CHICAGO – On Nov 1., school librarians and educational stakeholders in Oklahoma and Idaho attended workshops dedicated to unpacking the provisions for school libraries in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The workshops focused on highlighting opportunities within ESSA language for school librarians and school libraries to be addressed in state and local plans.
“AASL's ESSA support team helped us synthesize important ESSA facts, get our team organized and set up our timeline,” said Julie Hatcher, School Library Division chair of the Idaho Library Association (ILA). “We had to hit the ground running since our state's ESSA draft was released to the public on Nov. 1 and we had ILA representatives at the first public hearing that same night. With AASL's help we are heading into the next busy weeks of public hearings and letter drafting with more knowledge and goals for the role Idaho School Librarians will play in our state's implementation of ESSA.”
Presented by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) in collaboration with the ALA Office for Library Advocacy and the ALA Washington Office, the complimentary workshops include the most current information on developments at the Federal level and work through the titles in ESSA that can be directly linked to the school librarian and school library program.
“The Oklahoma AASL ESSA Workshop was great,” said Kathryn Roots Lewis, AASL Board Member and workshop presenter. “The hard-working Oklahoma school librarian participants were a creative, collaborative force! The elevator speeches and ideas generated in the workshop will support dialogue about the role of school library programs and school librarians in ESSA throughout our state. Timmie Spangler from the Oklahoma State Department of Education School Library Programs section shared the latest ESSA information from the state and school librarians were encouraged to complete the ESSA survey.”
Presented through collaboration with AASL state affiliates, AASL estimates the ESSA workshops will reach 1,500 stakeholders nation-wide. Participating state school library associations can be found at essa.aasl.org. The AASL ESSA workshops are made possible through matching funds provided by Follett School Solutions.
The American Association of School Librarians, www.aasl.org, a division of the American Library Association (ALA), empowers leaders to transform teaching and learning.
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Contact:
Jennifer Habley
Manager, Web Communications
American Association of School Librarians (AASL)
jhabley@ala.org312-280-4383
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