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Volume 11, Issue 3
June 2012
Association News
Education News
Resources for School Librarians
Grants & Awards
Professional Development
Partnership News
Member Spotlight
Register for AASL Preconferences at the 2012 ALA Annual Conference
Registration is available for this month’s AASL preconferences at the ALA Annual Conference taking place June 21-26! This year’s conference in Anaheim, CA will bring together more than 25,000 librarians, educators, authors, publishers, literacy experts, illustrators and the leading suppliers to the market. As part of this annual event, AASL will offer two exciting preconferences on Friday, June 22:
• Libraries in the Cloud
8:30 am to Noon
Doug Johnson will host this preconference on how libraries can benefit by moving to the cloud and what role librarians can play when staff and student applications become hosted. The session discusses the implication of hosted computer applications and resources on school library programs and the role of the school librarian.
• Leading Professional Development that Matters…and Works
12:30 pm to 4:00 pm
Debbie Abilock, Kristin Fontichiaro, and Violet H. Harada will discuss several professional development models for cultivating leadership in school librarians, and explore how schools can be improved from the inside out.
Ticket price information for these AASL preconferences can be found at the ALA Annual Conference Website. For more information on AASL preconferences and sessions at the 2012 ALA annual Conference visit the AASL @ ALA Annual Conference website.
 New Knowledge Quest Features Interview with Former First Lady Laura Bush
AASL Executive Director Julie Walker interviews Former First Lady Laura Bush in the May/Jun 2012 issue of AASL’s professional journal, Knowledge Quest. The issue focuses on the theme “Caring is Essential.” Walker and Mrs. Bush discuss the role the Gulf Coast School Library Recovery Initiative grants played in the emotional recovery of the students and school staff in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and other Gulf Coast storms. Established in 2006, the initiative was created by the Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries to help school libraries become fully functional and to offer the needed print resources to the students of schools destroyed or severely damaged by the tropical storms of 2005. The interview is also
available to read online.
AASL e-Academy Offers Learning Throughout the Summer
Register now for one or more of the AASL e-Academy courses scheduled through the end of summer. These four-week self-paced courses are designed to give participants 12 hours of learning led by experts in the school library field. The upcoming course schedule includes:
• Design for Understanding Meets the 21st Century School Librarian
July 9 – Aug. 3
Facilitator: Mary Keeling
• From 0 to 60: Implement eBooks in Your Library Program in 4 Weeks
July 16 – Aug. 10
Facilitator: Richard Hasenyager
• Making a Place, Making a Case for Read-Alouds: A Powerful Teaching Tool for Literacy
July 16 – Aug. 10
Facilitator: Christina Dorr
AASL e-Academy courses are led in Moodle, a Web-based online learning system that students can access from their browser. Each course is designed with the busy school librarian in mind - participants can complete coursework at a time that is most convenient for them. Detailed descriptions of each course and registration information are available on the AASL e-Academy pages.
AASL Fall Forum Toolkit Helps School Librarians "Make Their Case"
To help school librarians demonstrate to their supervisors the value of attending the 2012 Fall Forum, AASL has included a justification toolkit as part of its Fall Forum website. AASL understands that due to the economy, many schools have made cuts to their professional development budgets and have limited out-of-state training. With these restrictions, school librarians may need to justify the expense of attending the Fall Forum, regardless of the merits of the institute. The Justification toolkit contains general information, tips, worksheets and approval letter templates school librarians can utilize when making their presentations. AASL’s national institute, “Transliteracy and the School Library Program,” will take
place Oct. 12-13, 2012, in Greenville, S.C., and satellite site offerings include Western Pennsylvania, Eastern Pennsylvania, North Texas and the California Bay Area. For more information on the Fall Forum visit the forum website.
