AASL Launches Comprehensive Website for ESSA Implementation
AASL has launched a new, comprehensive website for the Every Student Succeeds Act implementation. The site, available at essa.aasl.org, contains discussion forums, social media links, position statements, and state workshop information. Nowhere else can school librarians connect with peers from across the country to discuss the strategies and success stories in their states as they ensure student success through strong school libraries.
AASL Seeks Members to Serve on New Social Media Editorial Board
 AASL is seeking school library professionals to serve as members of the AASL social media editorial board. Editorial board members will be tasked with curating and composing social media posts to share on AASL platforms. To apply, please visit www.ala.org/aasl/social-media.
Submit an Article for Mar/Apr KQ
 Interested in writing for Knowledge Quest? The deadline for submitting a manuscript for the Mar/Apr issue is October 17. KQ is seeking original, unpublished manuscripts that address the integration of theory and practice in school librarianship and new developments in education, learning theory, and relevant disciplines.
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Tracey Wong Awarded ALA's Scholastic Library Publishing Award
 Tracey Wong, school library media specialist at Daniel Webster Magnet School in Rochester, NY, was awarded ALA's Scholastic Library Publishing Award. The award honors a librarian whose unusual contribution to promoting access to books and encouraging a love of reading for lifelong learning exemplify outstanding achievement in the profession.
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Robyn Young Awarded Indiana Library Federation Leadership Award
 Robyn Young, school librarian at Avon High School in Indiana, was awarded the Indiana Library Federation Leadership Award for the year. The award honors any person in an Indiana Library Federation leadership role or a Federation member who has achieved stellar success or has performed far beyond the scope that would normally be expected for a person in the member’s position.
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Summer Program Improve Student Achievement in Reading and Math
District-operated summer programs may help boost student achievement in reading and math, according to a study of third-graders attending five such programs. Common characteristics of the programs include free tuition, transportation, and meals.
Schools Should Prepare to Increase Bandwidth
The average school should be prepared to triple its Internet bandwidth in the next three years, according to a report by the State Educational Technology Directors Association. The report also calls on schools to ensure students have equal access to technology outside of school.
Federal Guidance Focuses on SROs
The US Department of Education and Department of Justice offered suggestions to schools and states about how they should work with school resource officers and local police. The guidance recommends schools develop memorandums of understanding with law enforcement.
The Lilead Project Receives IMLS Grant to Expand Fellows Program
The University of Maryland's College of Information Studies, Maryland's iSchool, has received a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to support a second cohort of 25 Lilead Fellows and create the Lilead Leaders program. Awarded as part of the 2016 Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian program, the iSchool will partner with the Darden College of Education at Old Dominion University (Norfolk, VA) to carry out the expanded program.
What 20 Years of Research Tells Us about Adolescent Literacy Efforts
A literature summary from REL Southeast provides findings from a comprehensive review of over 7,000 articles on adolescent literacy programs and instructional practices. The summary describes the 12 programs and practices that have positive or potentially positive effects and demonstrates the commonalities between them.
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Resources for School Librarians
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Tips for Getting Project-Based Learning Right
Five guiding principles can help educators create maker-enhanced, project-based lessons. Principles include connecting content to standards and developing clear expectations.
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Tips for Using Podcasts as Text
Journalism teacher John Walter describes how he used the podcast "Serial" in his class to have students analyze it as a primary text. He includes a description of the main lesson, the students' final project of creating a podcast analyzing "Serial," and tools other teachers can use for incorporating podcasts into their curriculum.
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Time for a Tech Tune-Up
The new school year is a great time for teachers to consider a tech tune-up, education-technology consultant Gene Tognetti writes in this blog post. He shares three tips to guide the process.
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How to Use Interactive Notebooks to Manage Work and Writing
In this blog post, former English teacher Christina Gil shares how she used interactive spiral notebooks with her students to organize their daily work and writing assignments. She has her students select the pages she should grade, which gives her insight into her students' progress.
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Integrating Virtual Reality into Reading/Writing
Virtual reality can enhance reading and writing lessons by injecting empathy and student interest, New York educator Cayne Letizia writes. She shares a lesson incorporating the New York Times' NYT VR app.
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4 Tips for Designing Learning Spaces
There are four things to consider when designing learning spaces, writes Fred Ende, assistant director of curriculum and instructional services for Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES in Yorktown Heights, NY. In this blog post, he describes how to maximize the design of learning spaces to improve learning.
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Partnership and Collaborator News
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National Ambaassador Gene Luen Yang's NYT Comic
 In a special comic featured in the "Back to School" edition of the New York Times Book Review, comics creator and National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Gene Luen Yang reflects on the power of books to inspire empathy. Yang recalls a moment in third grade when storytelling enabled him to overcome his prejudice toward a fellow classmate.
Join Jumpstarts's Read for the Record on October 27
Jumpstart’s Read for the Record is a national campaign that was launched over a decade ago to address the educational inequities that leave too many children unprepared for kindergarten. On Thursday, October 27, 2016, children and adults will gather to learn, laugh, and read this year's campaign book, The Bear Ate Your Sandwich by Julia Sarcone-Roach, as part of the world’s largest shared reading experience.
Students Urged to Stand Up for Digital Equity
The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) issued a homework assignment for students this school year: shine a spotlight on digital equity. CoSN’s new Digital Equity Video Challenge urges students in grades 6-12 to submit a short video that raises awareness around digital equity. The challenge will run until January 19, 2017.
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