Illinois Media Literacy Coalition

Creating a more media literate Illinois.

Our Mission

The Illinois Media Literacy Coalition is a group of educators, practitioners, and scholars dedicated to improving media literacy education in the state of Illinois.

We do so through the study of the wide variety of media literacy models and materials available to teachers to identify best practices and core competencies that are part of media literacy and its various subdomains.

We offer guidance and training on core media literacy competencies to enable educators and administrators to take full advantage of the variety of materials available for building skills in mindful media consumption and creation.

Our Framework

Read the simple 4-concept framework undergirding media literacy, based on previous work from NAMLE and the Media Education Lab.

Coalition Collaborations

The 2nd Annual MediaEd Research Jam

How do we measure? What do we value? Where do we coalesce?

March 12–13, 2026, national and international media literacy educators and researchers met at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. Progressive presentations were shared, reviewed, discussed, and developed during this two-day, in-person event. Collaborative salons were designed to spark research partnerships and developed educational strategies which address current challenges in media literacy education.

To foster collaboration and meaningful discussion, the Research Jam focused on three research provocations:

What counts as Media Literacy Education?
How do we assess success in Media Literacy Education?
How can Media Literacy ethics help bridge political divides?

This gathering was co-sponsored by the Illinois Media Literacy Coalition, Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, Columbia College, the Media Education Lab, and the UNESCO MIL Alliance North America & Europe Chapter.

Get Involved

During Fall, 2025, Chicago Journalists Association & some members of ILMLC collaborated at Columbia College to share reflections and ideas to move forward with students in Illinois of all ages.

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