Prior to this year, the National Library Legislative Day never really held much importance for the author as a school library media specialist. However, this feeling changed after she attended her first National Library Legislative Day in May of 2008. The goal of this day is to allow everyday practicing professionals to speak with their national…

Today school library media specialists operate in an environment of daily challenges and controversies. "No Child Left Behind" established mandates that all educators are scrambling to meet. No matter how people feel about the way the legislation is being carried out, it is difficult to argue against its purpose--that all educators must…

Many school library media specialists (LMS) would gladly pass along the responsibility of teaching online safety. Others may feel that it is the job of the computer lab personnel, the classroom teacher, or the parent. So how does the LMS fit into this scenario? While it is certainly appropriate for parents and classroom teachers to take joint…

American education is failing many students, but especially students of color, from low-income families, with disabilities or those who have limited English proficiency. These students are the focus of "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB), the 2001 revision of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), which was signed into law…

In the author's early days of school librarianship, it did not take long for him to realize that this was not the time to first think of how to involve parents in support of his selections for the library. A lot of good advice exists that suggests ways for parents to be involved that will help support intellectual freedom, as well as lessons…

On October 10, 2008 the "Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act" was signed. This law requires schools receiving federal E-rate discounts on Internet services to educate their students on appropriate online behavior. Many states including Virginia have mandated Internet Safety education in all grade levels as part of technology education.…

Access to information is an essential art of the educational system. The reality is, however, that there are laws and policies in effect that can restrict what information is available to students and teachers in K-12 schools. Selection policies, Acceptable Use Policies, Circulation Policies, as well as federal laws and acts, all place…

Students and teachers are feeling the brunt of "No Child Left Behind," trying to make meaningful academic growth with ever decreasing resources. School library media specialist are considered one of the most valuable resources in any school building. As the ultimate "resource manager," library media specialists can contribute…

Federal, state, and local governments are pouring money into programs and initiatives that were mandated by No Child Left Behind (NCLB). An important additional step to take is to demonstrate to administrators, faculty, and parents that the library program and its collection is aligned with the goals of NCLB and is striving to play an active part…

The key to winning grants and the benefits of such grants to the program are described. Ever increasing budget cuts are forcing the public schools to explore alternative sources to implement "No Child Left Behind" requirement and their existing programs and hence grant writing has become a requirement for most of the organizations.

In a time of No Child Left Behind and strict accountability measures for teachers and schools, the active engagement of learners is at the heart of effective literacy instruction. Educators strive to make their students competent, independent readers. They want them to read for personal purposes, such as information seeking or pleasure. One way to…

This article talks about the author's experiences as a school librarian in meeting the accelerating demands for student's learning and achievement. School librarianship has definitely changed in the accelerating school universe since the publication of "Information Power: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs" in 1988. That…

Collaboration between classroom teachers and library media specialists will help overcome problems of increasing workload faced by teachers, students and parents in the aftermath of the No Child Left Behind program. One such experiment resulted in transforming a tedious assignment into an exciting and memorable project.

The brief history and background of the Library Association that sponsored the National Library Legislative Day in Washington is outlined. The specific issues, such as ESEA, the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), Copyright, and E-Rate, are discussed.

With the advent of No Child Left Behind, Adequate Yearly Progress, and school budget cuts, school librarians have had to become more data driven than ever before. Thinking in terms of student learning and achievement has brought about an interest in evidence-based practice (EBP). In this article, the authors discuss three steps to understanding…