Indeed, school libraries transform. We know our students’ stories, and we know the transformative nature of our work. But do we articulate these stories enough? And to the right people? How can we use data to showcase the real effort… Read More ›
advocacy
Documentation Matters: 30 Ideas for Developing a Portfolio & April 2016 Professional Development
Recently I was writing a paper to share at the Causality: School Libraries and Student Success (CLASS) Research Summit II. Here is the white paper from the first CLASS Summit. Needless to say, I am excited about participating. Writing the paper… Read More ›
Celebrate School Library Month
Your library supervisor or school administrator asks what you are doing to celebrate School Library Month. Panic immediately sets in – you have never heard of this. What should you do? Remain calm and read on. What “School Library Month… Read More ›
Everyday Advocacy
Advocacy means not only wearing our many hats, but also doing a symbolic fashion spread with them! To be a strong advocate of school library programs and services, one must be willing to toot one’s own horn loudly and wear… Read More ›
Inexpensive Computers, Virtual Reality Adventures, and March 2016 Professional Development
This month I am sharing two notable finds and ten unique professional development opportunities. Let’s begin with the computers that I learned about while reading an article on CNN.com (Kelly, 2015). The article was about a computer created by a… Read More ›
Make Local Data Work for Local School Libraries
By Dorcas Hand (Adapted from TASLTalks, Jan. 30, 2016) As we wait for the implementation of ESSA to be organized, what can we do on our school campuses to be ready? We librarians know that Every Student Succeeds when every student… Read More ›
School Libraries, Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and Title I – What Should We Ask?
Designed to equalize educational opportunities and resources for disadvantaged children, Title I has been in existence since the inception of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) enacted in 1965 to address the “War on Poverty.” Most recently ESEA came… Read More ›
Reaching Out: Including Parents in Your Program throughout the Year
As January begins, don’t forget about your parent stakeholders. There is always a push in the fall to include parents in opening school days but sometimes during the year we forget to get the message out about what the library… Read More ›
Librarians Point the Way on Digital Learning
Project Tomorrow‘s annual Speak Up surveys show that librarians are in a unique leadership position to develop new visions of learning at their schools. We see that administrators now have a well-articulated need and community backing to support digital integration, and… Read More ›
Moving from Old School to New: How Making Connections has Changed the Library
You are a connected educator; you would not be reading this if you weren’t. I do not need to tell you all the benefits of being connected to your students, colleagues, and the outside world. You know! Yet, I wonder… Read More ›