 AASL to Announce 2012 Best Websites for Teaching and Learning at ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim
AASL will announce the recipients of the 2012 Best Websites for Teaching and Learning during the ALA 2012 Annual Conference in Anaheim, Calif. The announcement marks the achievement of 100 sites honored for fostering the qualities of innovation, creativity, active participation and collaboration since the recognition’s inception in 2009. It also debuts a new format for the recognition, which will include the announcement of all recognized sites, interviews with the creators of selected sites and tips to use sites in the school setting. Sites recognized as a Best Website for Teaching and Learning are free, Web-based sites that are user-friendly and encourage a community of learners to explore and discover. They also provide a foundation to support AASL's Standards for the 21st-Century Learner. The announcement will take place at 8 a.m. on Saturday, June 23, in room 213D of the Anaheim Convention Center. For more information on this and other AASL events
at ALA Annual Conference, visit the conference website.
AASL Expands its Advocacy Brochure Series with Spanish Translation
AASL has expanded its School Library Programs Improve Student Learning series of advocacy brochures with the addition of a Spanish translation of the parent brochure. The brochure outlines goals and key questions specific and important to parents. With a growing number of English Language Learners in school library programs across the country, the translation of this brochure provides a tool to help school librarians communicate the value of the library program with parents and families who speak only Spanish. The Spanish translation of the brochure, generously sponsored by Bound to Stay Bound Books, is freely available for download on the AASL website and for purchase in packs of 25 through the ALA Store. In addition, ALA 2012 Annual
Conference attendees will be able to purchase packs from the ALA bookstore on the exhibit floor.
AASL Extends Deadline to Submit Data Analysis Proposals
AASL has extended the deadline for researchers to submit a proposal to undertake a data analysis of its national longitudinal survey of school library programs, School Libraries Count! Those interested in submitting a proposal are asked to send required materials to the AASL office before the extended deadline of June 15. The researcher or research team selected will be expected to create a statistical analysis using five years of raw survey data from School Libraries Count! and create a report to be published and distributed by AASL. While AASL will share the entire report with AASL members, the researcher or research team will work with AASL to submit selected results in peer-reviewed journals outside of the school library
profession. Additionally, the researcher or research team will collaborate with AASL to submit programs related to the findings to venues both inside and outside the profession. Finalists will be interviewed by phone or in-person during the ALA 2012 Annual Conference taking place June 20-26 in Anaheim, Calif. To view the complete RFP and for contact information, please visit the AASL website.
AASL Offers Professional Development Webinars in June
AASL is offering two complimentary professional development webinars in June for AASL personal members.
• Common Core Carpe Diem: Seize the Day on Information Integration!
Wednesday, June 6 | 6:00 p.m. CDT
Presenter: Paige Jaeger
With the adoption of the Common Core Learning Standards comes a paradigm shift in both content and pedagogy. The librarian, or cybrarian, can play a vital role to assist teachers in implementing the CCSS. Technology will no longer save your job-it will certainly help, but it is no longer being the focus for star performance. To survive budget cuts, we need to become an essential link in content delivery and achievement.
• The Transformative Power of Care
Tuesday, June 12 | 7:00 p.m. CDT
Presenter: Olga Nesi
Care is central to the improvement of all school library endeavors. Interactions, inquiry instruction, readers’ advisory, collection development and the library’s physical environment are all positively transformed by the consistent demonstration and application of care. Nesi will guide participants through ways to have caring interactions with the different constituents of the school community and how to offer reading guidance to students and colleagues in a caring way.
To register for a professional development program visit the AASL Website.
Help AASL Reach Communities in Need with Beyond Words Grant Survey
Since 2006 AASL, with funding from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, has given more than one million dollars in grants to over 130 school libraries across the country. AASL would like to ensure that the Beyond Words grants, information and resources continues to reach those communities in need. Please take a short (7 question) survey to help AASL gain feedback on the Beyond Words program communication and marketing efforts.
AASL Seeks Proposals for Preconference Workshops at the AASL 16th National Conference
AASL invites proposals for preconference workshops to be presented during the AASL 16th National Conference and Exhibition. Preconference workshops will be held on Wed., Nov. 13 and Thurs., Nov 14. The submission deadline is 11:59 p.m. CDT on Friday, Jun. 15.
