In This Issue:

Association News
Education News
Resources for School Librarians
Grants & Awards
Partnership News
Member Spotlight

Association News

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School Library Month Video Contest Extended
AASL has extended its School Library Month 2013 student video contest “Communities matter @ your library.” Contestants are urged to let loose their creativity and use humor, drama, music and/or special effects to illustrate how the school library program fosters a sense of community in their school. Submissions for the video contest will be accepted through April 16, and winners will be announced April 30. Contest judges will select three winners from all entries received.

Disaster Recovery Preconference Workshop at ALA Annual


AASL has added a complimentary disaster recovery workshop to its preconference line-up taking place at the ALA 2013 Annual Conference. The half-day session, “Beyond Words: How to Recover from a Disaster in Your Library,” will take place from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, June 28 in Chicago. Funded by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, the “Beyond Words” preconference workshop will help attendees evaluate their school library program’s current disaster preparedness plan to identify gaps and build solutions to overcome them. This session is complimentary, but pre-registration is requested.

Take the KQ Readership Survey
The Knowledge Quest editorial board is seeking your input. As your representatives, the board strives to steer the journal in directions that align with the needs of the AASL membership. Your feedback will help the board better serve your professional reading needs. It will take approximately 15 minutes to complete.

Thought Leaders Discuss the Benefits of School Librarian Mentorship
AASL presents the newest set of podcasts in its 30 Second Thought Leadership: Insights from Leaders in the School Library Community series. The just-released 30 Second series focuses on the March/April 2013 Knowledge Quest issue, “Mentoring Through Partnerships,” and explores the question, “How does taking the time to mentor others benefit a school librarian?" Those offering their insights include:

• Toni Buzzeo, a career school librarian, AASL member and professional and children's author.
• Ann M. Martin, an educational specialist in library services for the Henrico County Public Schools in Virginia and a past president of AASL.
• Lisa Perez, an AASL member and network library coordinator for the Chicago Public Schools Department of Libraries.

Education News

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Survey Finds Teachers Unprepared for Common Core
A recent survey from the EPE Research Center reports that nearly half of teachers feel unprepared to teach the Common Core, especially to disadvantaged students. The report finds deep wells of concern among teachers about their readiness to meet the challenges posed by the Common Core in English/language arts and mathematics.

Race to the Top Grants Not Worth Cost
A news item in the Columbus Dispatch finds that about 80 districts and charter schools across the state of Ohio have backed out of the Race to the Top grant program since the state received Race to the Top funding. In addition some districts that have received money for years are reconsidering taking part in the program, partly in response to costs but also because of new teacher evaluations tied to the grant money.

PARCC Guidance Finds New Tests Will Take 8-10 Hours to Complete
According to guidance released by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, new tests being designed for students in nearly half the states in the country will take eight to 10 hours to complete, depending on grade level, and schools will have a testing window of up to 20 days to administer them. The consortium also created a planning tool that schools and districts can use to gauge their technological capacity.

Idaho Partners with Khan Academy
Idaho will become the first state to partner with the Khan Academy to provide free, online access to math, physics, and history classes, according to Reuters. The state will launch the pilot program in 47 schools through a $1.5-million grant from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation.

T Is for Transmedia Report
Produced by the USC Annenberg Innovation Lab and the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, this paper provides a guidebook to transmedia in the lives of children age 5–11 and its applications to storytelling, play, and learning. Building off of a review of the existing popular and scholarly literature about transmedia and children, it identifies key links between transmedia and learning, highlights key characteristics of transmedia play, and presents core principles for and extended case studies of meaningful transmedia play experiences. One of its goals is to put the design recommendations before media makers in the hopes that the principles will reinforce the good work people are already doing and encourage others to bring play and learning to the forefront of their transmedia projects.

Teens Now Cell-Mostly Internet Users
A recent Pew study finds that smartphone adoption among American teens has increased substantially and mobile access to the Internet is pervasive. It notes that one in four teens are “cell-mostly” Internet users who say they mostly go online using their phone and do not use some other device such as a desktop or laptop computer.

