Volume 12, Issue 9
December 2013
In This Issue:
Association News
Education News
Resources for School Librarians
Grants & Awards
Partnership News
Member Spotlight
Association News
Nation’s Largest School Librarian Conference Educates and Inspires
Three-thousand inspired school librarians, educators, exhibitors, and guests left AASL’s 16th National Conference & Exhibition ready to “rise to the challenge” of the profession. The largest conference dedicated solely to the needs of school librarians, AASL13 featured preconference workshops, school and educational tours, more than 140 top-quality continuing education programs, author events, and more than 160 exhibiting companies.
AASL Seeks Hosts for Fall Forum Satellite Sites
AASL will once again host a hybrid presentation of its biennial national institute, the Fall Forum, in 2014. As part of the presentation, three or four satellite sites across the country will present a live broadcast of events taking place Oct. 17-18, in St. Louis. Universities, school districts, intermediate education units, or similar locations interested in hosting as a satellite site are invited to submit a one-page statement describing their qualifications to AASL by Dec. 10, 2013. More information can be found at
www.ala.org/aasl/rfp.
AASL Sponsors Emerging Leaders Beth Ebenstein Mulch and Jillian Rudes
AASL will sponsor two participants in the American Library Association’s (ALA) 2014 Emerging Leaders (EL) program. Beth Ebenstein Mulch of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Jillian Rudes of Alexandria, Va., will participate in project planning workgroups; network with peers; gain an inside look into ALA structure; and have an opportunity to serve the profession in a leadership capacity early in their careers. In sponsoring these two participants, AASL will defray the cost of attending the 2014 ALA Midwinter Meeting and the 2014 ALA Annual Conference.
Action Brief Helps School Librarians Support Common Core State Standards Implementation
AASL, in partnership with Achieve, has released an action brief on the role of school librarians in the implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The brief was designed not only for school librarians who are supporting higher standards for student learning, but also for school leaders as they rethink and re-envision the role that the library can and should play in a major school initiative. The action brief is available on the AASL website at
www.ala.org/aasl/advocacy/resources.
Education News
Students’ Reading and Math Skills Improving Slightly
A report from the National Center for Education Statistics finds that American students’ skill levels in reading and mathematics have risen marginally since 2011. However, the report also shows that challenges to student success remain. Students’ gains in reading have not kept pace with those in math, and achievement gaps are still evident between racial/ethnic groups and among states.
Assessment, Definition of Career Readiness Vary by State
A report from the Center on Education Policy finds that although many state departments are currently engaged in defining career readiness and determining how best to measure it, the differences in scope and complexity of those definitions are significant. Only 14 of the 46 states responding to the survey have a statewide definition of what it means to be career- or work-ready. Nearly all of the survey states
reported facing challenges in assessing high school students' career education or their level of career readiness.
Evaluating Price of Common Core State Standards Assessment Options
A report from the Brookings Institution examines the likely costs of the Common Core State Standards assessment options available to states. It urges states to consider quality in addition to cost when choosing assessment options.
Report Suggests Where to Set the Bar for Performance-based Teacher Licensing
A performance-based teacher-licensing test, known as edTPA, recently was released, and states are being urged to set a high cutoff score for passing the exam. In a report, the Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity suggests setting the bar at earning at least 42 out of 75 total points, which data show would allow about 58% of those who take the test to pass.
Study Examines Principal Performance, “Match” with School Culture
School districts should match a principal's skills and strengths to the culture and needs of the school, according to a recent study from RAND Corp. The study examines what districts need to do to improve the quality of school leadership. The study states district leaders also should provide clear-cut performance expectations, evaluations, and feedback.
What Brain Waves Indicate about Reading Comprehension
Researchers from Northwestern University have found a way to measure reading comprehension by mapping the brain waves of study subjects, who were asked to read part of an 1893 novel by Emile Zola and a string of random words. By analyzing brain waves, researchers said they hope to discover why some students can read complex text but fail to understand the meaning.
Data on Homeless Students
The Department of Education released new data for its Education for Homeless Children and Youths (EHCY) Program. The data notes that 22 percent of districts in the U.S. received a McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance subgrant in 2011-12, a 16 percent increase over a three-year period. In 2011-12, districts with and without subgrants reported 1,168,354 homeless students enrolled in school, a 10 percent increase from 2010-11 (1,065,794) and a 24 percent increase over the three-year period 2009-10 (939,903) to 2011-12. Of all homeless students in grades 3-8 in districts taking a state reading test, 51 percent (194,503) met or exceeded proficiency standards in reading in 2011-12.
