Georgia, Illinois, and Indiana School Librarians Unpack ESSA
 On Sept. 24, school librarians and educational stakeholders in Georgia, Illinois, and Indiana attended workshops dedicated to unpacking the provisions for school libraries in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Presented by AASL the workshops include the most current information on developments at the federal level and work through the titles in ESSA that can be directly linked to the school librarian and school library program.
Application Deadline for AASL’s Social Media Editorial Board Oct. 31
Those interested in becoming a part of AASL’s Social Media Editorial Board have until Monday, October 31, to apply. Members of the Social Media Editorial Board will be tasked with curating and composing social media posts to share on AASL platforms. Apply today!
AASL Releases Executive Summary of Standards and Guidelines Research
AASL released a summary report of its research findings related to how school librarians use and view AASL's standards and guidelines. The AASL Standards & Guidelines Editorial Board is currently leveraging this research to inform their work as they rewrite and remodel the standards and guidelines.
Applications Open for 2017 AASL Awards Program
Applications for AASL’s 2017 awards season are now available. AASL members are encouraged to nominate a colleague or themselves to be lauded for their outstanding talent and dedication to the profession as part of this prestigious program. AASL awards and grants recognize excellence and showcase best practices in the school library field.
AASL Coalition Focuses on School Library Advocacy and Legislation
To strengthen and consolidate its advocacy and legislation efforts, AASL has launched an Advocacy and Legislation Coalition. The coalition’s goal is to increase two-way communication between AASL and state and local stakeholders and allow AASL to proactively respond to issues impacting the profession. Coalition meetings will be held virtually at 12:00 p.m. Central on the second Wednesday of every month.
Follett Supports AASL's ESSA Implementation Efforts
Follett School Solutions continues to support the importance of school librarians in students' educational careers with a matching funds sponsorship of AASL's Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) implementation workshops. Presented nationwide through collaboration with AASL state affiliates, the workshops highlight opportunities within ESSA language for school librarians and school libraries to be included in state and local plans.
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Sue Kowalski Awarded Impact of the Year Award from Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies
 Sue Kowalski, school librarian at Pine Grove Middle School in East Syracuse, NY, recently received the inaugural “Impact of the Year Award” from Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies. The award celebrates an alum who makes significant contributions to the iSchool community that include leadership, vision, and mentorship.
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Article Highlights Sarah-Jayne Studer's Efforts to Revitalize School Library
 Sarah-Jayne Studer's efforts to revitalize the school library program at Washington High School in Massillon, Ohio, is featured in a local news article. Studer is working to update the school library space into a casual reading area with modular furniture, a small-group area, research tables, and a student-run cafe. “I know the program is going to be as good as I make it,” she said. “I just want to make it the best it could be.”
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Department of Education Offers Guidance on Title II Spending under ESSA
The US Department of Education has released guidance about how states can use the more than $2 billion in federal Title II funds under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The guidance largely focuses on using the funds to support educators and addresses topics such as equity, development, and evaluation.
Are Schools Missing Out on E-Rate Funds?
There has been a 10% decline in participation in the E-Rate program in fiscal year 2016. Some experts attribute the decline, in part, to schools still trying to understand the new rules and processes.
14 Traits of Effective STEM Programs
Researchers from George Washington University, George Mason University, and SRI International have compiled a list of 14 essential components of science, technology, engineering and math education. Components include partnerships with business and industry and integrated technology use.
IBM’s Watson to Advise Teachers on Lessons
The IBM Foundation in collaboration with the American Federation of Teachers has developed Teacher Advisor. The free artificial-intelligence technology program will be available by the end of the year, first to third-grade math teachers and later to other grade levels and subject areas.
Minecraft to Launch Education Edition Nov. 1
More than 35,000 students and teachers have tested and given feedback on a free, trial version of Minecraft: Education Edition. The full version, to be released Nov. 1, will add features such as a companion app for teachers to use in the classroom.
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Resources for School Librarians
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Creative Activities Can Help Support Science Instruction
Activities that let students flex their creativity and curiosity are a good way to support science instruction, educator Kami Thordarson writes. Thordarson recommends using a free web tool that lets students navigate engineering design challenges.
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Free Webinar Will Explore Creating an Interactive Exhibit
Join Sara Jaffarian Award winner Constance Vidor, director of library services at the Friends Seminary, for a free webinar on how to create an interactive exhibit in your school library. Find out how Vidor and a history teacher created an interactive research project that engaged their entire school community in learning about the 1960 Greensboro lunch counter sit-ins.
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Designing Learning for Student Agency
School and classroom redesigns can help give students more agency and a sense of community, rather than emphasize control and compliance, veteran educator and education consultant Jim Dillon writes in this blog post. He highlights a first-grade classroom as one example.
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Can Fiction Boost College- and Career-Readiness?
Literary fiction continues to have a place in the curriculum during a time of increased focus on nonfiction, educators and experts say. Research supports the use of fiction to help students develop empathy, Theory of Mind and other skills to help students in college and career.
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Educator Considers Student Voice in Tech Decisions
Todd LaVogue, a design, innovation and technology specialist at The Conservatory School in North Palm Beach, FL, plans to introduce virtual reality into classroom lessons this year. In this blog post, LaVogue notes that student feedback helped drive this decision.
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Hein Offers Online Slavery Collection for Free
William S. Hein & Co. released its newest online collection, Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture, and Law, making it free to all. The collection brings together, for the first time, all known legal materials on slavery in the United States and the English-speaking world, as well as materials on free African-Americans in the colonies and the U.S. before 1870.
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Partnership & Collaborator News
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ASCD Seeking Candidates for Board of Directors
 ASCD’s Nominations Committee is seeking qualified candidates to run for two open positions on the ASCD Board of Directors in 2017. The application process is open through Nov. 15. Board members serve four-year terms.
Achieve Release High School Assessments and Accountability Briefs
The passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) presents unique challenges and opportunities for states with respect to how they select and use high school assessments. Achieve has produced two new briefs exploring these issues with the goal of equipping policymakers to make informed decisions about assessment that ultimately advance the goal of graduating all high school students ready for college and career.
Finalists Announced for 2016 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature
The National Book Foundation has announced the finalists for the 2016 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. The 2016 Finalists are:
- Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick)
- March: Book Three by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, illus. by Nate Powell (Top Shelf)
- When the Sea Turned to Silver by Grace Lin (Little, Brown)
- Ghost by Jason Reynolds (Atheneum/Dlouhy)
- The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon (Delacorte)
The winners of the 67th annual National Books Awards will be announced on November 16 at a ceremony in New York City.
CoSN Releases New Tools for School Leaders to Get Informed about Network and Software Services
CoSN (the Consortium for School Networking) released new resources for school technology leaders to get the answers they need about network and software vendor offerings. Launched as part of the CoSN SEND (Smart Education Networks by Design) program, the tools outline a series of questions district leaders should ask network and software vendors.
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