In This Issue:

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

Association News

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AASL Opens Call for Participation in National Research Summit
Research scholars are now invited to submit their interest in participating in the AASL Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) research summit. Focused on setting an agenda for future school library research, the “Causality: School Libraries and Student Success (CLASS)” summit will take place April 11-12, 2014, in Chicago. More information on the application process can be found at www.ala.org/aasl/rfp.

New AASL Webinar Builds Powerful Partnerships to Implement the Common Core
Participants in “Powerful Partnerships: Libraries, Technology, and the Common Core,” a new webinar from AASL, will participate in an idea swap centered on the ten initiatives in the AASL/Achieve action brief, Implementing the Common Core State Standards: The Role of the School Librarian, and learn how to recreate the activity with their own school teaching teams. Facilitated by Kathryn Lewis and David Loertscher, the all-access webinar will take place at 8 p.m. Central on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2014. To register, visit www.ala.org/aasl/ecollab/upcoming.

AASL National Conference Is On-Demand on eCOLLAB
AASL’s 16th National Conference & Exhibition wrapped up in Hartford, Conn., on Nov. 17, but the learning and conversation continues on AASL’s professional development repository, eCOLLAB. A selection of recorded concurrent sessions and related handouts are now available for view by AASL members and eCOLLAB subscribers. With these additional resources, AASL eCOLLAB offers more than 155 webcasts and podcasts for on-demand learning. To access these resources, visit www.ala.org/aasl/ecollab.

AASL’s School Library Research Examines Social Media Policies and Librarian Staffing
Two new research articles are now available online as part of AASL’s peer-reviewed online journal, School Library Research (SLR). In “Access Denied: School Librarians’ Responses to School District Policies on the Use of Social Media Tools,” researchers Jeffrey DiScala and Ann Carlson Weeks explore high school librarians’ views on district policies that limit the use of social media tools. The influence of school librarians’ staffing levels on student learning of research skills is examined by Karla Steege Krueger and Jean Donham in their article, “Professional Staffing Levels and Fourth-Grade Student Research in Rural Schools with High-Poverty Levels.”

Education News

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U.S. Students Fall Behind on International Test
Fifteen-year-old students in the U.S. are lagging behind their international counterparts in math and science, according to results of the 2012 Program for International Student Assessment. “Our scores are stagnant. We’re not seeing any improvement for our 15-year-olds,” said Jack Buckley, commissioner at the National Center for Education Statistics. American students scored average in reading and science and below average in math.

Common Core State Standards Top Priority for Principals
A majority of principals surveyed by the National Association of Elementary School Principals said implementation of the Common Core State Standards is a top priority. However, a significant number of those surveyed said they need to upgrade curricula and technology. The survey includes input from 1,000 principals in 14 states.

Recommendations for Accountability Systems
A report from Achieve finds that most states’ college- and career-readiness accountability systems have focused on getting students to a minimum level of proficiency. The report finds that a coherent college- and career-readiness accountability strategy "centers on the need for states to make ambitious but achievable progress in student performance at a much higher level than minimum proficiency." It recommends states incorporate indicators that measure students’ college and career readiness and use them in multiple ways to orient the system toward postsecondary success.

Psychologists Prove That Video Games Are Good for You
A recent study in the journal of the American Pyschology Association’s American Pyschologist summarizes a decade of video games research. The article shows first-person shooters improve three-dimensional thinking, a predictor of career success in STEM fields; people who play more video games report better problem solving abilities; video game playing is correlated with creativity and persistence in problem solving; and adolescents who play games with civic dimensions are more likely to be engaged in civic activity in their everyday lives.

Zuckerberg, Gates Combine Efforts to Improve Schools’ Connectivity
Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates contributed $9 million through their respective foundations to the EducationSuperHighway, a nonprofit dedicated to improving Internet connectivity in schools. “When schools and teachers have access to reliable Internet connections, students can discover new skills and ideas beyond the classroom,” Zuckerberg said in a statement.

State Legislatures Enacted New Plans to Strengthen Early Learning in 2013
A list of enacted legislation compiled by the Education Commission of the States finds that the 2013 calendar year saw more than three dozen laws enacted in 25 states that in some way support early learning. Among the new initiatives are the creation of statewide pre-kindergarten programs in Hawaii and Mississippi; a new mandate that early elementary teachers in Ohio must pass a test in principles of scientifically-based reading instruction; and the expansion of home visiting programs in Arkansas.

How Schools Can Improve Their Leadership Pipelines
A report from Bain & Co. finds that schools nationwide are suffering from a lack of talented staff who are interested in becoming principals. Assistant principals were surveyed for the report—more than one-third of whom said they did not want to become principals. The report suggests that schools develop and support a baseball-like system for leadership. But behind these dire statistics, we now know that extraordinary success is possible at the individual school level. Numerous studies have documented the standout achievement of more than 250 high-performing schools in traditional urban school districts across the U.S., where students in poverty are learning more, graduating from high school, and increasingly succeeding in college.

