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When I started here 10 years ago this school the English department had 
a very good research curriculum.  It was very well organized and 
emphasized print and electronic resources.  Each level built upon what 
was done the previous year.  We added web site evaluations and tweaked 
it a little bit each year.  Student progress was checked frequently, 
making cheating very difficult.  It was a model program.

Now, with new curriculum and district pacing calendars research has 
really suffered.  A lot of it is taught as discreet pieces (e.g. 
bibliographic citation) as it is measured on state tests.  The library 
and computer labs are more heavily used and by a greater variety of 
classes but it is for smaller projects, often 1 or 2 day events. 
Students don't get the same kind of in depth instruction in the research 
process (and in many cases no instruction at all).  And of course 
nonfiction and reference book use is way down.

But hey, test scores are up!
----
Tony Doyle, Librarian
Livingston High School, Livingston, CA
tdoyle@muhsd.k12.ca.us

Visit the LHS Reading Blog:
<Http://lhsblog.edublogs.org>

<Http://www.lhs.muhsd.k12.ca.us/library/index.htm>

"You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture.  Just get
people to stop reading them."-- Ray Bradbury

"One of the standard problems with the universe is that it's large 
enough that unlikely things happen pretty often."--Nigel Sharp, U.S. 
National Science Foundation


Dawn Sardes wrote:
> As a teen services librarian in a public library, I have been noticing this for 
>some time now--the "dumbing down" of content to this picture-book, low reading 
>ability, just-the-facts-ma'am level of information.
>    
>   But it does not end there.  
>    
>   In the late 90's, when I left teaching to become a public library YA librarian, 
>I was inundated with kids coming in for help locating materials for research for 
>their projects and assignments.
>    
>   Just off the top of my head:
>    
>   In fall, the Native American projects.  Each student was assigned a tribe they 
>had to research, write a report on, and create an artistic project for display in 
>the school. 
>    
>   The "Create a model of a cell" project.  Kids came up with really creative 
>ides, such as using jello, with various fruit as the nucleus, goli apparatus, all 
>the other internal structures of a cell.
>    
>   The Earthquake project, the volcano project, the hurricane project, the planets 
>project
>    
>   The research a tree project, 
>    
>   The Create a local dictionary of all things Ohio project
>    
>   In February, the African-american projects
>    
>   In March, the women's history projects,
>    
>   Since 2000, these projects have disappeared off the radar screen.  NOT a single 
>child has come in asking for materials to do any of these projects for about 5 
>years now.
>    
>   WHY?
>    
>   What teacher has time for wonderful, enriching long-term projects like these 
>that foster independent thought, teach research skills, note-taking abilities?
>    
>   THEY GOT A TEST TO TEACH TO!!!!  A high stakes test that will mean that their 
>school, and them, will be viewed as a success or a failure.
>    
>   We public librarians are busy weeding nearly all our nonfiction and reference 
>collections.  Why?  They no longer get used. 
>    
>   We're making room for another two dozen copies of Pootie Tang on DVD.  Oh yes, 
>we're also buying a lot of urban erotica by authors like Noire.
>    
>   THAT gets checked out.  Our funding is tied to the number of check-outs, so, 
>we're offing the books and putting more and more money, and shelf space, into 
>trashy movies and borderline-porn books every year.
>    
>   I try not to think about it too much.  I don't want to be driven to drink.
>    
>    
>    
>    
> 
> 
> Dawn Sardes
> Teen Services Librarian
> Euclid Public Library
> Euclid, OH
> yayagoddess@sbcglobal.net.omit.this
> Check out my Harry Potter Fan Fiction at
> http://www.fanfiction.net
> Pen Name: YaYa Goddess
> 
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