Proposals should be for half- or full-day preconference workshops. All proposals should include up to three learning objectives and should address how the session supports the AASL Strategic Plan, the AASL Standards for the 21st-Century Learner, and/or Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library
Programs. The AASL Annual Conference committee will evaluate proposals for clarity, originality, and timeliness. Submissions will only be accepted via the online form. Submitters will be notified as to the proposal's status on or before Friday, July 13.
The AASL National Conference and Exhibition, "Rising to the Challenge," is the only national conference dedicated solely to the needs of school librarians and their roles as educational leaders. Taking place Nov. 13-17, 2013 in Hartford, Conn., the AASL National Conference will feature preconference workshops, concurrent sessions and an exhibition featuring companies relevant to the school library profession. More information on the conference, including special events, author appearances, and keynote presenters will be available on or before January 2013.
Preliminary 2012 NMC Report Reveals Emerging Trends and Technologies in Education and Learning
New Media Consortium (NMC) publications has released its Horizon Report 2012: K-12 Edition, a collaborative research effort between the NMC, the Consortium of School Networking (CoSN), and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) that offers results of the top emerging technologies, trends, and challenges that will impact on teaching, learning, and creative inquiry over the next five years. The full report, created by 2012 Horizon K-12 Edition Advisory Board, will be officially released at the 2012 NMC Summer Conference in Boston this month.
New Report Examines Parent-Child Interactions with Print and Digital Books
The Joan Ganz Cooney Center has released a new QuickStudy on parent-child interactions as they read print and digital books together. The study found that there were no differences between print books and eBooks in general, but differences were found between print books and enhanced eBooks. Findings showed that parent-child pairs experienced less conversational engagement with the content of enhanced eBooks than when reading print books. In addition, the reading of both types of eBooks, but especially enhanced eBooks, brought on more non-content related talk and actions (behavior or device focused talk, pushing hands away) than print books. Researchers also found that kids who read enhanced eBooks remembered fewer narrative details than kids who read the print version of the same story, which may be related to the parent/child attention to non-content issues when reading both types of eBooks.
You can also hear more about this research at the AASL President’s Program on Saturday, June 23 at the ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, CA. Lori Takeuchi, director of research at the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop, will give a presentation about how parents nationwide feel about raising children in a digital age. For more information visit the AASL @ ALA Annual Conference website.
Speak Up 2011 Report Highlights School Librarian Support for Teachers through Technology Expertise and Training
Project Tomorrow recentlyreleased its Speak Up 2011 Report: Personalizing the Classroom Experience – Teachers, Librarians and Administrators Connect the dots with Digital Learning. This report is the second in a two part series to document the key national findings from Speak Up 2011 and focuses on how today’s educators are personalizing the learning process for students. According to the report, school librarians "are supporting teachers’ use of technology in many ways including creating collections of appropriate online resources for teachers to use in the classroom (65 percent), locating digital content such as videos, animations and podcasts to support instruction (51%) and evaluating software for classroom use (40%)." Two-thirds of librarians (67%) are also regularly participating in professional learning communities with the teachers they work with. The report found that school librarians are also increasing teachers’ capacity for
using digital media and content tools. In fact, 46% of school librarians are now regularly training teachers on how to find and evaluate high quality digital resources.
Joan Ganz Cooney Center Releases National Survey on Games and Teaching
The Joan Ganz Cooney Center support from their partners at E Line Media, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the John L and James S Knight Foundation and BrainPop, has released the first national teacher survey on Games and Teaching, along with a series of videos on promising practices integrating games into intellectually ambitious instruction in the classroom. The study found that 32% of educators use games 2-4 times a week and 18% use them every day. In addition 70 percent of respondents said using digital games increases motivation and engagement, while 62 percent said games make it easier to level lessons and teach effectively.
Report Finds Principal Evaluations Should be Based on Leadership Rather than Student Achievement
A new report from the American Institutes for Research (AIR) finds that principal evaluation systems should not be based solely on student achievement gains, but rather on the quality of school-level leadership and performance. The report identified key qualities found in successful principals, including time management, modeling ethical and professional behaviors, showing initiative and persistence, engaging in ongoing reflection and learning, using data to inform strategy, judiciously allocating human and financial resources, and censuring compliance with district, state, and federal policy. The report also describes how principals' work has changed over time, and the new demands on principals' time and attention.
