The Aspen Institute Recognizes
ASU's Media Literacy Management Model
The approach to media literacy in the Reich College of Education at Appalachian State University has been recognized by the prestigious Aspen Institute as a model for integrating media literacy in teacher preparation, 1992 report.



"Perhaps the most sustained institutional effort at pre-service training within formal schooling has been at Appalachian State University, where North Carolina's largest teacher training institution requires competence in media literacy and offers courses to that end. The success of that program reflects some useful strategies:
  • searching for ways that media literacy fulfills existing mandates;
  • finding links to other areas, e.g. health education and social studies, so that media literacy is not isolated within one course;
  • paying attention to institutional context, particularly principals and library media specialists;
  • training not only for subject matter but also in how to be change-agents;
  • defining and operationalizing productivity, effectiveness and evaluation."

Media Literacy Supporters
Who Supports Media Literacy


"Media Literacy courses can give young people the power to recognize the difference between entertainment, television that is just bad and the information they need to make good decisions. What they need , is a clear awareness of how the media influences, shapes and defines their lives".

[Richard Riley, U.S. Secretary of Education. 1995]


"Being literate in today's society requires more than knowing how to read, write or do arithmetic. Many of the media messages about tobacco, alcohol and other drugs entice youth with glamorous images.... Teaching your students to be critical thinkers about media messages can help them ... resist their temptation to become users".

[Donna Shalala, Secretary of Health and Human Services. 1996]


"Literacy should be redefined to include media and symbol literacy. These are the languages of the arts and they contribute heavily to the kinds of literacy required for all educated persons".

[The Arts and Education: Partners in Achieving Our National Educational Goals. N.E.A. 1995]


"It is no longer enough to simply read and write. Students must also become literate in the understanding of visual messages as well. Our children must learn how to isolate a social cliché and distinguish facts from propaganda, analysis from banter and important news from coverage".

[Ernest Boyer, President, Carnegie Foundation for The Advancement of Teaching. 1988]


"Media literacy teaches critical thinking so that individuals can discern the substance and intention of messages relating to drugs, tobacco, and alcohol. Media-literate youth understand the manipulative component of such material and are more likely to reject it".

[Office of National Drug Control Policy Executive Office of the President]


"The world of adolescent cannot be understood without considering the profound influence of the mass media, especially television, but also movies and popular music..Knowledge of media production, and especially of the ways commercial messages are shaped and used to manipulate audiences, may help protect young adolescents against strong advertising pressures to smoke, drink, have sex, or eat unhealthy foods....Training in media literacy..deserves widespread consideration schools and community organizations as an essential part of becoming a well-educated citizen".

[Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development. 1995]