel, has introduced on a state-wide basis an integrated media literacy curriculum with Elementary, Middle and High School Units authored by Renee Hobbs, EdD. Over 2500 teachers throughout the state were involved in professional staff development to prepare them to implement the Assignment: Media Literacy curriculum.

A New Climate for Professional Development in Media Literacy
Preparing to Teach with a Media Literacy Focus
Media Literacy, Professional Development and Change Management