Today our teachers and school systems are ill-equipped and ill-served in this fight. It requires focused intention, investment, and the sharing of knowledge, techniques, tools, and research across fields of the learning sciences, civics, digital and media literacy, technology, cybersecurity, and national security.

That is the goal of a new partnership and series of projects launched by New America, Cyber Florida, and the Florida Center for Instructional Technology this month, in conjunction with the National Association for Media Literacy Education. The projects will focus on what we call Cyber Citizenship — a state in which all individuals online have the knowledge and skills to check and verify the information coming across their screens, critically inquire about and seek evidence about what they are consuming, and create and share media messages in ways that advance dialogue and civil discourse.