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AASL and OLA Want to Hear School Library Stories
AASL and the American Library Association (ALA) Office for Library Advocacy (OLA) seek stories about parents and students who advocate for their school libraries. Stories shared will help AASL and OLA spread examples of parent and/or student advocacy to stakeholders nationally. Stories should demonstrate how students and parents value their school library program and the essential place it holds in developing lifelong learning. Stories may be submitted on the AASL website at www.ala.org/aasl/stories. The deadline for submission is April 11.
Video Contest Asks Students How School Libraries Change Lives
AASL, in collaboration with ProQuest, Abrams, and SchoolTube, launched the School Library Month 2014 student video contest “Lives Change @ 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 changes a student’s life. Contest rules and eligibility can be found at www.ala.org/aasl/slm/2014/video. Submissions for the video contest will be accepted through April 15, and winners will be announced during School Library Month on April 29.
AASL Introduces the Roald Dahl’s Miss Honey Social Justice Award
AASL invites members to apply for the Roald Dahl’s Miss Honey Social Justice Award, a new addition to the organization’s prestigious awards program. Sponsored by Penguin Random House, the Roald Dahl Award recognizes collaboration between school librarians and teachers in the instruction of social justice using school library resources. Applications for the 2014 award are due June 1. More information is available on the AASL website at www.ala.org/aasl/awards/social-justice.
The Book Whisperer Headlines AASL President’s Program
 Donalyn Miller, author of “The Book Whisperer,” will headline AASL’s President’s Program taking place at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 28, as part of the 2014 ALA Annual Conference in Las Vegas. In “The Book Whisperer,” Miller reflects on her journey to become a reading teacher and describes how she inspires and motivates her middle school students to read 40 or more books a year. Attendees will also learn the power of persuasion and the principles of project-based learning at preconferences offered by AASL before the 2014 American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference. Half-day workshops “The Power of Persuasion: Developing Influence to Become Your Own Best Advocate” and “The PBL Way: Partnerships, Pedagogy and Purpose” will be offered on Friday, June 27, in Las Vegas. For more information, visit www.ala.org/aasl/annual.
Student Loan Forgiveness Webinar Now Archived on AASL eCOLLAB
The archive of the webinar “Federal Student Loan Forgiveness and Cancellation Benefits for School Librarians” is now available to view as part of AASL’s professional development repository, eCOLLAB. Presented in collaboration with the American Library Association (ALA) Washington Office, the webinar archive features staff members from the U.S. Department of Education and a discussion of financial aid forgiveness programs available to school librarians. To view, visit www.ala.org/aasl/ecollab/student-loan.
AASL Seeks Proposals for ALA 2015 Annual Conference Programs
AASL invites proposals for programs to be presented during the 2015 American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference. The conference will be held June 25-30 in San Francisco. The deadline for preconference submissions is 11:59 p.m. CDT on Tuesday, May 29, 2014. The deadline for concurrent session submissions is 11:59 p.m. CDT on Monday, Aug. 25, 2014. More information is available at www.ala.org/aasl/rfp.
Second ALA Leadership Institute to Be Held Aug. 10-14
The second offering of the ALA Leadership Institute will take place August 10–14, again facilitated by Maureen Sullivan and Kathryn Deiss. Forty individuals participated in the inaugural Institute last year to rave reviews. Information about the Institute, including testimonials from some of last year’s participants, can be found at www.ala.org/transforminglibraries/ala-leadership-institute.
School Library Research Opens Volume 17 with Three New Studies
 The newest volume of AASL’s peer-reviewed online journal, School Library Research, opens with studies on college readiness, information literacy during the high school to college transition, and educational stakeholders’ perceptions of school library programs.
- In “College Ready—What Can We Learn from First-Year College Assignments? An Examination of Assignments in Iowa Colleges and Universities,” Jean Donham examines the readiness of high school graduates to produce scholarly work that meets the expectations of college instructors.
- Jana Varlejs, Eileen Stec and Hannah Kwon examine school librarian and teacher working relationships in their article, “Factors Affecting Students’ Information Literacy as They Transition from High School to College.”
- To provide data for their article, “What Do Stakeholders Know about School Library Programs? Results of a Focus Group Evaluation,” the research team of Nancy Everhart and Marcia Mardis ran four focus groups throughout the state of Pennsylvania to identify what educational stakeholders expect from school library programs.
