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New Bill Seeks to Set Digital Literacy Standards

Idea Category: Smart Government

A recent Stanford University survey of American high school students found that 96% lacked the skills to judge the reliability of online information. This sobering finding, combined with the increasing role misinformation has played in American political division, inspired NewDEALer Delaware Senator Sarah McBride to introduce legislation to require Delaware’s Department of Education to set “evidence-based media literacy standards” to be incorporated into learning plans. The legislation has passed both the House and the Senate and awaits the Governor’s signature. McBride hopes the new standards will allow “educators to really address these two significant, insidious problems: a mental health crisis exacerbated by online bullying and a democratic crisis fostered by disinformation, misinformation.” The new curriculum is intended to help students identify credible sources of information, foster positive social media behavior, and identify techniques of online manipulation. Read more about this important issue, and how Delaware is tackling it, here.