Task force recommends integrated K–12 media literacy, teacher training and library-media specialist support

Task force members agreed media literacy should be integrated across K–12 instruction and supported by targeted professional development rather than taught as a single, one-off course.

Kevin (Co-chair) said media literacy "is not a 1 time, 1 off course requirement" and recommended a sustained, multidisciplinary curriculum developed with the State Department of Education. Teachers said media literacy is already used informally across classes but varies by teacher and school; they recommended a sequential framework, purposeful lessons and train-the-trainer models.

Angie and other teachers urged leveraging library media specialists to train classroom teachers. "The library media specialists focus on this a lot too," Kevin said, arguing that specialists' expertise should be used to scale instruction. Teachers urged professional development that equips teachers to embed source vetting, citation and skepticism into existing lessons without overburdening library staff.

Andy Feinstein warned against restricting media literacy to academic paper preparation and urged instruction aimed at everyday online behavior and social media skepticism: "There's a much more broad skill that needs to be taught... treat, what's online with a certain level of skepticism." The task force will recommend resources and PD that support both academic and real-world media-literacy skills.

Co-chairs will incorporate a media-literacy recommendation that emphasizes cross-disciplinary integration, PD and library-media specialist roles in the draft report.