Examining Transfer Incentives for High-Performing Teachers
A report from the Institute of Education Sciences looks at a randomized experiment that tested whether selective transfer incentives improve student test scores. The report finds the initiative positively impacted test scores at the elementary level in reading and math each of two years after transfers, between 0.10 and 0.25 standard deviations relative to each student’s state norms, the equivalent of 4 to 10 percentile points relative to all students in their state. There was no impact on student achievement at the middle school level. The transfer incentive successfully attracted high-performing teachers to lower-performing schools and retained them in these schools during the two years.
Resources for School Librarians
Google Offers Virtual Field Trips
Google launched a new initiative on Google+ called
Connected Classrooms that enables students around the world to take “virtual field trips” through Google+ Hangouts. It kicked things off November 4 with field trips to the Seattle Aquarium, the
Minnesota Zoo and the Solar Impulse hangar. Teachers can sign up to take their classrooms on virtual field trips hosted by organizations like National Geographic, Matilda the Musical, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and more than 20 other partners.
How the Common Core State Standards Can Help Boost Civics Lessons
The Common Core State Standards could revive the civic mission of schools, writes Anne O'Brien, deputy director of the Learning First Alliance. In this blog post, she writes about the portions of the CCSS that speak directly to civic involvement, including its focus on information texts and understanding the ideas of others. She also shares a number of suggestions on how to tie civics to the CCSS, such as exploring how public policy issues might be solved through science.
How to Use Technology to Organize Student Data
Technology, including tablet applications and websites, can help teachers organize individual student data, instructional coach Lily Jones suggests in this blog post. Jones writes that she once tracked students' learning needs through sticky notes, spreadsheets and binders, but one app, Confer, allows teachers to write notes on a smartphone or tablet when talking to students and tag and sort the information by needs.
What to Do When Reading Gets Rough
"Frequently, when assigned to read, intermediate and middle grade students engage in a mindless encounter with the text. Or, try as they may to focus and gather information, they're mostly confused and not sure how to repair the breakdown in their meaning-making," writes literacy consultant Sunday Cummins. In her November Educational Leadership article, Cummins explains how to help students play a more active role in monitoring their own understanding.
Implementing the Common Core State Standards in Art Classes
This blog post outlines how one art teacher is implementing literacy in her art instruction. She developed an art criticism module to work on specific Common Core State Standards. She had students journal on the seven elements of art and seven principles of design, analyze Vincent van Gogh's "Starry Night," and participate in presentations and discussions on the content.
Grants & Awards
2014 Scholastic Library Publishing National Library Week Grant
The deadline for the 2014 Scholastic Library Publishing National Library Week Grant has been extended to Dec. 6, 2013. The grant is open to all types of libraries seeking to share their stories and raise public awareness. The library that develops the best public awareness campaign using the National Library Week theme will be awarded $3,000 to promote its library and library services. All proposals must use the 2014 National Library Week theme, Lives change @ your library, which incorporates The Campaign for America’s Libraries’ @ your library brand, on any and all promotional and publicity material supporting National Library Week activities.
Starbucks Foundation Youth Leadership Grants
The Starbucks Foundation is interested in supporting organizations that equip young people in three areas: business savvy, social conscience, and collaborative communication. Maximum award is $30,000. Eligibility: youth ages 15 to 25 years old. Deadline is December 15, 2013.
National Federation of Independent Business Young Entrepreneur Awards
The NFIB Young Entrepreneur Awards program raises awareness among the nation's youth of the critical role that private enterprise and entrepreneurship play in the building of America. Maximum award: $10,000 in tuition assistance. Eligibility: high school seniors. Deadline: December 18, 2013.
Carroll Preston Baber Research Grant
The American Library Association’s Office for Research and Statistics is accepting applications for the Carroll Preston Baber Research Grant. The grant is given to one or more librarians or library educators who will conduct innovative research that could lead to an improvement in services to any specified group of people. The grant, up to $3,000, will be given to a proposed project that aims to answer a question of vital importance to the library community that is national in scope. Any ALA member may apply for the grant. The jury would welcome projects that involve both a practicing librarian and a researcher. Deadline for submissions is Jan. 8, 2014.
