I had the privilege of leading the PBS Media Literacy Educator Certification by KQED from 2019 to 2025. The PBS Media Literacy Educator Certification is the only program that recognizes K-12 educators for demonstrating seven key media literacy competencies:
- Assessing Student Media
- Creating a Code of Conduct
- Critically Analyzing Media
- Evaluating Online Information
- Evaluating Online Tools for Classroom Use
- Implementing Media Projects in the Classroom
- Making Media for Classroom Use: Audio and Video
- Making Media for Classroom Use: Images, Graphics and Interactives
The program partnered with Digital Promise to offer micro-credentials (digital badges) as evidence of educator achievement. Over 1,300 educators (including classroom teachers, librarians, after school providers, and home school educators) participated in the program, earning over 3,400 micro-credentials. More than just course “seat time,” each micro-credential required that the educator demonstrate media literacy instruction in a classroom setting, which was assessed by another educator and reviewed by me.
One hundred and eighty-one educators were awarded the full PBS Certification, demonstrating excellence in media literacy instruction and serving as leaders in their local education communities.
In 2022, the program received the “Media Literate Media” award from the National Association for Media Literacy Education, in recognition of the program’s efforts to support high quality media literacy education.
