21st Century Learning In School Libraries

School libraries stand at the forefront of innovation in education. Yet many teachers and administrators do not know what to make of them, much less how to best utilize their varied and valuable resources. What if school librarians, whose field of practice has transformed in the past few decades, could show us excellent models for innovative teaching? What if the vital adaptations that school librarians have made could help other educators evolve? What if the lessons learned in the library could be scaled up to benefit all fields of practice and all students? The 21st Century School Library takes an in-depth look at the paradigm-shifting work that school libraries are doing to advance student learning, professional development, and school-wide engagement. It explains how library-led, forward-thinking initiatives can guide all educators – teachers and administrators alike – toward transformative educational practices. It is an inspiring survey of 21st century school libraries whose guiding principles also serve as a blueprint for innovation in K-12 education. School libraries – and all the educators associated with them – offer a compelling vision for the future of K-12 education. This book is a roadmap for how to make this vision a reality.

A collection of articles from School Library Monthly highlighting practical ways library media specialists can help their schools implement the AASL's Standards for 21st-Century Learners. Ever since the initial release of the AASL's Standards for the 21st-Century Learner, School Library Monthly magazine has consistently focused on providing librarians with the information and strategies they need to help students achieve those standards. Now from the pages of that magazine comes a collection that no school library or librarian should be without. 21st-Century Learning in School Libraries: Putting the AASL Standards To Work brings together the ideas and methods of leading school librarians and educators across the nation, all focused on meeting the new standards. The book begins with a survey of 21st-century learning documents and an examination of how learning has changed for today's student. It offers a wide range of articles—over 90 in all—in a series of chapters on key themes, a vision for successful school libraries, inquiry, collaboration, assessment, reading, and pedagogical strategies. Each chapter has an introduction, discussion questions, and promotional and advocacy strategies.

The untold story of the root cause of America's education crisis--and the seemingly endless cycle of multigenerational poverty. It was only after years within the education reform movement that Natalie Wexler stumbled across a hidden explanation for our country's frustrating lack of progress when it comes to providing every child with a quality education. The problem wasn't one of the usual scapegoats: lazy teachers, shoddy facilities, lack of accountability. It was something no one was talking about: the elementary school curriculum's intense focus on decontextualized reading comprehension "skills" at the expense of actual knowledge. In the tradition of Dale Russakoff's The Prize and Dana Goldstein's The Teacher Wars, Wexler brings together history, research, and compelling characters to pull back the curtain on this fundamental flaw in our education system--one that fellow reformers, journalists, and policymakers have long overlooked, and of which the general public, including many parents, remains unaware. But The Knowledge Gap isn't just a story of what schools have gotten so wrong--it also follows innovative educators who are in the process of shedding their deeply ingrained habits, and describes the rewards that have come along: students who are not only excited to learn but are also acquiring the knowledge and vocabulary that will enable them to succeed. If we truly want to fix our education system and unlock the potential of our neediest children, we have no choice but to pay attention.

A collection of articles written by leading experts in the school library field that explain how school teachers, librarians, and administrators can work together to improve library services and meet the needs of all students.

Here is a guide that shows you how to help students develop the critical thinking and learning skills necessary for effective and engaged citizens in the 21st Century. It provides tools and strategies to deliver a cutting-edge school library curriculum.

Provides vision for strong school library programs, including identification of the skills and knowledge essential for students to be information literate. Includes recommended baseline staffing, access, and resources for school library services at each grade level.

The new National School Library Standards for Learners, School Librarians, and School Libraries reflect an evolution of AASL Standards, building on philosophical foundations and familiar elements of previous standards while featuring the new streamlined AASL Standards Integrated Framework for learners, school librarians, and school libraries.

Compact yet remarkably comprehensive, this book covers all the major aspects of school library services, from administration to instruction focused from the elementary school librarian perspective—now updated and expanded to include the latest developments in makerspaces, the Common Core, social networking, and eBooks. How do you accomplish a technology transformation at a time when budgets are extremely limited? What is the proper location for web-based social networking in the school library? What are the best practices for working together with students, parents, and educators? The 21st-Century Elementary School Library Program: Managing for Results is an invaluable resource for answers to these and many more questions, as it brings together in one volume the advice and insights you need to bring your library into the new century. This invaluable guide provides tips and techniques, forms and templates, and advice on everything from staffing and budgeting to collaborating with teachers and other libraries, to Web 2.0 and other new computer tools for building collections and devising special programs. Whether you are just getting started or are a library veteran seeking effective program renewal, this book belongs on your shelf.