Change Management

In applying organizational theory to the continuing need for educational systems to grow and change, it is commonly accepted that any program of systemic change requires training in order to insure implementation. At the same time, to provide training is to drive change in existing systems.

Training and change management go hand in hand, but it's not enough to call for change. And change for change's sake isn't a solution, either. Change must be undertaken for one overriding reason: to increase effectiveness in reaching desired outcomes. Such change requires excellent leadership and management skills because it must be thoughtfully and consistently supported throughout all systems of the organization — not just curriculum development but also training and evaluation, recognition and reward systems, facilities and technology management, administrative policies and practices. Communication is also an important ingredient and must reflect to all stakeholders the purpose behind change and the progress realized or the lessons learned.

Media literacy is a process which plays a key role in this bigger picture. Indeed media literacy is a nexus for change because it links the outside world to the classroom, it engages students through the multi-media world in which they live and it requires the teaching methods necessary for students to gain the competencies needed for 21st century citizenship. Introducing media literacy into state, district and individual school systems automatically means change is at hand.

The fields of change management, organizational development and strategic human resource management have much to offer educational administrators.  CML offers specialized expertise in integrating media literacy not only into the curriculum, but into the very fiber of a school or district's management and administration. The CML Media Lit Kit, with its research-based framework for media literacy and host of implementation tools, provides a solid foundation for providing a comprehensive approach to media literacy education. The Change Management unit of CML's Trilogy called Media Literacy: A System for Learning AnyTime, Anywhere, is an excellent guide providing an e-book, a Professional Development module and a Toolkit for those interested in exploring this approach.