About

Project Look Sharp is a nonprofit media literacy initiative based at Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York. Established in 1996, the organization develops curriculum materials and professional development programs to support critical thinking and media analysis in educational settings. It emphasizes an inquiry-based teaching model called Constructivist Media Decoding (CMD), which encourages students to analyze media by examining elements such as authorship, purpose, credibility, and bias.

Initially focused on school partnerships in upstate New York, Project Look Sharp has expanded to serve educators across the United States and internationally. Its work includes collaborations with schools, libraries, and education organizations, as well as participation in global media literacy efforts. These have included curriculum development projects in Panama and Turkey and ongoing partnerships with library associations.

Project Look Sharp provides over 900 free, downloadable lessons for use in K–12 and higher education. Topics covered include climate change, propaganda, digital citizenship, and history. The organization also delivers training for educators through workshops, webinars, and conference presentations.

One of its major initiatives, “Librarians as Leaders for Media Literacy” (ML3), focuses on training school librarians to integrate media literacy instruction into their institutions. This program has received support from educational foundations and national organizations.

Project Look Sharp’s instructional model has been recognized by educators, researchers, and policymakers. It has been cited in academic studies, teacher education programs, and public resource banks developed by government and nonprofit institutions. The organization’s work has been featured in various education-focused publications and media literacy toolkits.

Leadership of the organization includes its co-founders, Cyndy Scheibe and Chris Sperry, both affiliated with Ithaca College. The organization has received recognition from several national education organizations for its contributions to media literacy education.