StudentCam National Video Documentary Competition
StudentCam is C-SPAN’s annual national video documentary competition that encourages students to think critically about issues that affect our communities and our nation. StudentCam's theme for 2014 is “A Message to the U.S. Congress: What's the most important issue the U.S. Congress should consider in 2014?” Maximum award includes $5,000, plus $750 to spend on digital video equipment for his/her school. Students grades 6-12, individually or in teams, are eligible. Deadline is January 20, 2014.
CareerConnect Grant Program
President Barack Obama announced the launch of Youth CareerConnect, a competitive program that would award as many as 40 grants next year for initiatives intended to overhaul high schools to align students’ skills with industry needs. The grants would support high schools working with institutions of higher education and employers, as well as innovative programs to teach job skills. The deadline for applications is January 27, 2014.
NEA The Big Read
The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts to restore reading to the center of American culture by providing citizens with the opportunity to read and discuss a single book within their communities. The initiative includes innovative reading programs in selected cities and towns, comprehensive resources for discussing classic literature, and an extensive website providing comprehensive information on authors and their works. Maximum
award: varies. Eligibility: literary organizations, libraries, and community organizations across the country. Deadline: January 28, 2014.
Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision Awards
The Toshiba/National Science Teachers Association ExploraVision Awards Program encourages kids to create and explore a vision of future technology by combining their imaginations with the tools of science. Maximum award is a $10,000 bond per student on winning team. Students K-12 are eligible. Deadline is January 30, 2014.
2014 Coretta Scott King Book Donation Grants
Underfunded libraries, schools and non-traditional organizations that provide educational services to children are invited to apply to receive one of three Coretta Scott King Book Donation Grants. The grant program provides books submitted for consideration for the Coretta Scott King Book Awards to libraries and other organizations to expand their collections. Each year, three organizations are selected that demonstrate need and potential benefit from receiving the collection. All three libraries will receive copies of more than 80 titles submitted for consideration for the 2014 awards. Applications will be accepted through Jan. 31, 2014, and winners will be announced in late February.
Innovation Generation: Christopher Columbus Awards
The Christopher Columbus Awards is a national, community-based STEM competition for middle school students and teachers looking to make a difference in their community. Working in teams, students identify a problem in the community and apply the scientific method to create an innovative solution. Maximum award: $25,000 grant. Eligibility: schools (grades 6-8) and community groups. Deadline: February 3, 2014.
IMLS National Leadership Grants for Libraries
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is accepting applications for National Leadership Grants for Libraries
. The program supports projects that address challenges faced by the library and archive fields and that have the potential to advance practice in those fields. Successful proposals will generate results such as new tools, research findings, models, services, practices, or alliances that can be widely used, adapted, scaled, or replicated to
extend the benefits of federal investment. The application deadline is February 3, 2014.
Fund for Teachers Grants
The Fund for Teachers offers direct grants to teachers to support summer learning opportunities of their own design. Maximum award: $5,000. Eligibility: teachers grades pre-kindergarten through 12, with a minimum of three years teaching experience, full-time, spending at least 50 percent of the time in the classroom at the time grants are approved and made. Deadline: varies by state.
Partnership News
DPLA Seeking Community Reps
The Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) is looking for volunteers to help it spread the word in local communities. If you are enthusiastic about open access, digital collections, and the potential of a national digital library, get involved in outreach for the DPLA by volunteering as a DPLA Community Rep. DPLA Community Reps will be selected based on their creative ideas, experience, and geographic distribution. DPLA Community Reps are volunteers. DPLA will be
accepting our first class of Reps in early December 2013 and additional classes in the future.
CoSN Releases Outcomes of 2013 K-12 Technology Leadership Forums
The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) t released two follow-up reports on the association’s 2013 Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Leadership Forums held in March and June 2013. The first CTO forum report, titled “The ‘Undiscussables’ of Technology Leadership: Engaging in Challenging Conversations,” examines the primary district-level leadership challenges facing CTOs from elevating their districts’ learning environments. The second CTO forum report, titled “Technology Department Landscape: That was Then, This is Now!” explores the evolving role and skill set of CTOs, as technology becomes increasingly integral to teaching and learning.
Member Spotlight
Carolyn Foote Named White House Connected Educator Champion of Change
Carolyn Foote, the district and high school librarian at Westlake High School at Eanes International School District in Austin, Texas, was named a White House Champion of Change. Fascinated by the intersection of technology and libraries, she has centered her work on how technology can deepen and transform student learning and research. She has played an introductory role in bringing one-to-one tablet devices into her district, studying the use of these
tablets, providing professional development for teachers, and transforming the library into a technology and learning hub for students.
