Learning4Life Resources

Standards for the 21st-Century Learner

Standards for the 21st-Century Learner offers vision for teaching and learning to both guide and beckon our profession as education leaders. Skills, dispositions in action, responsibilities, and self-assessment strategies are designed as a tool to help school librarians shape the library program and curriculum, and to mold student learning more broadly. Visit www.ala.org/aasl/standards and download a pdf or purchase packs of the full-color pamphlet.

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Standards for the 21st-Century Learner In Action

This publication takes an in-depth look at the relationships between the strands and indicators in the Standards for the 21st-Century Learner. Benchmarks are provided along with examples that show how to put the learning standards into action and maximize their application at different grade levels. This is a practical book with graphics and charts that make for easy reference. A glossary is also provided to define key concepts found throughout the book. Visit www.ala.org/aasl/standardsinaction.

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Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Programs

Built on a strong history of program guidelines published by AASL, Empowering Learners helps school librarians establish effective library programs that meet the needs of the changing school library environment. Guided by the Standards for the 21st-Century Learner and Standards for the 21st-Century Learner in Action, this publication is an essential resource for any school librarian. Visit www.ala.org/aasl/guidelines.

A Planning Guide for Empowering Learners
with School Library Program Assessment Rubric

A Planning Guide for Empowering Learners is an online, interactive module designed to change school library program planning, saving time and delivering data. Reflecting the current principles outlined in Empowering Learners, the tool includes a revised School Library Program Assessment Rubric for program assessment using 16 different sets of criteria.

Give your school or district program the tools to evaluate strengths and weaknesses of the existing program, collaborate with stakeholders in the planning process, develop action plans with measurable goals and objectives, and to save, edit and share graphical data as the program develops. For more information, visit www.ala.org/aasl/planningguide.

A 21st-Century Approach to School Librarian Evaluation
Patricia Owen

A 21st-Century Approach to School Librarian Evaluation uses the AASL Empowering Learners program guidelines as a basis for a school librarian evaluation rubric—one that can be adapted or duplicated by school librarians and shared with school administrators.

Workbook style prompts walk school librarians through suggested readings, action tips, and evidence collection to help gauge their current levels of achievement, set goals for progress, and form plans for future professional development. This book provides school librarians an opportunity to engage in rigorous self-evaluation and to shape school administrator evaluations. For more information, visit www.ala.org/aasl/evaluationworkbook.

21st-Century Learner Set

Reinforce to students, parents, and faculty the important skills for the 21st-century learner with this set of posters and bookmarks developed by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL).

Set Includes:

• One (1) - 21st Century Skills Set (4 mini posters)
• One (1) - 21st Century Learner Poster
• Two (2) - 21st Century Learner Bookmark packs

 Items in set can also be purchased separately:

• 21st-Century Skills Set (4 mini posters)
• 21st-Century Learner Poster
• 21st-Century Learner Bookmark packs

School Library Programs Create Lifelong Learners: A Student’s and Parent's Guide to Evaluating Independent School Libraries
Independent School Section of AASL

Developed by AASL’s Independent School Section (ISS), School Library Programs Create Lifelong Learners is a guide to help students and parents evaluate independent school libraries. Choosing the independent school your child will attend is an important decision, and this guide presents learning standards and critical questions to help a family identify the important characteristics of a strong school library program. Visit www.ala.org/aasl/issbrochure.

School Library Programs Improve Student Learning (Brochure series)
AASL

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 brochure series unfolds AASL’s 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. Each brochure outlines goals and key questions specific and important to each audience. This format will help school librarians generate and guide unique discussions with each stakeholder group, set goals and expectations for the program and the stakeholder, and maximize the potential of the school library program. To download PDFs, visit www.ala.org/aasl/advocacybrochures or purchase packs of the full-color brochures.

1. Brochure

2. Letter frame 

3. Postcard (1 card per page)

4. Postcard (4 cards per page) 

1. Notecard (1 card per page) 

2. Notecard (4 cards per page) 

3. Lesson Plan Template

4. PowerPoint template 

1. Bumpersticker

2. Button 

3. Vertical web banner

4. Horizontal web banner 

Learning4Life Implementation Toolkit
By focusing on small segments, this toolkit is designed to help building level school librarians implement the new AASL learning standards and program guidelines in their school library.

Learning4Life Message Box
Use this school library message box and tip sheet to deliver focused and compelling messages that resonate with your stakeholders.

Best Apps for Teaching and Learning
The Best Apps for Teaching and Learning is a new recognition honoring apps of exceptional value to inquiry-based teaching and learning as embodied in the AASL's Standards for the 21st-Century Learner. Nominations are now being accepted for the inaugural recognition to be presented at the ALA 2013 Annual Conference.

Best Websites for Teaching and Learning
The Best Websites for Teaching and Learning honors websites, tools, and resources of exceptional value to inquiry-based teaching and learning as embodied in the American Association of School Librarians' Standards for the 21st-Century Learner.

The Landmark Websites are honored due to their exemplary histories of authoritative, dynamic content and curricular relevance. They are free, web-based sites that are user-friendly and encourage a community of learners to explore and discover and provide a foundation to support 21st-century teaching and learning.

Standards for the 21st-Century Learner Lesson Plan Database
The American Association of School Librarians' (AASL) Standards for the 21st-Century Learner Lesson Plan Database is a tool to support school librarians and other educators in teaching the essential learning skills defined in the AASL Standards for the 21st-Century Learner. To register and begin using the Lesson Plan Database, visit http://aasl.jesandco.org. Lessons submitted as part of the Standards for the 21st-Century Learner Lesson Plan Database contain an automatic crosswalk between AASL learning standards and the Common Core State Standards.

AASL Learning Standards and Common Core State Standards Crosswalk
Presented in table format, this crosswalk helps school librarians align the AASL Standards for the 21st-Century Learner with the Common Core State Standards. Crosswalk includes English Language Arts; Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies; Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects; Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, & Technical Subjects; and Mathematics

L4L Implementation Resources Compiled by the 2010 AASL Emerging Leaders
The 2010 ALA Emerging Leaders Team A developed a hot linked list of resources for pre-service, new, or returning school librarians to use in developing implementation strategies.

Think, Create, Share, and Grow promotional messages created by the 2011 AASL Emerging Leaders
The 2011 ALA Emerging Leaders Team A was charged with create new media promotional messages to be delivered via Web 2.0 to promote L4L.

Learning4Life in My School Library Student Video Contest
In a contest ran in 2011, students were encouraged to submit videos to AASL detailing how their school library and technology empowers them to be Learners4Life. The winning videos visually illustrate the four standards for student learning - Think, Create, Share, and Grow - and how technology relates to each.

Knowledge Quest, November/December 2009
Developing the Vision: An L4L Job Description for the 21st Century   Job Description - Updated April 2010

Knowledge Quest, January/February 2010
Developing the Vision: Enhancing Your Professional Practice   Sample Evaluation

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