Math and Science Educators Feel Unprepared
A report from the National Survey of Science and Mathematics Education finds fewer than half of elementary teachers feel “very well prepared” to teach science. It also reports that a lot of teachers don’t feel well-equipped to plan instruction that meets the needs of students at varying levels of math and science understanding and many don’t place a high priority on asking students to explain and justify their method for solving a math problem or to supply evidence in support of a scientific claim.

Supreme Court Upholds First-Sale Doctrine
In a 6-3 vote, the US Supreme Court affirmed consumer rights and libraries in the high-profile Kirtsaeng v. Wiley & Sons, Inc. case by ruling that goods lawfully made overseas are protected by the first sale doctrine. It affirmed the rights of libraries to loan materials regardless of where the items were manufactured (PDF file).

Algebra I and Geometry Curricula Curriculum Study
A report from the National Assessment of Educational Progress finds that the drive to get all students to take college gateway courses has succeeded, but students taking Algebra I and Geometry classes are getting considerably less substance than their course titles would suggest. This report looks at the math course-taking patterns of America’s high school graduates to examine the content and challenge of Algebra I and Geometry courses in our nation’s public high schools.

Resources for School Librarians

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New AASL Webinar Envisions Library Spaces for 21st-Century Learners
Building learning environments that empower 21st century students will be explored in “Envisioning New Library Spaces,” a new webinar from AASL. Presented by Margaret Sullivan, the webinar will provide attendees with observation skills to help them conceptualize the future of their school libraries. The webinar will be offered at 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Central on April 2, allowing school librarians across the country to attend at their convenience.

Common Core Webinar Available in eCOLLAB
The archive of the recent webinar, “Join the Common Core Conversation,” is now available online in eCOLLAB. Presented by Kristina Holzweiss, the webinar introduces participants to professional social networking using Edmodo and illustrates its use in establishing nationwide connections. AASL members can access the webinar via eCOLLAB by logging into the AASL website using their ALA-provided website login. Nonmembers who wish to view the webinar and other archived professional development can receive access to eCOLLAB resources with an annual subscription of $199 per year.

E-Book/E-Reader Guidance
E-books and e-readers continue to confound school librarians, whether they are running a high-action BYOD high school program or an elementary school library with interactive white boards. It is clear that everyone needs to get up to speed quickly on how to purchase, manage, and deliver electronic books to students and faculty. AASL’s Essential Links to e-books and e-readers can provide some guidance. If you’ve got a great go-to blog or an article that makes electronic books make sense, please add it to the listing.

Assessing Deeper Learning
A post on the Partnership for 21st Century Skills’ blog examines how to assess deeper education. It notes, “today’s most effective teachers drive students deeper into the content being studied by preparing them to be investigators and problem solvers able to transfer what and how they learn across the curriculum and into outside-of-school life situations. They focus on learning rather than grades or test scores.”

How to Spark Creativity
A blog post and video from TED Prize winner Sugata Mitra explores how to spark creativity, curiosity, and wonder in children. He writes, “Unlocking the power of new technologies for self-guided education is one of the 21st century superhighways that need to be paved. Profound changes to how children access vast information is yielding new forms of peer-to-peer and individual-guided learning.”

Learn the Basics of Financial Education for Financial Literacy Month
April is Financial Literacy Month, making it a good time to visit www.mymoney.gov, the U.S. government's website dedicated to teaching all Americans the basics about financial education. The site includes resources for youth, teachers, parents, and caregivers.

Sharing Wordless Picture Books Article
Reading Rockets’ free article “Sharing Wordless Picture Books” offers tips on how to bring wordless books alive. Sharing wordless books can build important literacy skills, including listening skills, vocabulary, comprehension and an increased awareness of how stories are structured. The article is available in English and Spanish.

