The Department of Education is proposing to priortize funding for projects that will teach "critical race theory" and "information literacy skills" to counter "misinformation," according to documents published in the Federal Registry this week.
The first lists preference for federal grantees will be given to "projects that incorporate racially, ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse perspectives into teaching and learning," quoting from anti-racist theory creator Ibram X. Kendi and also citing The New York Times' 1619 Project, which has been decried by some historians.
Additionally, it elevated the "growing acknowledgment of the importance of including, in the teaching and learning of our country's history, both the consequences of slavery, and the significant contributions of Black Americans to our society."
The proposal lists in its background a quote from a 2017 Brookings Institution Report, which said: "Funding efforts to enhance news literacy should be a high priority for governments."
"This is especially the case with people who are going online for the first time. For those individuals, it is hard to distinguish false from real news, and they need to learn how to evaluate news sources, not accept at face value everything they see on social media or digital news sites. Helping people become better consumers of online information is crucial as the world moves towards digital immersion."
The proposal was particularly critical of teens, citing a 2019 survey from Common Sense Media and Survey Monkey.
"Teens get their news more frequently from social media sites (e.g., Facebook and Twitter) or from YouTube than directly from news organizations," it said. "More than half of teens (54%) get news from social media, and 50% get news from YouTube at least a few times a week. Fewer than half, 41%, get news reported by news organizations in print or online at least a few times a week, and only 37% get news on TV at least a few times a week."
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