Commentary
The State of New Jersey recently enacted a law that requires K–12 students to learn “information literacy.” Stated plainly, this is the skills to determine what’s true and what’s not. The law is allegedly the first of its kind in the nation.
The sentiment behind the legislation is admirable, but the law itself is vague and gives the N.J. Department of Education broad authority to create these standards. Given the track record of the U.S. education establishment, this could be an epic mistake.
To wit, the latest adult skills assessment by the U.S. Department of Education found that only 37 percent of U.S. residents aged 16 to 65 years can correctly answer a question requiring basic logic, addition, and division. This is in spite of the fact that they were allowed to use a calculator and take as much time as needed….