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School Libraries & ESSA

School Libraries & ESSA
Related:  Week 10: Budget, Advocacy, Engagement (*= Key reading)Advocacy and EngagementAdvocacy

Using the Right Terms Creates the WOW Moment! Have you ever been in a situation where you are talking to someone, but you know that your message is not being understood by the other person’s body language? Sometimes the problem is the terms that you are using. To them you are speaking another language. Therefore, in conversations with state leadership, administrators, and other coalition members use the terms within ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) because you want them to make the connection. Thus creating the WOW moment that school libraries and librarians are an essential part of the plan! The AASL Vision for Implementing ESSA Task Force created a handout of ESSA Terms. ESSA Terms Within the language of ESSA, several terms are defined. Blended Learning (Section 4102)Digital Learning (Section 4102)STEM-Focused Specialty School (Section 4102)Well-Rounded Education (Section 8802-52) Other critical language used within ESSA are defined by the U.S. Make the connection between ESSA and school library programs! Tags: ESSA

But My Principal Won't Let Me! Leadership, Advocacy, & Some Rebel Yell from the Library “I love that idea–but there’s no way my principal would ever go along with that…” “That is really cool that you can do that. But it wouldn’t fly in my school…” “I wish my principal would let me try something like that…” Have those thoughts ever flitted through your mind while you read an inspiring article, sat in a workshop, or took a class? Then join the rest of school librarians across the country. It’s important to remember that administrative rules for libraries don’t derive from bad intentions; they are usually just deeply rooted in misperceptions and the ease of following long-set tradition. Pay attention to what your principal needs. The school library needs to provide resources for all of its patrons. Share national guidelines and goal-setting with your principal. Set goals for your library and then support them with AASL’s Standards for the 21st-Century Learner or the AASL’s National School Library of the Year criteria. Make visuals to show what you do and where you want to go.

Bryce Don't Play * The accountant’s hat (Barbara Braxton) Of all the hats the teacher librarian has to wear, for many the accountant’s hat may be the most ill-fitting because the management of money matters, particularly the preparation, submission and disbursement of a budget, requires expertise beyond that of our teaching qualifications. And yet it is an essential part of what we do. From messages to TL networks, it would appear there are three types of budgets… those that are based on the administration’s careful consideration of a properly prepared budget submitted by the TLthose that are based on an amount allocated by the administration (often the school’s business manager) with no consultation with the TL with the expectation that the TL will provide all services within that amountthose that are non-existent requiring the TL to go to external sources such a parent bodies, book fairs, grants and sponsorship and so on to raise the required funds funding Cover these issues in your Collection Policy. preparation disbursement documentation

Disaster Recovery for School Libraries Lately, it feels as though we are in a constant state of preparing for or recovering from disasters, both natural and human made. As storms Irma and Jose were downgraded to what still devastated some U.S. southeastern border communities, we were thankful that apocalyptic media reports were not fully realized. Yet, as citizens of both the Houston and the southeast Gulf Coast areas start the year, thousands of school children begin school in grave need of recovery assistance. School librarians are sometimes the overlooked “link” to recovery; yet they stand singularly poised to offer some very specific assists. As Information Curator Librarians are masters at curating information. Research Specialist Librarians may also wish to offer services that provide both in-house and online links to all the resources necessary for assistance and recovery. Recovery Center: The Library as a Safe Haven Never is there a more immediate need for providing a safe haven for students than post-disaster. Donations

Five Ways School Librarians Can Meet The Needs of Students in Poverty That said, one of the (many) pieces of information Donalyn shared during our time together was the recent research suggesting that children raised in homes with (access to) more than 500 books (over the course of their lifetime) spend an average of three years longer in school than children whose homes contain little or no print material. In fact, this research goes onto to point out that growing up in a household with 500 or more books is “as great an advantage as having university-educated rather than unschooled parents, and twice the advantage of having a professional rather than an unskilled father.” That’s kind of amazing. But it also got me thinking…. 500 books. I’ve written and spoken before about my own experiences growing up in poverty, but I don’t think I’ve ever shared this story: Like most kids, when I was little, I had a small collection of picture books. Of course, we know that poverty has lots of other (potentially) devastating effects on children. depressing post ever!

