Building Student Digital Literacy: ADL Innovation Lab for Educators
An invitation to partner with educators to strengthen students’ digital literacy skills.
ADL Innovation Lab One-pager
Teens today are encountering a rising tide of mis- and disinformation at their fingertips, but little in the way of practical tools or strategies to assess for themselves whether what they see online is real or fake. This is a cross-cutting issue that needs evidence-informed educational strategies to address. ADL is eager to learn with schools at this critical moment what truly works in building digital literacy skills for students. We believe the strongest solutions emerge through collaboration – by combining educator expertise and classroom realities with research, resources and shared problem-solving.
Our Shared Goal: Combating Misinformation and Antisemitism Online
Together, we aim to build awareness of mis- and disinformation online and to equip students with the practical skills they need to recognize it. These skills will enable them to evaluate sources and claims that they come across online, including antisemitic conspiracy theories and other harmful forms of mis- and disinformation that lead to hate. This work will be informed by the needs and challenges of educators and students.
Join the ADL Innovation Lab Network
We see the Innovation Lab Network as a shared learning community, and we warmly invite your ideas, questions and partnership as we work together to strengthen digital literacy for students.
Innovation Lab Benefits for Educators and School Leadership
For Educators
- Free professional development on building digital literacy skills and identifying online mis- and disinformation.
- A $500 stipend per engagement in appreciation of partnership.
- Continued access to classroom modules and instructional supports after the study concludes.
For Leadership
- District- and school-specific summaries of study results.
- Evidence on locally salient problems at no cost to your district.
- Co-presentation opportunities at local or national conferences.
- If desired, named acknowledgment of your district or school in public reports.
How the Digital Literacy Partnership Works
The Innovation Lab launches during the 2026-27 school year to work side by side with educators and school leaders, implementing the following process.
- Listening: Learning about your school’s context, your students and the challenges you face.
- Collaboration: We collaborate to identify, test and scale short (1-2 class period) modules, professional learning and instructional supports, with the goal of making them as effective, easy to implement and relevant as possible for your classrooms.
- Testing: Selected approaches are tested through short, iterative cycles, with rapid feedback from educators and students.
Innovation Lab Time Commitment and Expectations for Educators
Participating educators will dedicate a maximum of six (6) hours per engagement. This will include:
- A brief professional learning session about digital literacy education.
- Implementing agreed-upon materials in the classroom across one or two periods. As part of this, educators will collect light-touch data and feedback from students.
- A follow-up meeting with Innovation Lab staff to reflect on what worked, what didn’t and what could be improved – co-deciding next steps.
- Supporting communication and coordination with Innovation Lab staff and school administration, as needed.