Computer / Technology Skills

North Carolina Senator Burr is on the U.S. Senate Health, Education,
Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. The HELP Committee will be
considering reauthorization of NCLB in the next couple of weeks. In
order for the SKILLs Act to be included in NCLB - that is, to place a
state-certified school library media specialist in every school - each
member of the Senate must co-sponsor the SKILLS Act. It is especially
important to have Senator Alexander co-sponsor the SKILLS Act since they
are on the HELP Committee.

We need as many North Carolinans as possible to call or fax the
Senator’s office in the next 3 days and ask her to co-Sponsor the
SKILLs Act (S. 1699). Please send this email out to as many North
Carolinans as possible!

Senator Burr Phone: (202) 224-3154
Senator Burr Fax: (202) 228-2981

When contacting the Senator prepare to state why this issue is of
critical importance:

The SKILLs Act (S. 1699)

Requires school districts, to the extent feasible, to ensure that every
school within the district employs at least one state-certified school
library media specialist in each school library;
Establishes as a state goal that there be at least one state-certified
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;
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.
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.
Academic Librarians: School libraries are KEY to ensuring college
readiness.
Public Librarians: School library media specialists give students the
skills they need to utilize your library to its fullest extent.
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 constraints.
Thank you,

Ann

Ann Dutton Ewbank, Ph.D.
Education Liaison Librarian
Fletcher Library
Arizona State University at the West campus
P.O. Box 37100
Phoenix, Arizona 85069-7100
602.543.8527
Fax 602.543.6500
Mail Code 0152
http://libguides.asu.edu/education

Gerry Solomon, School Library Media Consultant
NC Department of Public Instruction
Instructional Technology Division
6364 MAIL SERVICE CENTER
Raleigh, NC 27699-6364
(v) 919/807-3286
(fax) 919/807-3290