The people rallied, the law changed, and Education applauded, but what’s the big deal with the librarians? Why do they care so much? That might be what some people (if they paid close enough attention to the recent ESSA bill) wondered as Library America lifted up a cheer in unison on December 10, 2015 when President Obama signed the bill into Law. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is actually not a new law but a reauthorization of an existing law: the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), however, the new implications will make a lasting change on schools, and, hopefully, how school’s utilize their libraries. A little background: The ESEA, signed into law in 1965 by President Johnson, was initially a civil rights law which provided a means for schools serving low-income students to receive funding for textbooks, library books, special education resources, and scholarships for post-secondary opportunities for the students of those schools. This law expired every 3-5 years and required reauthorization. In 2002, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law was enacted by President Bush because the “Democrats and Republicans in Congress became increasingly concerned by the growing achievement gaps that left poor and minority students in failing schools, and devised a system of testing and accountability to fix it” (Korte). This measurement and accountability provided needed statistics to show our leaders that Education America needed help, hence the inception of the ESSA. The new law preserves the measurement and accountability features but changes the way those are carried out. Here are the “big picture” basics of how this will look:
How This Applies to Libraries In the past libraries weren’t mentioned anywhere in the verbiage for the legal directions given to our policy-makers and district and school administrators. ESSA has changed that. The American Library Association (ALA) took on the good fight, advocating for over a decade for these changes, and finally won! School libraries and librarians are now recognized as critical partners in the education process. Leslie Preddy, AASL President described ESSA as “an historic new chapter in federal support of education, one that will ensure effective school library programs are there to help them learn how to use new technology tools, develop critical thinking, and the reading and research skills essential to achievement in science, math and all other ‘STEM’ fields” (Gravatt). | Where We Go from Here: Time to Get Excited! Think of battles that have been won throughout history; the end of the battle is not the time when the victors sit back and kick their feet up; it’s when they go to work creating change! Librarians, this is our time! We have just been given an incredible opportunity to make a difference. We are not book-checker-outers. We are professional men and women with knowledge on how to teach; we know how to find & curate information; we collaborate with our colleagues to give them the resources to make an impact in their classrooms; we get kids excited about reading and research; we create resources to help our communities understand things they want to know; we show our schools how to take control of technology; we are difference-makers! We get to make people smile! Our job is the best in the entire school! So, what do you need to do, you ask? Here are some practical ways librarians can and should be working to make a difference with ESSA in our back pocket:
It may sound like a lot because it is a lot! It's a lot of opportunity that has just been granted to us. We will join hands, and we will walk forward together. This isn’t a job for one librarian; it’s a job for all of us. We will take one step at a time, and we will make a difference because we’ve just been given the tools to do it. Let’s roll up our sleeves, friends. We are not done! We’re just getting started! This is an exciting time to be a school librarian! #let’sgetthispartystarted Bibliography
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by G. Kirchmyer
by G. Kirchmyer
There’s No Shame in Playing a Game! Students Who Play Games Are More Likely to Succeed in Life….1/27/2015 by G. Kirchmyer
by G. Kirchmyer
by G. Kirchmyer
by G.Kirchmyer
by G. Kirchmyer
by G. Kirchmyer
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AuthorWith 20 years in education, a member of her district Library Leadership Team and a National Board Certified Teacher, Ginger Kirchmyer is dedicated to creating change in her school district and helping librarians to be positive change agents for their school community. Archives
January 2016
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