How Americans Value Public Libraries in Their Communities
A Pew Internet and American Life Project report finds most Americans feel that public libraries have done a good job embracing new technology, but are split on whether libraries are as essential as they were in the past for finding information. In a larger sense, Americans strongly value the role of public libraries in their communities. Many library resources are particularly valued by those who are unemployed, retired, or searching for a job, as well as those living with a disability and Internet users who lack home Internet access.

Resources for School Librarians

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Essential Links Offers Book Awards Resources

And the winner is…you! With AASL’s Essential Links, you can be completely up to speed on book awards this month. Use the links to read up on ALA’s book awards, get the background you’ll need to teach students and teachers about the history and meaning of these awards, and pull together some great activities featuring excellent literature. Check here to find the award-winning information Essential Links has to offer this month!

Tips for Incorporating Nonfiction Texts into Classroom Lessons
The implementation of the Common Core State Standards means a greater focus on nonfiction texts in the English language arts curriculum—a task that special-education teacher Pauline Zdonek says her middle school worked to accomplish organically. Among other things, she writes in this blog post, teachers taught nonfiction texts that read like fiction, such as the memoir “Night.” Teachers also used nonfiction texts that incorporate pictures and selected one day each week to focus on those texts, she writes.

Ideas to Help Bolster Reading in Schools
There are several ways teachers can enhance reading activities and promote a lifelong love of reading among students, writes Jennifer Davis Bowman, an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati and a licensed school counselor in Ohio. In this blog post, she incorporates the reading response criteria by writer Frank Serafini and suggests teachers use tools to help them manage and track time dedicated to reading, choose material relevant to students' lives and adopt universal design.

3 Ways to Grow as an Instructional Leader
“A central office staff member may have the title of Chief Academic Officer or Curriculum Director, but that does not mean they are the only instructional leader in the school district,” writes ASCD EDge community member Steven Weber. In a recent blog post, Weber explains how all educators can be instructional leaders and provides three ways to get started. He advises to begin by joining a Twitter chat for inspiration and opportunities for professional growth.

“Hive” Design Gives Classroom Innovative Buzz
In this blog post, Emily E. Smith, an educator in Austin, Tex., details how she has transformed her classroom into “The Hive Society.” Inspired by photos of technology start-ups, Smith redesigned her room to inspire creativity, developing spaces where students could work together, spread out, and collaborate. “It’s time for the world of education to not only redefine the curriculum placed in the hands of America’s teachers, but also to redefine the classrooms in which we breed young scholars,” she writes.

How to Help Students Think Independently
Teachers can use three strategies to promote independent thinking among students, writes Margaret Regan, teacher and founder of Martha’s Vineyard Master Teaching Institute in Massachusetts. Her strategies include sequencing instruction, which helps students cultivate a sense of discovery; recovery from mistakes, which sets students up to continue learning; and setting purposeful goals.

Strategies to Improve Student Writing
In a blog post, Ali Parrish, educator and educational consultant outlines three strategies to help improve student writing. One strategy is to “simply have them produce ‘writing’ without technically ‘writing’ at all,” she notes. “That's right, the way to get hesitant writers to produce as much ‘writing’ as they do ‘talking’ is to have them do exactly that—talk.”

Teachers Need to Flip Their Thinking to Flip Classroom
The biggest hurdle classroom teachers face in flipping their classrooms is their thinking, according to Jon Bergmann, teacher, author, speaker, educational consultant, and flipped class pioneer. Giving the control of the learning back to the students affects every aspect of your teaching. “No longer will you be the person who disseminates knowledge -- instead you will become the learning facilitator of your classroom.”

How Tablets Can Expand the Writing Process
In this blog post, EdTechTeacher instructor Beth Holland suggests ways tablets can transform the writing process. For instance, students can receive video feedback from teachers and peer reviewers besides digital annotations and edits. “With iPads, the goal should not be to apply the paper or digital processes in the same way, but to consider how we can leverage the capabilities of the device in order to ‘modify’ and ‘redefine’ what’s possible,” she writes.

Grants & Awards

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Carroll Preston Baber Research Grant
The American Library Association’s Office for Research and Statistics is now 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. Deadline for submissions is Wednesday, January 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.

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.

Will Eisner Graphic Novel Grants for Libraries
ALA and the Will and Ann Eisner Family Foundation opened applications December 6 for the new Will Eisner Graphic Novel Grants for Libraries, which recognize libraries for their role in the growth of graphic literature. The collaboration extends graphic novels into a new realm by encouraging public awareness about the rise and importance of graphic literature and honoring the creative excellence of Will Eisner. The application deadline is February 7, 2014.

2014 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards
The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, is seeking applications for the 2014 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards. The twelve award-winning programs will receive $10,000, an invitation to accept their award from the President’s Committee’s Honorary Chairman, First Lady Michelle Obama, at a ceremony at the White House, as well as an award plaque and the opportunity to attend the Annual Awardee Conference in Washington, DC. The deadline for application submissions is February 10, 2014.

Partnership News

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Member Spotlight

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