ALA Fights for ESEA Inclusion of School Librarians
RSSBy Lauren Barack
As the revamping of the No Child Left Behind Act continues on Capitol Hill, the American Library Association (ALA) is hopeful that media specialists will have a permanent place in the new law. "What I'm fighting for is an effective school library program in the bill," says Emily Sheketoff, executive director of the ALA's Washington office. Key to the integration of school librarians into any reauthorization of ESEA is Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), explains Sheketoff, who says the senator has taken a personal interest in integrating the idea of literacy into the education bill. To Sheketoff, addressing literacy in our nation's public schools means ensuring there's an effective school library program for students and educators—headed by a state certified media specialist—as well as access to up-to-date materials such as books, databases, subscriptions, software, and other technology that can be integrated into a school-wide curriculum. "Every child should have access to a school library program," says Sheketoff. "And the funds must be available to do that." Repeated calls over two weeks to Murray's press and legislative officers were not returned, possibly because Washington, DC, has been embroiled in budget warfare, practically bringing the U.S. government close to a shut down. Nevertheless, President Obama mentioned ESEA during a town hall meeting hosted by Univision in Washington, DC, last week, urging lawmakers to cut back on some of the more restrictive testing elements in any future iteration of the bill. Sheketoff says some lawmakers have told her they hope to have a marked up version of ESEA ready for a vote by the August recess—and if that version includes appropriate language and funding for school librarians, ALA is prepared to support the bill. But if media specialists aren't added to the law, Sheketoff says opposition from the library community is sure to follow. "Without these respective school library programs, kids are not leaving high school ready for college or careers," she says. "We will fight and try to kill this if we're not in it." This article originally appeared in the newsletter Extra Helping. Go here to subscribe. No additional mandated testing to produce "state certified media specialists"!!!! Too much money is wasted on testing of educators and students! The only ones who benefit are the companies that produce tests and testing materials! A major part of our problem is that the every-day person STILL does not know what it is that we do as School Librarians. That is our own fault. We get so caught up in doing our jobs every day that we forget that advocacy is critical. We need to make a concerted effort to inform everyone about what we do and why our children need to have us available and we need to start it at home, in our own backyards. The sentence, "Do you really need a college degree to be a Librarian?", should be banished from our language. Are we addressing the need for school librarians in the elementary schools? All students should have a daily access to a school library.
Students and teachers need a school library in each building that
contains materials that support curriculum and a knowledgable
librarian that assists in the access of information and technology.
The goal of public education is the development of lifelong learners
who understand how to use all media to obtain information and
access to technology in all curricular areas.
School librarians encourage students in their reading development
and give them reading materials that are appropriate foe their
reading level and interest levels.
School librarians are the gatekeepers of knowledge.
As Christopher Paolini (Eragon books): " If the zombie apocolypse
destroyed our world All that we would need to rebuild our
civilization would be libraries and librarians." * = Required information
In 2002, Congress amended the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and reauthorized it as the No Child Left Behind Act—but neither mention the crucial role school librarians play in education.
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