Practical Guide Offers Information on Developing Principal Evaluation Systems
The National Center for Comprehensive Teacher Quality has released a practical guide to designing principal evaluation systems, intended to assist states and districts in developing systems of principal evaluation and support, and informed by research on evaluation design and lessons learned through the experience of state/district evaluation designers. The guide has three sections and discusses eight components critical to states' and districts' success in redesigning principal evaluations.
New Brief Evaluates "Deeper Learning" Competencies in States
A new brief from the Alliance for Excellent Education finds that states vary in the degree to which "deeper learning" skills are reflected in college- and career-ready standards, accountability systems, professional development, and teacher evaluations. Deeper learning competencies prepare students to know and master core academic content; think critically and solve complex problems; work collaboratively; communicate effectively; and be self-directed and able to incorporate feedback. The Alliance brief focused on three components: 1) Whether waiver applications define college- and career-ready standards in a way that encourages deeper learning. 2) The extent to which state plans for teacher professional development include instructional strategies for deeper learning competencies. 3) The extent to which teacher evaluations encourage opportunities for deeper learning. The report evaluates six states. They all fared well on the first component, but varied
considerably on the second and third. The brief recommends that in addition to implementing curriculum and student assessments aligned with college- and career- ready standards, the implementation of these standards require professional development and teacher evaluation systems aligned with preparing students to meet those standards.
Stanford Draft Offers Guidance for ELL Instruction
A team of experts at Stanford University has released draft guidance on how to prepare educators for teaching the Common Core standards to English-learners. The document, “Key Principles for ELL Instruction,” contains six instructional principles to help guide educators who work with ELLs as they implement the more rigorous math and English/language arts standards. Specific actions for educators, principals, other school-level administrators, as well as for district-wide leaders are included under each instructional principle, highlighting actual practices to use in classrooms. The team is seeking school districts to review the draft unit and provide feedback before it makes its official debut later in June.
Fordham Report Examines the Cost of Transitioning to Common Core Standards
A new report by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, examines the net costs of three hypothetical transition routes to the new Common Core Standards in mathematics and English/language arts: 1) The “business as usual” approach. This is the most expensive. It entails buying hard-copy textbooks, giving annual paper-based assessments, and delivering in-person professional development to teachers. Over the next one to three years, it would cost states $8.3 billion, according to the report. 2) The “bare bones” approach. This approach could save states money by using open-source materials, annual computer-based tests, and online professional development, according to the Institute. The report estimates that states could spend $927 million less than the $3.9 billion they currently do in those three areas. 3) The “balanced” approach. This approach would incorporate traditional and money-saving elements, such as a blend of in-person, online, and
train-the-trainer professional development, and a mix of instructional materials, some produced by districts and teachers themselves. Fordham projects the net cost to states at $1.2 billion.
The Fordham study encourages states to take advantage of new approaches that could be more cost-effective and cites examples of collaborative efforts that have worked. “The bottom line is that successful [common-standards] implementation does not have to be wildly expensive and could support changes that have a permanent and positive impact on the quality and effectiveness of teaching and learning,” the study said.
Resources for School Librarians
Panel Discussion on Education Reform to Stream Live
On Monday, June 4 at 5:15 p.m. EST, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, New York State Education Commissioner John B. King and New York City Chancellor Dennis Walcott will discuss the intersections of national, state and local reform and the role that philanthropy can play. The panel is the centerpiece of Philanthropy New York's 33rd Annual Meeting and will explore what it means to be college/career-ready in the 21st century, what it takes to transform schools that don't work into ones that do, what is needed to build a great education workforce and build the capacity of those already in the profession, and how school systems can communicate the new Common Core Standards and engage communities in their implementation.
