Standards Excitement Builds with AASL Twitter Chat
Anticipating the launch of its new “National School Library Standards,” AASL will conduct its first standards-related Twitter chat at 6:00 p.m. Central tonight. The chat will be facilitated by members of the standards implementation task force and social media editorial board. Those wishing to participate can follow the hashtag #AASLstandards.
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Join AASL, ALA Office for Library Advocacy, and the ALA Chapters Office for a Collaborative Webinar
Join AASL, the ALA Office for Library Advocacy, and the ALA Chapters Office on September 27 at 2 p.m. ET for the webinar “Back to School: School Library Legislation in the Statehouses.” Fewer than half of all states currently require a school librarian in their public schools. In recent years, however, legislation has been introduced in several additional states. Who is leading these efforts and what insights can they share? Hear from three states and follow their presentations with a facilitated discussion for participants.
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Join AASL for a Webinar on Common Core-Aligned OER Resources Sept. 28
Join AASL September 28 at 6 p.m. CT for the webinar "Common Core Open Educational Resources & Websites and Google Classroom." A major challenge to Common Core implementation is the shortage of new and proficient standard-aligned material. As districts face the necessity of purchasing new instructional materials aligned to the CCSS, open educational resources have become crucial. A variety of Common Core OER websites will be demonstrated to attendees and how they can be applied in Google Classroom.
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Melanie Thompson Highlighted for Book Drive to Help Schools Hit by Hurricane Harvey
Melanie Thompson, library media specialist at Thorpe Gordon Elementary School in Jefferson County, MO, is highlighted for a book drive she initiated to help schools affected by Hurricane Harvey. Thompson didn't immediately have a total for the number of books received, but she estimated she'd received at least 70 boxes.
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Nora Wiltse Advocates for School Librarians in Chicago Public Schools
Nora Wiltse, school librarian at Chicago Public Schools Conley Elementary, talks about the declining number of school librarians in Chicago Public Schools in a news article. "We've seen some libraries stay open with a clerk, but most of the time the school will say that they have a library, but the students don't have access to those books and so it's just a room that's used for testing," she said. "The students are just losing all of their support services."
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Stephen Krashen Pens Letter to Editor on Importance of School Librarians
Stephen Krashen, professor emeritus at USC, wrote a letter to the editor about the importance of school librarians in Chicago schools. “We cheerfully spend billions on unvalidated tests and untested technology, yet we ignore the impressive research on libraries and librarians, and are unwilling to make the modest investments that will ensure that school libraries are well supplied with books and are staffed with credentialed librarians,” he noted.
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Barry Love Named 2017 National Middle School Coach of the Year by the National History Bee and Bowl
Barry Love, school librarian at Aptakisic-Tripp CCSD 102 in Buffalo Grove, IL, was named the 2017 National Middle School Coach of the Year by the National History Bee and Bowl. "The most valuable experience for our students this year was belonging to a group dedicated to achieving victory through their own hard work," Love said in a news release.
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Katherine Lester, Gwenn Marchesano, April Wathen, and Steven Yates Featured in Publishers Weekly
Katherine Lester, Gwenn Marchesano, April Wathen, and Steven Yates are featured in an article on the role school librarians are playing in teaching digital citizenship in an article in Publishers Weekly. “Teaching digital citizenship and digital literacy is critical because ‘they’re basically lifelong skills,’ says Lester. ‘Students need to be able to locate quality, reliable sources of information that they can use in life, career, college—all the things that they’ll be facing.’”
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Submit a Member Spotlight
Have you been recognized for your work as a school librarian, received an award, published a book or article, or received another industry accomplishment? Submit a Member Spotlight today!
Submit a Member Current
Have you graduated, received a new certification, changed positions, or retired? Submit a Member Current for inclusion in the next KQ Express.
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ACT Scores Show Wide Achievement Gaps
ACT test data reveal persistent achievement gaps between "underserved learners" and those without "underserved" characteristics. ACT Chief Executive Marten Roorda said that while gaps were expected, "we didn't know it was this bad."
Advocacy Takeaway: Share AASL’s Resource Guide for Underserved Student Populations with your team and plan collaborative time to discuss the needs of your student population and which resources can assist.
Formative Assessments Reduce High-Stakes Testing
Formative assessments are helping some states, such as New Hampshire, Texas, and Illinois, cut down on the number of high-stakes tests. Educational consultant and testing expert Susan Brookhart says this approach can be more powerful than traditional standardized testing.
