The following quotes from interviews with Project participants represent their perspectives about what SMARTArt contributed to student learning.

Partnering Organizations

Media literacy gives students a more global view, a sense of connection to the larger society. It's a way of looking at the world in a little more systematic and critical way. We keep saying we're trying to train our students to become part of the 21st Century, and I think this is part of it. I think this is essential for students to learn.
- Luiz Sampaio, Arts Education Advisor, District 4 Los Angeles Unified School District

Media literacy is integrated into what we're already doing. I see it helping our students with higher level thinking skills, creating more critical minds.
- Louis Carrillo, Principal, Leo Politi Elementary School

Cognitively all kids' brains are wired in different ways, so it's good for students to get a wide variety of opportunities during their learning experience of going to school. The neat thing about SmartArt is the way that the students are engaged in the process.
- Richard Alonzo, Superintendent, District 4 Los Angeles Unified School District

Education is not so much teaching skills; the hard thing to develop is the passion for wanting to learn, wanting to question and challenge. I see that happening at Leo Politi. The kids are so turned on when they're doing the media literacy activities. We're bringing in the media, letting the kids use it, and they love it. This is the motivation that has been drained out of normal literacy.

It's rare to find a place where elementary school teachers can work on these ideas of media literacy. That's a tremendous thing we've been able to do.
- Jeff Share, Media Literacy Coach, Center for Media Literacy

Not only are students learning how to understand and engage in the world, they're learning how to be an active constructor of that world.
- Denise Grande, MCED's Director of Strategic Initiatives

I'm sure each student is learning different things in the Project, but what they can learn is how to look at media and see it in a different way, which could challenge their thinking and create a more aware person.
- Clifford Cohen, President, AnimAction, Inc.

In a sense the media literacy process taught in the Project is a great example of what we want our citizens to be able to do. We want citizens who can think about things, who can analyze and make good decisions. We also want them to be in tune with the emotional side of their lives, to be able to express themselves and acknowledge the impact that certain messages or experiences have on them.

So we have the intellectual along with the emotional and they are tied together in a way that gives people the power for making decisions, expressing themselves, and participating in discussions about really important issues.
- Tessa Jolls, President and CEO, Center for Media Literacy

Artist/Educators: Los Angeles Music Center Education Division

Our focus is to make sure the experience is good for the children. The goal being that they become more inquisitive and more intelligent when they look at media. That, I think, is a gift that is enormous.
- Alvaro Asturias, visual artist

Discovering how to be their own advocate is a big thing for kids to learn. Having experiences in working in groups, in the sense of being both aggressive (speaking up) and being receptive (learning how to learn from their peers not just authority figures) are important life skills.
- Amy Santo, dancer

In learning and using the media literacy questions the children are gaining insight into something that's really worthwhile, something that's becoming more and more relevant.
- Andrew Grueschow, percussionist

Students are learning the ability to accept each other's work and to be open to helping each other. That's when creativity can blossom. If somebody is supporting and not negating what you do, then you feel like you have the freedom and support to create. Learning how to open up and color outside the lines is a skill students take with them into their future careers.
- Candy Danzig, theatre artist

Teachers: Leo Politi Elementary School

The most valuable thing students are learning is to use their critical thinking, to actually see how media works without just watching TV and taking in all these ads and shows.
- Lorena Mendoza, 2nd Grade Teacher

The media literacy process gives students tools to use, questions, and strategies to become a more critical viewer.
- Lorenza Yarnes, 3rd Grade Teacher

I see media literacy as a valuable goal of education because our kids are exposed to it seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day. How to use the knowledge from all that media exposure into what we do in schools is the ultimate question.
- Steve Schullo, 3rd Grade Teacher, Year 1 Overall Track Coordinator

Becoming aware of media literacy and learning what it is makes it easier to incorporate it into the regular things you are teaching. The media literacy concepts and questions clarified and crystallized my understanding and helped the kids get focused.
- Ralph Sanders, 3rd Grade Teacher

As a teacher it's a lot of work. But if someone doesn't see it so much as extra work but as a way to enhance what they are doing; if they don't see it as a separate subject but try to fit it in; children can learn something they might not have learned otherwise.
- Bonnie Blitzstein, 4-5th Grade Teacher, Specific Learning Disabilities Day Class, Year 3 Overall Track Coordinator

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