Free Webinar on How to Flip Classrooms and Reach Students
ASCD is offering a free webinar, F lip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every Day (Part 1), on Tuesday, June 12, 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM EST. Flipped Learning is when educators actively transfer the responsibility and ownership of learning to their students. It happens when the teacher’s lecture is delivered to students via video outside of the classroom. Then traditional class time is used for active problem solving and one-to-one or small group tutoring with the teacher. The flipped class allows teachers to have more face-to-face time with students, allows for real differentiated or personalized learning to occur, causes student to take responsibility for their learning, and allows students to master material at their own pace. Presenters will walk through their transformation from classroom lecturers to flipped learning pioneers, and discuss the techniques of the flipped classroom and the structure of a flipped lesson – from
the technical to the teaching.
Next Generation Learning Challenges Announces Third Wave of Grants
Recognizing the need for a fundamental change in the way education is designed and delivered across secondary and postsecondary institutions, Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC) has announced the availability of $12 million in grants for comprehensive whole school and college models that use technology to achieve more personalized learning experiences. Funding is being provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Initial applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until June 8, 2012. Visit the Next Generation website for more information.
Lois Lenski Covey Foundation Offers Grants for Books
The Lois Lenski Covey Foundation annually awards grants for purchasing books published for young people preschool through grade 8 to libraries or organizations that serve economically or socially at-risk children, have limited book budgets, and demonstrate real need. The maximum award is $3,000, specifically for book purchases. Public libraries, school libraries, and non-traditional libraries operated by 501(c)3 agencies are eligible to enter. The deadline is June 15.
NAIS Offers Challenge 20/20
The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) invites schools to participate in Challenge 20/20, a program that brings together one school from the United States and one school from outside of the United States. Teacher-student teams from both schools work together throughout the fall 2012 school semester to come up with a solution to a global problem. Challenge 20/20 is based on Jean Francois Rischard's book, High Noon: 20 Global Problems, 20 Years to Solve Them. All U.S. schools, elementary and secondary, public or private, are eligible. The deadline to enter is August 17.
Brown Rudnick Center for Public Interest Offers Community Grant Program
The Brown Rudnick Center Community Grant Program recognizes, encourages, and collaborates with front-line workers within the educational system who often do not have a voice in funding decisions; and provides funding to assist with small, concrete projects or needs that will make an improvement in inner-city education in Boston, Hartford, New York City, Providence, and Washington, D.C. within a year of the award. The maximum award is $2,000. “Front line educational workers" involved in the education field or a related field in Boston, Hartford, New York City, Providence, or Washington, D.C. partnered with a non-profit organization or tax-exempt organization (e.g. a public school) that is willing to accept the grant and use it in the required manner are eligible. The Deadline is rolling. Visit the Website to view submission dates.
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Applications Now Being Accepted for 2013 Class of ALA Emerging Leaders
ALA is now accepting applications for the 2013 class of Emerging Leaders. Details on the program criteria as well as a link to the application can be found on the Emerging Leaders Web page. The deadline to apply is August 3. The program is designed to enable library workers to get on the fast track to ALA and professional leadership. Participants are given the opportunity to work on a variety of projects, network with peers and gain an understanding of the ALA structure and wide range of activities. An ALA division, round table, ethnic affiliate, state chapter or school library media affiliate will sponsor nearly all of the selected applicants. Each sponsor will contribute $1,000 toward expenses of attending the ALA Midwinter Meeting and Annual Conference ($500 for each conference). A list of sponsoring units, including AASL, is included as part of the online application.
Eight AASL Members Elected to ALA Council
Congratulations to the AASL members who were recently elected as councilors-at-large on the Council of the American Library Association (ALA) for three-year terms. The terms begin at the conclusion of the 2012 ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, Calif. and extend through the end of the 2015 ALA Annual Conference in San Francisco. The AASL members elected include:
Nancy L. Baumann
Susan K. S. Grigsby
Meghan Harper
Linda Louise Martin
Toni Negro
Carolyn J. Starkey
AASL members elected as ALA Division and Round Table Councilors for 2012-2015 include:
AASL: Sara Kelly Johns
YALSA: Vicki Morris Emery
We love to brag about our members! Looking to make it into AASL's Member Spotlight? Submit your spotlight to Markisan Naso for inclusion in the next Member Spotlight segment.
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