To the Editor: After reading the article "COVID-19 & Remote Learning: How to Make It Work," ("Special Report: How We Go Back to School," July 22, 2020), it looks like school administrators are forgetting the library media specialist again. The article links to a document with six ways educators can help parents with remote learning next school year, but perhaps library media specialists could also provide guidance.
From California to Pennsylvania, school librarians are on edge as district and school leaders across the country seek ways to cut back expenses amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
In these 2017 photos, students in Noelle Mapes' 3rd grade class complete an audit of the books in their library. They tracked the racial breakdown of the main characters in the stories and determined that they were overwhelmingly white. The exercise is meant to illuminate the lack of diversity in children's literature.
As schools add more books with main characters of color to their shelves, some teachers are going a step further and examining whether those narratives can reinforce biases.
Nationwide, schools have lost 20 percent of their librarians and media specialists in the past 15 years. Here's why that could hamstring district literacy efforts.
Critics fear the new policy will allow internet service providers to create fast and slow lanes in a way that restricts online options for consumers, including schools.
Teachers worry that their ability to access online resources will diminish if the FCC's proposed order easing regulations on internet service providers is approved.
Students at Vardaman High School in Mississippi continue to complete worksheets and pay no attention to the poor internet connection during a World History class in November 2015.
More than 100 school districts have received letters questioning their plans to use federal E-rate funds to support construction of fiber-optic networks.
A recent Wall Street Journal piece about school librarians and children's literature received backlash online for featuring only white males in their 30s.
School librarian Michelle Luhtala co-teaches a lesson on news analysis to 11th and 12th grade students at New Canaan High School in Connecticut. She and fellow librarian Jacqueline Whiting frequently partner with classroom teachers at the school to teach media-literacy skills.
School librarians increasingly find themselves teaching students how to navigate and consume information online—and helping teachers embed those skills into the curriculum.
All content on Education Week's websites is protected by copyright. No part of this publication shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic or otherwise, without the written permission of the copyright holder. Readers may make up to 5 print copies of this publication at no cost for personal, non-commercial use, provided that each includes a full citation of the source. For additional print copies, or for permission for other uses of the content, visit www.edweek.org/help/reprints-photocopies-and-licensing-of-content or email reprints@educationweek.org and include information on how you would like to use the content. Want to seamlessly share more EdWeek content with your colleagues? Contact us today at pages.edweek.org/ew-for-districts-learn-more.html to learn about how group online subscriptions can complement professional learning in your district or organization.