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Stephanie Ham Named 2014 Library Journal Mover and Shaker
 Stephanie Ham, lead librarian at the Metro Nashville Public Schools in Nashville, TN, was named a 2014 Library Journal Mover and Shaker—Innovator. She was first introduced to the groundbreaking Limitless Libraries—a partnership between the Nashville Public Library and local public schools—as a high school librarian in Whites Creek, TN. Her students used Limitless Libraries to order books and other resources for easy pickup at the school library, while Ham collaborated with the program’s collection development librarians to acquire additional materials for the school at the public library’s discounted rate. Under Ham’s leadership, the program exploded from 16 to 128 schools and enrolled 25,000 elementary, middle, and high school students in two years.
Shannon McClintock Miller Named 2014 Library Journal Mover and Shaker
 Shannon McClintock Miller, district teacher librarian and technology specialist at Van Meter Community School in Van Meter, IA, was named a 2014 Library Journal Mover and Shaker—Innovator. The hands-on K–12 librarian from this rural school district is an influential speaker, blogger (The Van Meter Library Voice), tweeter, and winner of the social media Shorty Award for Connecting People, along with many other ed tech honors. She is also informing future product development as a consultant to companies such as Rosen Publishing and Mackin Educational Resources. She just joined AASL’s STEM Task Force and is currently serving on AASL’s Presidential Initiative Task Force, Best Websites for Teaching and Learning.
Ciro Scardina Named 2014 Library Journal Mover and Shaker
 Ciro Scardina, library media specialist at the New York Department of Education, was named a 2014 Library Journal Mover and Shaker—Advocate. The way Ciro Scardina sees it, “teaching is a performing art.” Scardina taught fourth grade for eight years before becoming the school library media specialist at P.S. 18 on New York’s Staten Island. Scardina’s lessons involve high-tech tools, all of which are available thanks to his impressive fundraising track record. Through grants, Scardina has outfitted the P.S. 18 library with 25 new iPads, a smart board, and more than 2,000 new books.
David Loertscher Receives 2014 ALA Carroll Preston Baber Research Grant
 David Loertscher is the 2014 winner of the American Library Association's Carroll Preston Baber Research Grant for the project titled “The Impact of Co-Teaching on Learning When Classroom Teachers Team with Teacher Librarians: The Testing of an Unobtrusive Measurement Tool." Loertscher's research has the potential to demonstrate the real value of teacher librarians and teachers working together on curriculum activities to affect, positively, learning outcomes and will provide impact data to librarians, educators and boards. He is a past president of AASL.
Ann K. Symons Receives 2013 ALA Equality Award
 Ann K. Symons, school librarian and international library consultant, is the 2013 recipient of the American Library Association Equality Award. Throughout her career, Symons has been an active and effective supporter of intellectual freedom, focusing extensively on school libraries and GLBT issues. Whether as a school librarian in Alaska, the president of ALA, the librarian of the Anglo-American School in Moscow (Russia) or consultant for library organizations, she has been a longtime and consistent champion of intellectual freedom and the right to read.
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Race to the Top Performance Reports
Reports from the U.S. Department of Education find that states that received federal funding through the first and second rounds of the Race to the Top program are making progress toward their goals for improving student performance. According to the reports, several states have seen improvements in high school graduation rates, narrowed achievement gaps, and expanded access to resources.
Knowledge Motivates Preschoolers More Than Tangible Rewards
Preschoolers work harder at seemingly mundane tasks if rewarded with meaningful new knowledge rather than by being given stickers, a new report states. The findings show that very young children are information junkies motivated best by "ah-ha" moments. Offering meaningful knowledge is "an effective tool for enhancing task engagement in preschool-age children," the researchers wrote.
Librarians Hailed as Drivers of Digital Transition
 A report from the Alliance for Excellent Education outlines the importance of school and public libraries in both state and district-wide efforts toward digital learning and the effective use of technology in teaching. The report calls for district and school leaders, policy makers, and boards of education to support, encourage, and fund the evolving role of librarians and libraries as facilitators of content creation, personalized learning, and professional development.
SAT Exam to Undergo a Major Overhaul in 2016
The College Board announced that the SAT exam will undergo a major overhaul in 2016 to focus more on college readiness. Among other things, the exam no longer will include the penalty for incorrect answers, make the essay optional, and return to a 1,600-point grading scale rather than 2,400. The College Board is partnering with the Khan Academy to offer free, high-quality courses to help students of all economic backgrounds prepare for both for the current SAT and the new test.
Early Adopters of the Common Core State Standards
A report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute examines four districts that have already implemented the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The report finds CCSS implementation works best when district and school leaders make the standards the linchpin of instruction, professional learning, and accountability. The report recommends that districts avoid a political tug-of-war and get on with the hard work of helping parents understand the substance of the standards and how schools are helping kids meet them.
