Schools must teach math. Students also learn science. Well, kids in New Jersey will soon study another subject. The state’s governor signed a law on January 4. It tells New Jersey to teach information literacy in public schools. That’s for all grades. New Jersey is the first state to do this.
What is information literacy? The bill calls it “a set of skills that an individual to recognize when information is needed and to locate, , and effectively use the needed information.” You use information literacy when you read. That could be books or news. You also need it for social media.
Michael Testa is a New Jersey state senator. He voted for the bill. (The bill passed the state senate 36–0.) “Teaching children information literacy will help them,” said Testa. “This isn’t about teaching kids that any specific idea is true or false,” he added. “It’s about helping them learn how to understand the information for themselves.”
It’s hard to know what’s real. Some sites have fake facts. Governor Murphy said he wanted to give kids “tools to identify fact from fiction.” He said he was “proud” to sign this bill. He did that in Trenton, New Jersey.
Ewa Dziedzic-Elliott called this law “a huge win.” She’s a school librarian. Dziedzic-Elliott said information literacy supports all subjects. “We’re trying to add another layer to what we teach,” she explained. That means showing how “content is .”
Experts will add information literacy to New Jersey schools. That may take two years. Other states are watching. They may pass similar bills.
Updated January 5, 2023, 5:01 P.M. (ET)
By Russell Kahn (Russ)