Template for a Parent Survey for Schools and Districts
Survey Monkey has teamed up with the Harvard Graduate School of Education to design a parent survey to better assess key areas such as parental support, child behaviors, parent engagement, parent self-efficacy, school climate, and school program fit. Schools and districts can adapt the survey questions and administer the surveys online or via pencil and paper without authorization from Harvard or Survey Monkey.

Keep an Eye on Eye Health!
Millions of people living in the U.S. have undetected vision problems and eye diseases. To bring attention to the importance of early detection and treatment, AASL is working with the National Eye Institute (NEI) to celebrate Healthy Vision Month. Held each May, Healthy Vision Month encourages all Americans to get a dilated eye exam—one of the easiest and most important things you can do to protect your vision. Here are a few ideas:

• Place NEI materials in your library where students and faculty can see them and learn about the importance of taking care of their eyes.
• Encourage students to learn about Healthy Vision Month by giving away free educational materials including posters and coloring pages.
• Work with teachers and advisors to incorporate eye health in the school’s curriculum for the week to teach students about Healthy Vision Month and the importance of getting an eye exam. The Healthy Eyes Toolkit can help.
• Promote Healthy Vision Month by displaying eye-related books in the library along with fun and educational materials.
• E-mail the NEI Healthy Eyes Bulletin to your listserves and colleagues to help them learn more about taking care of their eyes.

Technology Counts 2013 Report
Technology Counts 2013, the 16th edition of Education Week’s annual report on educational technology, tackles how school districts are working to incorporate more multimedia into classrooms, upgrade online professional development, and do a better job using data to improve student achievement. The report finds that even though nearly every school in the country is now connected to the Internet, not all of them have the kind of connections that allow teachers and students to make full use of digital learning tools.

Grants & Awards

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ALA Leadership Institute
The ALA is now accepting applications for Leading to the Future, a unique four-day immersive leadership development program for future library leaders offered by ALA in Chicago, Aug. 12–15. Led by ALA President Maureen Sullivan with ACRL Content Strategist Kathryn Deiss, this inaugural Leadership Institute will include a structured learning track as well as the opportunity for individual development and is limited to 35 participants. Applications are due by May 10.

Pearson Foundation Launches 2013 Read for My School Campaign
The Pearson Foundation launched the 2013 Read for My School campaign sponsored by LeapFrog. The Read for My School campaign is a special We Give Books campaign that gives students and school communities the chance to earn books for their school libraries. We Give Books and LeapFrog will donate 150,000 new children’s books to public elementary schools across the country through April 5!

Green-in-Action Awards from Green Education Foundation
The Green Education Foundation is sponsoring awards for projects that tackle environmental education. Interested applicants must submit an application, along with photo projects, videos, artwork, essays, or a project description highlighting their work. Winners will receive $250 for their classroom or group. Deadline is April 30.

Google Science Fair 2013
Google is looking for projects that will change the world through its Science Fair 2013 competition. To enter, interested students must register (with parental consent) and enter their project details into the Science Fair dashboard. Young scientists ages 13–18 can win an assortment of prizes, including LEGO kits, magazine subscriptions, scholarships, and the grand prize includes a $50,000 scholarship and a trip to the Galapagos Islands. Deadline is April 30.

The Awesome Foundation Grant
The Awesome Foundation funds projects that bring communities together. Submissions are reviewed and $1,000 fellowships are distributed monthly. Some chapters also routinely contact applicants for interviews before awarding the fellowships. Anyone can apply.

School Turnaround AmeriCorps Competitive Grant Program
U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service Wendy Spencer announced a competitive grant program that will provide $15 million in public funds over three years to reinforce and accelerate intervention efforts in the nation’s lowest-performing schools. The new School Turnaround AmeriCorps will support the placement of a dedicated cadre of AmeriCorps members in persistently under-achieving schools. A notice of intent to apply must be submitted to CNCS by April 2. Applications are due April 23.