High School Students’ Scores Improve with Later Start Times
A new study from the University of Minnesota finds that students at high schools with later start times have higher grades. Funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the study found improved attendance, standardized test scores, and academic performance in English, math, science, and social studies at schools with later start times. Students also were more likely to get eight hours of sleep and have fewer issues with drugs, alcohol, and other risky behaviors.
Levels of Key Brain Chemicals Predict Children’s Reading Ability
Reading-impaired young children have higher levels of the metabolites glutamate and choline in their brains, and these higher levels continue to be indicative of difficulties in developing typical reading and language skills, a Yale study has found. This study is believed to be the first to examine neurochemistry in a longitudinal study of children during the critical period when they are considered "emergent readers" — the age at which neurocircuits that support skilled reading and speaking are still developing.
Pew Study Suggests Library Users Tend to Be Pillars of the Community
A Pew study finds that Americans seem to love their libraries. According to Pew, the more people are “engaged” with their public library, the more they tend to feel connected to their community as a whole. Conversely, unengaged people tend to have “fewer ties to their neighbors, lower feelings of personal efficacy [feeling empowered to change their community], and less engagement with other cultural activities.”
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Resources for School Librarians
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Call for Poetry Resources
April is National Poetry Month and we need some help. AASL’s Essential Links needs more links to great resources for promoting poetry through the school library program. Do you have a great article, book, or website that you go to for good ideas? Please share it with us on our Essential Links wiki here, and check the ideas we’ve collected to date while you’re there.
How to Integrate Digital Literacy into Core Subjects
Digital literacy can be "infused" throughout the curriculum of core subjects, writes Jennifer Carey, academic technology director at a Florida school. In this blog post, she shares how educators can teach these skills by conducting online research, creating digital projects, and communicating through social media. "Likewise, just as we do not need to establish a separate curriculum or class for 'digital literacy,' we can incorporate updated 21st century communication skills across our established curricular models," she writes.
Helping Students Maximize Technology for Learning
Integrating technology into lessons should be about helping students become effective as creators and consumers, suggest Jeremy Hyler, a middle-school language arts teacher, and Troy Hicks, associate professor of English at Central Michigan University. In this article, the pair write that technology no longer is optional and explain how they help students get the most learning from technology by creating relevant work and connecting with others.
How Checklists Can Help Students Meet Common Core State Standards
Checklists can help educators fulfill some of the requirements of the Common Core State Standards, middle-school teacher Heather Wolpert-Gawron writes in this blog post. She gives samples of some of the checklists she has used in the classroom. "Developing and providing checklists speaks to college and career readiness in the Common Core," she writes. "After all, organization, preparedness, goal setting and the independent learning that comes from utilizing resources are all folded into the expectations of these new standards."
Finding the Right Balance with Technology in the Classroom
It can be difficult for teachers to strike the right balance between teaching and integrating technology in the classroom, writes Andrew Marcinek, director of technology at a district in Massachusetts. In this blog post, he offers examples of balanced technology integration, including the use of Edmodo in the classroom, managing Google Sites digital portfolio, and using Google Drive for various activities.
Ideas to Incorporate Close Reading Strategies When Reading Novels Aloud
Close reading is a literacy strategy that fourth-grade teacher Mary Tarashuk uses to enhance her tradition of reading a book aloud to her class. In this blog post, Tarashuk offers examples and graphic organizers of how she guides her students to find evidence in the text of the novel "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings, probe deeper into the meaning of the story, and analyze grammar and writing structure.
Strategies to Foster Outside-the-Box Thinking
Educators at all grade levels should take steps to encourage creative -- divergent -- thinking in schools, according to educator and artist Stacey Goodman. In this blog post, Goodman offers five strategies that support outside-the-box thinking. "Divergent thinking strategies offer the possibility of doing more than fostering a creative classroom environment; they can also help us better understand and appreciate difference[s] in all areas of our students' lives," he writes.
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Grants & Awards
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Gordon M. Conable Conference Scholarship
 The Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) is accepting applications for the 2014 Gordon M. Conable Conference Scholarship, which enables a library school student or new professional to attend ALA’s 2014 Annual Conference June 26-July 1 in Las Vegas, Nev. Students currently enrolled in an ALA-accredited library and information studies degree program or an AASL-recognized master’s program in school librarianship and new professionals (those who are three or fewer years removed from receiving a library school degree) are eligible. The deadline for submitting an application is April 11.
