News rundown: more non-academic requirement in schools

(As if grit, growth mindset, mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and all that social stuff weren’t already enough.)

Last year, New Jersey became the first state to require media literacy at every grade level. According to the New Jersey state website, students must now learn "the difference between primary and secondary sources" and "the difference between facts, points of view, and opinions."

Will they also learn the difference between made-up facts and well-substantiated opinions? Or that many primary studies involve flawed research, misleading literature reviews, and footnotes that don’t support the claims?

Last month, New Jersey also became the first state to require “grief education,” which will be integrated into health classes.

According to the New Jersey state website:

New Jersey’s public schools will be required to provide instruction for students in grades 8 through 12, on, at a minimum, the physical, emotional, and behavioral symptoms of grief; coping mechanisms and techniques for handling grief and loss; and resources available to students, including in-school support, mental health crisis support, and individual and group therapy.

Back when I took health, in a less divisive, less emotionally fraught, more self-empowering era, the focus was on how to manage your period, how not to get pregnant, and how to administer CPR.  

Finally, last month, Pennsylvania recently became the 25^th state to require financial literacy. Starting in 2026, Pennsylvania high school students will be required to take a semester of financial literacy before graduating. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer:

The new law didn’t mandate what topics schools must include in teaching financial literacy. Instead, it directs the Pennsylvania Department of Education to develop model curriculum and resources, aligned with state academic standards reviewed by the state Board of Education.

This trend, the Inquirer reports, “has been advocated by groups like Next Gen Personal Finance, a nonprofit pushing for all high school students to take a semester of personal finance before graduating” and has hired lobbyists to help states craft legislation.

There doesn’t seem to be an option to place out or opt out if you’d rather take a programming course or another semester of Spanish