Education News
Resources for School Library Media Specialists
Grants & Awards
Professional Development
Education News
Third Year of AASL's Longitudinal Study Open for Participation
"School Libraries Count!" gathers basic data about the status of school library media programs across the country. The information compiled from the results of the survey are used to develop advocacy tools to support school library media programs at the local, state, and national levels. All K-12 schools - public and private - are invited to participate on a voluntary basis. Additional questions have been added to the survey that focus on English Language Learners (ELLs). The last day to complete the survey is March 12, 2009.
Survey Results Find That Texans Love School Library Media Programs
The Texas Library Association (TLA) released results of a recent statewide survey asking Texas voters their opinion about school and public libraries. The support for school library media programs was overwhelming. According to the results, 99% of voters believe that school library media programs are essential to education and are willing to vote in support of them. More than nine in ten voters believe that school library media specialists are an essential part of student achievement.
P21 Releases New White Paper on Learning Environments
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) recently released a new white paper, "21st Century Learning Environments," which suggests that the term "learning environments" may refer to something other than a physical space. The report notes that traditional understanding may need to be revised to include virtual, online, and remote learning environments, as well as the support of positive human relationships, especially in a more diverse and complex world.
New Report Helps Bridge the Gap in Early Literacy
The National Institute for Literacy released a report, "Developing Early Literacy," developed by the National Early Literacy Panel (NELP), that helps to bridge the large gap in the early literacy research knowledge base. According to the findings, among the best early predictors of literacy are alphabet knowledge, phonemic awareness, rapid naming skills, writing [such as writing one's own name], and short-term memory for words said aloud.
School Library Media Programs Appear a Major Focus of President Obama's Federal Economic Recovery Plan
In a speech made by President Obama on January 8, he says, "To give our children the chance to live out their dreams in a world that's never been more competitive, we will equip tens of thousands of schools, community colleges, and public universities with 21st-century classrooms, labs, and libraries. We'll provide new computers, new technology, and new training for teachers so that students… can compete with kids in Beijing for the high-tech, high-wage jobs." Recently, President Obama unveiled an $825 billion economic recovery package. The stimulus package includes huge increases in federal spending on education. Proposed areas of investment in education include: school construction; education technology; IDEA special education; Title I help for disadvantaged kids; statewide data systems; education for homeless youth; improving teacher quality; and early childhood education.
Article Suggests Strategies to Eliminate Reading Deficiencies Before They Start
In a recent article, authors Alan Kazdin and Carlo Rotella of Slate Magazine have narrowed the culprit of reading deficiency to several overlapping components: vocabulary, comprehension, phonological awareness, decoding, and fluency. Their recommendations for parents to improve these skills are: talk to your child, encourage speech-like sounds, read to your child and have books around, and make reading a peaceful, enjoyable exercise. A parent-child reading routine should continue through elementary school and should include asking the child anticipatory and inferential questions.
Resources for School Library Media Specialists
ALA Offers New Resource with Research and Statistics for Advocating for Libraries
Add It Up is a new tool offered by the American Library Association (ALA) that provides research and statistics to help advocates make the case for libraries at every stage of youth development and education. Resources are available in three categories - preschool, kindergarten through middle school, and high school.
ALA's Washington Office Suggests Two Free Child Safety Resources
NetSmartz® Workshop and Take 25 are two free child safety resources from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). These resources will enable school library media specialists to address an issue important to every school community: child safety.
NetSmartz® Workshop helps kids, tweens, and teens recognize Internet risks through content tailored for each age group, from animated music videos to short, teen-narrated documentaries.
The Take 25 campaign is a national grassroots initiative encouraging parents, educators, and other trusted adults to simply take 25 minutes to talk to children about safety. Its free resources include safety tips, discussion guides, child ID kits, and sample outreach materials, which will help your library be a part of facilitating a community-wide discussion about child safety.
NCES Unveils a Web Tool with Estimates on Adult Literacy
The U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has unveiled a new Web tool with estimates of the percentage of adults - for all states and counties in the U.S. - who lack basic prose literacy skills. The Web tool allows for comparisons to be made between two states, two counties, and across data years.