Trump Administration Announces End to DACA
The Trump administration announced an end to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The decision leaves the undocumented residents, an undetermined number of whom work and learn in the nation's K-12 schools, in a state of limbo. The Washington-based Migration Policy Institute estimates 250,000 school-age children have become DACA-eligible since President Barack Obama began the program in 2012..
How Did the Great Recession Affect Learning?
Reading and math test scores dropped during the Great Recession, according to a study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania. Researchers, who considered data for more than 95% of US public-school students, say low-income communities and minority students were affected the most.
Department of Education Checks Off 4 More State ESSA Plans
US Department of Education officials have approved Every Student Succeeds Act plans for Illinois, Oregon, Tennessee, and the District of Columbia. These recent approvals bring the total number of approved plans to 10, with another 34 states expected to submit plans next month.
Advocacy Takeaway: Listen to the most recent AASL Advocacy and Legislation Coalition Call to hear from AASL’s ESSA Implementation Task Force. This is your opportunity to be seen as a leader in understanding ESSA.
KIPP Pre-K Program Leads to Long-Term Benefits in Reading and Math
A new study finds lasting, positive effects for students who attend Knowledge Is Power Program’s (KIPP) prekindergarten program and then go on to enroll in one of the charter school's elementary programs. Researchers found that when students who won the lottery to attend a KIPP program were in 2nd grade their reading and math scores were much higher than their fellow students who had not had the opportunity to attend KIPP pre-K.
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Most Talked-About KQ Blog Posts
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Resources for School Librarians
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Students Take Lead in Learning Journey
Several educators at a Texas school have redesigned the syllabus after the board game "Life." In this commentary, Mark Engstrom, head of middle and upper school, shares how the learning journey puts students at the center, allowing them to take control of learning.
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How Student Conferencing Supports Goal Setting
Student conferencing supports success in a personalized learning classroom, asserts fifth-grade teacher Annie Preziosi. In this commentary, she reflects on the role student conferencing can play in helping students set meaningful goals.
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Tips for Designing Driving Questions for PBL
Driving questions help support project-based lessons, but sometimes it can be difficult to identify the best one, asserts instructional coach Andrew Miller. In this blog post, he shares the most popular types of driving questions and how to implement them.
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How Project Slices Can Help Expose Teachers to PBL
Educators should experience project-based learning with their students, but time for such efforts may be lacking, asserts instructional coach Andrew Miller. In this blog post, he writes how project slices can help give teachers the student perspective.
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Librarian Plans Post-Harvey Student Support
Cynthia Cooksey, this year's Texas Librarian of the Year, in this commentary shares her plans for helping students transition back to school following Hurricane Harvey. She highlights a list of books to use as conversation starters, as well as how coding will be used in libraries this year.
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Integrating Social Media into Writing Lessons
Teachers can use social media platforms for microwriting lessons that will enhance students' overall communication skills, former educator and Edutopia facilitator Rusul Alrubail writes in this blog post. Alrubail shares how one educator had students use Instagram to summarize their larger research projects.
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Strategies for Making the Maker Movement Work
Learners of all ages can benefit from makerspaces, asserts Fred Ende, assistant director of curriculum and instructional services for Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES in Yorktown Heights, NY. In this blog post, he shares how some school leaders support the maker movement.
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Exploring the Power of Genius Hour
Middle-school students in teacher Jen Schneider's classroom spend at least an hour each week exploring their own projects and questions. In this commentary, she shares how the Genius Hour approach has been a powerful change-maker in the classroom.
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4 Reasons Students Should Become Hackers
Not all hackers are criminals, and organizations need white-hat hackers -- people who break down malicious code -- to help defend against cyberattacks, writes malware researcher Amanda Rousseau. She offers four reasons why students, especially girls, should consider this career path.
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Partnership & Collaborator News
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NMC and CoSN Release the Horizon Report
The New Media Consortium (NMC), in partnership with the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), is releasing the NMC/CoSN Horizon Report: 2017 K-12 Edition. The report delivers succinct summaries and analysis of major technological themes and challenges, highlighting implications for in-practice applications. Building upon research from the 2016 report on emerging global technologies, the 2017 edition expands the evaluation to the five-year impact of innovative practices and technologies for K-12 education across the globe.
Digital Learning Day Is February 22, 2018
Digital Learning Day is February 22, 2018. Digital Learning Day was started as a way to actively spread innovative practices and ensure that all youth have access to high-quality digital learning opportunities no matter where they live. Digital Learning Day has provided a powerful venue for education leaders to highlight great teaching practice and showcase innovative teachers, leaders, and instructional technology programs that are improving student outcomes.
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