Beacon Society’s Jan Stauber Grant Applications Due May 1
Teachers, librarians, scout leaders, and Sherlockian literary societies have until May 1 to apply for the Beacon Society’s major funding project, The Jan Stauber Grant. The grants provide up to $350 to fund the development of programs that will introduce young people to the stories about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional detective. Completed applications are to be returned to The Beacon Society, c/o Elaine Coppola, 103 Kenny St, Fayetteville, NY 13066, or emcoppol@syr.edu.

Pearson Foundation Announces Student Digital Storymakers Award
The Pearson Foundation and digital publisher, Atavist, have announced the details of the first annual Digital Storymakers Award—an award that recognizes excellence in original student nonfiction narrative that blends, text, photo, video, interactive maps and other rich media features. The award is open to high school, college, and graduate students, including those studying journalism, graphic arts, writing, photography and documentary video/film, who create a nonfiction, multimedia narrative. The 2013 grand prize is $5,000 and publication in the Digital Storymakers App. Story submissions are due April 15.

Partnership News

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Jumpstart’s Read for the Record
The Pearson Foundation and Jumpstart announced that Penguin’s children's book Otis, by New York Times bestselling author Loren Long, has been selected as the official book of the 2013 Jumpstart’s Read for the Record campaign, an annual reading celebration that highlights the need for high-quality early education in America by mobilizing adults and children to set a record for the largest shared reading experience. Jumpstart’s Read for the Record will take place on Thursday, October 3. As in years past, record breakers will be able to help set a new world record by reading the book for free at We Give Books (www.wegivebooks.org), the free digital reading initiative created by Penguin and the Pearson Foundation.

Día! Diversity in Action 2013 Celebration
The Día! Diversity in Action 2013 Celebration is only a month away—have you registered your library or school’s program yet? Register your Día Celebration in the 2013 Día National Program Registry to build a national database that showcases all types and sizes of Día programming and receive free bookmarks, stickers, and buttons! Visit the Día website at http://dia.ala.org to learn more about how you can celebrate diversity and connect children to a world of learning through books, stores and libraries. The celebration is intended to be year-round, culminating on April 30.

Guide to Leverage Mobile Learning
The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) released “A Guide for Administrators” to help school administrators consider the many implementation issues around leveraging mobile learning in schools. The guide, which was developed based on the shared experiences of pioneering schools and districts, industry experts and leading scholars, provides key information and tips to educate and support administrators interested in implementing mobile learning.

IT Leadership Survey
The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) K-12 IT Leadership Survey finds that 80% of school district technology leaders predict flat or declining IT budgets for the upcoming year. The top challenges facing IT leadership include budget and resources, the transition from teacher- to student-centered culture, and breaking down silos within districts. The top three priorities for district technology leaders in the current school year are implementing Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) strategies; preparing for the 2014-2015 Common Core State Online Assessments; and increasing broadband access.

2013 Whole Child Virtual Conference
Join ASCD for its third annual Whole Child Virtual Conference May 2–10. This free, online event offers presentations from leading authors and experts and discussions on how you can improve and grow your schools. ASCD's Whole Child Virtual Conference provides a forum and tools for school sites and districts around the world working toward sustainability and changing school cultures to serve the whole child.

Member Spotlight

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Laura Ingram Featured in IMLS Blog
Librarian Laura Ingram's state-of-the-art library at Elizabeth Forward High School in Elizabeth, PA, was featured in an IMLS blog post. The newly revamped library features a café, beanbag chairs, separate studios for video and audio recording, a small performance space, various laptop and desktop computers, and flat-screen TVs.Its part of a growing movement in Pittsburgh and around the country by educators to use digital technologies to create more opportunities for experiential, hands-on learning.

Liza Perez Receives 2013 Technology Administrator of the Year
Lisa Perez, network library coordinator for the Chicago Public School Department of Libraries, was named the 2013 Technology Administrator of the Year by the Illinois Computing Educators. Each award winner will receive a commemorative plaque, paid conference fees for ICE Conference, and a one-year’s free membership to ICE. Awards are presented annually at the Illinois Computing Educators Conference at Pheasant Run Resort and Convention Center in St. Charles, Illinois.