Activities for Families Help to Beat the Winter Blues
Education.com offers seventy-six pages of learning activities for parents to help their cabin-fevered students get through the long winter nights. Activities are available for Preschool through High School age students and are sorted by grade or topic.
Wiki Helps Readers Discover Series Books
The Children's Series Binder wiki provides a comprehensive listing of series children's books with the chronological and publication order of the series. The wiki is organized by series title and genre, and the entire wiki is searchable by keyword.
Grants & Awards 
Beyond Words Grant Featured in Special Edition of Education Week
Be sure to check your professional library for a copy of Quality Counts 2009, a special edition of Education Week. AASL is featured in a full-page ad on the back cover promoting the Dollar General Disaster Relief Program that AASL administers. The magazine's title is "Portrait of a Population: How English-Language Learners are Putting Schools to the Test."
Beyond Words funding is still available for public school library media programs affected by natural disasters. All programs within 20 miles of a Dollar General store are encouraged to apply. To date, more than ninety grants have been given to public school library media programs affected by natural disasters.
U.S. DOE Offers Funding for Districts with a High Percentage of Underprivileged Students
The U.S. Department of Education's Improving Literacy Through School Libraries (LSL) Program provides funding to public school library media programs in districts where 20 percent of students served are from families with incomes below the poverty line. Funds are used to improve reading achievement through updating the library collection, expanding Internet connections, purchasing new technology, providing professional development for school library media specialists, and extending school library media center hours. The funding is for local public school districts, charter schools, or state-administered schools that are considered local school districts by their State Educational Agency. Please note that individual schools may not apply for this program. Applications are due on March 6, 2009, at 4:30 P.M. EST. Approximately 18.5 million dollars will be available for funding, and an estimated 80 grants will be awarded.
Highlights from "The Second Evaluation of the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries Program," issued by the U.S. DOE, suggests that schools that are participating in LSL are performing higher on state reading tests than students in schools that do not take part in the program.
U.S. DOE Offers Grants for Programs that Support a Drug-Free School Community
The U.S. Department of Education is offering grants that support local education agencies (LEAs) in the development of community-wide approaches to creating safe and drug-free schools and promoting healthy childhood development. Programs are intended to prevent violence and the illegal use of drugs and to promote safety and discipline. Coordination with other community-based organizations (CBOs) is required. This program is jointly funded and administered by the departments of Education, Justice, and Health and Human Services. All school districts are eligible to apply before the March 4 deadline.
Teaching American History Grant Program
This program supports projects that aim to raise student achievement by improving teachers' knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of traditional American history. Awards assist districts, in partnership with colleges and universities, history and humanities organizations, libraries, and/or museums to develop, implement, document, evaluate, and disseminate innovative, cohesive models of professional development. Interested candidates must apply before March 9, 2009.
Nike Offers Grants for Public School with Disadvantaged Students
Apply before April 15 for the Jordan Fundamentals Grant Program recognizes outstanding teaching and instructional creativity in public secondary schools that serve economically disadvantaged students. All public K-12 teachers in U.S. are eligible for the $10,000 award.
Ezra Jack Keats Foundation Offers Mini-grants to Public School Library Media Specialists
The Ezra Jack Keats (EJK) Foundation will offer its Mini-grant Program for the twenty-second year in a row. The EJK Foundation has awarded over half a million dollars in grants to public schools and libraries in all 50 states and the US Commonwealth since the Mini-grant Program was started in 1987. The deadline for submission of proposals for the $500 Mini-grant award is September 15, 2009.
Be sure to explore the EJK Web site after printing out the application for more information on the author/illustrator Ezra Jack Keats.
Professional Development
Register for AASL 14th National Conference & Exhibition
"Rev up learning @ your library" with the only national conference dedicated to the needs of school library media specialists! The conference will take place November 5-8 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Register before July 14 to take advantage of the "Early Bird" reduced registration rates.
Mark Twain Museum Offers Workshops for School Library Media Specialists
The Mark Twain Museum in Hannibal, Missouri, is offering three summer workshops for school library media specialists and teachers. The workshops are designed to help teach about Mark Twain in the classroom from grade three through high school. Reservations are taken on a first come, first served basis.
Lesson plans for teachers and resources for students are also available on the museum Web site.
