Student Photographers Put Education, Policy Issues in Focus

Levner was a teacher and community organizer. Rieman was a policy analyst at the Department of Education. Together, they realized that putting cameras in the hands of young people would be an effective way to teach students the power of photography and how to become advocates for themselves and their education.

In 2004, Levner and Rieman founded Critical Exposure, a photography nonprofit in Washington that has conducted photo projects with students in Baltimore, Austin, New Orleans and Albuquerque.

"It's about using art to improve education," Rieman said.

And it seems to be working. In Philadelphia, students took pictures that encouraged the state legislature to increase education funding by $275 million. In Baltimore, photos helped convince state legislators to invest an extra $100 million to improve public school facilities.

After Critical Exposure's five-year anniversary party last month, Rieman and Levner said they look forward to having more projects in more cities so they can effect policy change and close the quality gap between America's private and public schools.

The video below tells more about the program.