Re: [LM_NET] Support the SKILLS Act: Cosponsors needed for S.1699 and HR 2864

[Cyndi Phillip <cphillip_56@YAHOO.COM>]

Thanks for posting this Stephanie. AASL and ALA have worked very hard to get this 
to where it is today. As I said on "the hill" it took coordination and cooperation 
from a lot of people within the ALA divisions and offices. Now IT IS UP TO YOU to 
get this legislation to pass. Coordinate efforts in your area to get everyone -- 
parents, teachers, administrators, all voting adults in your district to write in, 
call in, and otherwise contact your senators and representatives.

Cyndi Phillip, AASL Past-President

Stephanie Kuenn <skuenn@ALA.ORG> wrote: Support the SKILLs Act: Urge your Senators 
to co-sponsor S. 1699 and
your Representative to co-sponsor H.R. 2864.  
On Tuesday June 26, Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Thad Cochran (R-MS)
and Representatives Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) and Vernon Ehlers (R-MI)
introduced the Strengthening Kids’ Interest in Learning and Libraries
(SKILLs) Act that guarantees students across America will be served by
highly qualified, state-certified school library media specialists and
will have the library resources they need to succeed.

The SKILLs Act:
Requires school districts, to the extent feasible, to ensure that every
school within the district employs at least one highly qualified school
library media specialist in each school library; Defines highly
qualified school library media specialists as those who have a
bachelor’s degree and have obtained full state certification as a
school library media specialist or passed the state teacher licensing
examination, with state certification in library media in such state;
Establishes as a state goal that there be at least one highly qualified
school library media specialist in every public school no later than the
beginning of the 2010-2011 school year;
Broadens the focus of training, professional development, and
recruitment activities to include school library media specialists; 
Ensures that funds will serve elementary, middle, and high school
students; and Requires books and materials to be appropriate for and
engage the interest of students in all grade levels and students with
special learning needs, including English language learners.


Urgent Action Needed: 

This legislation is critical to the future of school library media
specialists. Contact your Senators and ask them to cosponsor S. 1699. 
Contact your Representative to co-sponsor H.R. 2864.  

Talking Points:

Multiple studies have affirmed that there is a clear link between
school library media programs that are staffed by a school library media
specialist and student academic achievement.  Across the United States,
research has shown that students in schools with good school libraries
learn more, get better grades, and score higher on standardized test
scores than their peers in schools without libraries. Long regarded as
the cornerstone of the school community, school libraries are no longer
just for books. Instead, they have become sophisticated 21st century
learning environments offering a full range of print and electronic
resources that provide equal learning opportunities to all students,
regardless of the socio-economic or education levels of the community –
but only when they are staffed by school library media specialists
trained to collaborate with teachers and engage students meaningfully
with information that matters to them both in the classroom and in the
real world. Only about 60 percent of our school libraries have a
full-time, state-certified school library media specialist on staff.
With limited funding and an increased focus on school performance,
administrators are trying to stretch dollars and cut funds across
various programs to ensure that maximum resources are dedicated to
improving student academic achievement. Because NCLB does not highlight
the direct correlation between school library media specialists and
increased student academic achievement, library resource budgets are
increasingly being used to mitigate the effects of budgetary
shortfalls.
 
 
Stephanie Kuenn
Communications Specialist
Young Adult Library Services Association
American Library Association
50 E. Huron St.
Chicago, IL 60611
skuenn@ala.org 
(v) 312.280.2128
(f) 312.280.5276
Register for Teen Read Week! 
www.ala.org/teenread

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   Cyndi Phillip, Library Media Specialist
2007-08 AASL Past-President
Grand Haven Area Public Schools 
Grand Haven, Michigan
cphillip_56@yahoo.com

  
  



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