2014 Google Policy Summer Fellowship
The American Library Association is pleased to participate in the Google Policy Fellows program for 2014. For the summer of 2014, the selected fellow will spend 10 weeks in residence at the ALA Washington Office to learn about national policy and complete a major project. Google provides the $7,500 stipend for the summer, but the work agenda is determined by the ALA and the selected fellow. Applications are due April 14, 2014.
Lemony Snicket Prize for Noble Librarians
Now is your chance to nominate a beleaguered librarian for ALA's Lemony Snicket Prize for Noble Librarians Faced with Adversity. The prize consists of $3,000 along with a $1,000 travel stipend to ALA’s Annual Conference, an odd, symbolic object from Snicket’s private stash, and a certificate. The nominee must be a librarian. Nominations are due April 15, 2014.
Teacher Development Grants from the McCarthey Dressman Education Foundation
 The McCarthey Dressman Education Foundation’s grants support small teams of teachers in the formation and implementation of innovative K-12 classroom instruction and provide opportunities for teachers to integrate fresh strategies that encourage critical inquiry and to observe their effects on students. Grants up to $10,000 are available for individual educators or small teams of teachers. Deadline is April 15, 2014
Citizens-Save-Libraries Grants
 Applications are being accepted for cycle two of the Citizens-Save-Libraries grants from United for Libraries, made possible by a grant from the Neal-Schuman Foundation. The 10 libraries that are selected will receive two days of onsite consultation by advocacy experts, who will help Friends of the library groups, library directors, and trustees develop individual blueprints for advocacy campaigns to restore, increase, or save threatened library budgets. The deadline is April 15, 2014.
Snapdragon Book Foundation Grants to Libraries
The Snapdragon Book Foundation provides funds to improve school libraries for disadvantaged children. The maximum award is $20,000. Public, private, and experimental schools are eligible for the grants. Deadline is April 18, 2014.
2014 Sara Jaffarian School Library Program Award for Exemplary Humanities Programming.
The American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office is now accepting applications for the 2014 Sara Jaffarian School Library Program Award for Exmplary Humanities Programming. The award recognizes K-8 schools, both public and private, that conducted notable humanities programming during the last school year (2012-13). Programs should focus on broadening perspectives and helping students understand the world and their place in it. The winning library will receive a $4,000 honorarium, a plaque, and promotion on ALA websites and communications. Applications and full guidelines are available at www.ala.org/jaffarianaward. The deadline is April 18.
Sherlock Holmes Literacy Grants
 The Beacon Society, a Sherlock Holmes literary group, offers grants up to $500 to fund the development of programs that will introduce young people to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional detective. The grants seek to promote creative work by giving financial help to public and private school teachers, organizations, libraries, counselors and others who develop literary curriculum projects and other educational experiences encouraging young people to read, primarily by introducing them to the stories about Sherlock Holmes. The deadline for 2014 grant applications is May 1.
Entertainment Software Association Grants for Youth Programs
The ESA Foundation is dedicated to supporting geographically diverse projects and programs that benefit American youth of all races and denominations and make a difference in the quality of their life, health, and welfare. The Foundation seeks to harness the collective power of the interactive entertainment industry to create positive social impact in our communities. Maximum award is $50,000. Eligibility: 501(c)(3) organizations with programs that serve youths ages 7-18. Deadline: May 28, 2014
Build Something Bold Library Award
SLJ and LEGO Education’s inaugural Build Something Bold Library Design Award recognizes innovative design within a school library or classroom that demonstrates exemplary and creative use of library space and resources to effectively engage children and/or teens and enhance multiple literacy capabilities. Grand Prize includes a $5,000 cash award, a profile in SLJ’s November issue, and a LEGO Education StoryStarter Classroom set with software and curriculum. Nominations are due May 31, 2014.
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ASCD and CDC Announce New Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child Model
 ASCD announced the new Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model that is recommended as a strategy for improving students' health and learning in our schools. Developed by ASCD and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the new model combines and builds on elements of the traditional coordinated school health approach and the whole child framework to strengthen a unified and collaborative approach to learning and health.
CoSN Releases Guidelines to Support K-12 CTOs
As part of its Smart Education Networks by Design (SEND) initiative, the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) released the first phase of comprehensive guidelines to support K-12 chief technology officers (CTOs) in building, strengthening, and maintaining durable education networks. These networks support technology-rich 24/7 learning. The initiative provides guidance to district leaders on the current and future digital K-12 landscape and identifies best practices and solutions to design, implement, and manage networks to support district strategic plans and processes.
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