Igniting the Flame “I’m in love!” shouted a 4th-grade boy as he walked through my library. Had he just met one of my beautiful high school library aides? I wondered. But then he actually clarified: “I’m in love with all these books!” A smile warmed my heart because after all–even in these days of a 21st-century librarian’s “multi-hatted” life–my most important job still is to promote the love of reading in children. Our K-6 Books4Keep Book Drive came out of the brainstorming of a few motivated high school freshmen who wanted to promote literacy in our district. In our rural district, with approximately 75% of children coming from low-income homes, the need for summer reading books is critical. Having merely dipped our toes into the book drive waters last year–and feeling quite successful with giving books to over 150 children–we set our sights on helping 200 children this year. The book drive officially began in February, continuing through May. Author: Alison Kirkpatrick

The Advocate's Toolbox | Advocate This, Not That! “A university is just a group of buildings gathered around a library,” wrote the historian and novelist Shelby Foote. Consider a corollary to this quote—a school is just a group of buildings gathered around a library—and whether it aptly describes how important your school library is to the overall function of your institution. Too often, school libraries are seen as peripheral, not central, to teaching and learning. We can speak to parents, teachers, and principals about the value of our programs and services, but the decisions about how to best allocate funds are often made at the district level. When money gets tight, those programs with the greatest impact on the highest priorities are valued the most. After decades of chronic underfunding, the situation is especially dire here in California, where I live and work. Equity and access, not reading. My own experiences as a classroom teacher confirmed this long before I ever read the research. College and career readiness, not ed tech.

School Librarians and the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) AASL Position Statements Definition for an Effective School Library Program AASL supports the position that an effective school library program has a certified school librarian at the helm, provides personalized learning environments, and offers equitable access to resources to ensure a well-rounded education for every student. Appropriate Staffing for School Libraries AASL supports the position that every student in every school, including independent schools and public charter schools, should have access to an updated school library with a certified school librarian. Instructional Role of the School Librarian AASL supports the position that school librarians are instructors as well as collaborators with fellow educators in the pursuit of student learning in school libraries, classrooms, learning commons, makerspaces, labs, and virtual learning spaces. Role of the School Library Program Preparation of School Librarians Latest Information ESSA Updates on Knowledge Quest Rule Making & Guidance

Elevator Speech | Everyday Advocacy You’re in an elevator with the Board president. Or the Mayor. Or the Chairperson of the city’s Youth Commission. You have one minute before the elevator opens and you go your separate ways. What do you say? You’ve got your elevator speech prepared, and now’s the perfect time to use it! What is an elevator speech? How do I craft a good introductory elevator speech? Sample template: “I help_______________[your main customer group] _____________[verb] in order to ________________[large, positive result].” Sample Speech: “I help kids and families unpack their curiosity at the library so that the kids can go out and change our world for the better.” What if I’m already acquainted with my audience? Re-introduce yourself.

What is an "elevator speech"? An elevator speech is a clear, brief message or “commercial” about you. It communicates who you are, why you are valuable, and how you can benefit your stakeholders. It’s typically about 30 seconds to 1 minute, the time it takes people to ride from the top to the bottom of a building in an elevator. Elevator speeches are handy to have rehearsed to advocate for school library programs in all kinds of situations: those planned and those unexpected. Let’s start with “why”. Nobody know what you do better than you. If you don’t blow your own horn, no one else will.The squeaky wheel gets the oil.Advocacy begins with you! Three characteristics of an elevator speech: ShortSpecificMemorable When can you use them? Elevator speeches are helpful when meeting a new principal, goal-setting meetings, and school board or parent meetings. Who can use them? What are the components of an elevator speech? Here is a sample: References: Mcusick. Author: Sedley Abercrombie Like this: Like Loading...

AASL Advocacy Brochures Advocacy Brochure Series Helps School Librarians Speak to Stakeholders Developed and distributed through a grant from the Bound to Stay Bound Books Foundation, the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) presents a new advocacy tool to help school librarians generate and guide discussion with stakeholders about quality school library programs. School Library Programs Improve Student Learning is a series of advocacy brochures each designed to speak to a specific stakeholder audience within the school library community, including administrators, policymakers, parents, and teachers. The School Library Programs Improve Student Learning brochure series unfolds AASL’s Standards for the 21st-Century Learner and Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Programs in a way that allows each stakeholder group to visualize a model school library program from their perspective. Downloading and Ordering Interested in customizing your brochure?

EveryLibrary - Any Library Initiative Anywhere for Every Library Everywhere The Elevator Speech | Advocacy, Legislation & Issues An elevator speech a message intended to spur decision makers to action. An elevator speech must be short, specific, and memorable. It is important to have your elevator speech rehearsed and ready because you never know when you'll have an opportunity to use it! Who is the audience for my elevator speech? For school librarians, decision-makers can be school principals, parent organizations, district administrators, elected officials, community partners and more. Crafting the elevator speech Elevator Speech Sample for ESSA (PDF) Additional ESSA Elevator Speech Examples (PDF)

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