Local Policy

School Librarians and Literacy

/ The Old Crank

According to this article published in The Huffington Post last week, 58 of 124 D.C. pubic schools are losing their librarians this school year—up from 34 last year. The article begins by describing the accomplishments of one of the school librarians who will not be back:

When Marla McGuire was hired as a librarian at Cleveland Elementary School in the District of Columbia some four years ago, she was first librarian at the school in eight years. McGuire worked to raise $50,000 for new materials, collaborated with other teachers to create an outdoor classroom and encouraged parents to read with their children.

“I really tried to embed myself in the school community,” McGuire told The Huffington Post. “I wanted to focus on a love of learning and really get a spark going.”

Soon, children who came to her knowing nothing about libraries — a student once asked her timidly how much it might cost to “rent” a book from the school’s collection — got excited about reading, she says.

I particularly want to draw your attention to the last sentence in the first paragraph, where we learn that one of Ms McGuire’s accomplishments was that she “encouraged parents to read with their children.”

I think this story demonstrates that as a city, (and it’s not just this city that has this problem) we aren’t really thinking through what resources need to be in place in order to improve literacy rates. I don’t know how many kids developed a reading habit as a result of Ms McGuire’s efforts, or how many parents started reading to their children as a result of her encouragement, (and maybe we need to figure out how to document this better), but even if we’re talking about just a handful of families, it seems to me that as a matter of policy her position was probably a good investment.

Great Collection of School Library Posters from the 1960s, Back When People Cared About School Libraries

/ The Old Crank

RETRO POSTER - Interested in Sports?A Flickr user recently uploaded a collection of 1960s library posters discovered “while digging through old library stuff.”

I love the poster here in particular. Who doesn’t enjoy a good book about track? (I’m sure there must be one, actually. By the way, a great collection of boxing writing was published just last year, “At The Fights: American Writers on Boxing,” edited by the late George Kimball.)

Most of the posters in this collection, like the one here, are promoting school libraries. Today, school libraries are under threat. Here in Washington, the city recently eliminated funding for school librarian positions in D.C. Public Schools with fewer than 300 students. And those with more than that 300 students, while they will still receive funding for the position, they’re not compelled to fill it.

Adult Education Apparently Not Dead Yet in Los Angeles, But Will Be Cut Significantly

/ The Old Crank

Today’s Los Angeles Times reports that members of United Teachers Los Angeles have approved a one-year labor contract that will preserve more than 4,000 jobs in return for agreeing to a shortened school year and reduced pay.

According to The Times, “the agreement means that adult school enrollment will shrink by about a third, but will no longer face total elimination.”

The Times’ story is consistent with an earlier report published by The Los Angeles Daily News that the union had tentatively agreed to a deal that would “save the jobs of 4,700 educators and restore some Adult Education, preschool and English-learner programs that had been threatened with elimination.”

By the way, reducing adult education enrollment by a third, while obviously better than complete program elimination, would be significant—reducing the number served by 100,000 or more.

For those who have not been following this story, you can check links with the tag “LAUSD” for more details.

Community Schools Get a Boost from the D.C. Council

/ The Old Crank

(Cross-posted on the D.C. LEARNs Blog)

An article today in The Washington Post on the J.C. Nalle Elementary School, the District’s sole community school, noted that the D.C. Council recently gave preliminary approval to spend $1 million in the District’s FY 2013 budget for a pilot program to establish five new  community schools. I wanted to share Council Member Brown’s comments regarding the potential for community schools to address adult education needs (according to the article, the Nalle currently offers help to community members trying to obtain a GED):

“Schools have always traditionally been the anchor in the community,” says council member Michael Brown (I-At Large), who sponsored the measure. “And you can’t be an anchor if you’re just open from nine to three.”

In the council’s vision, he says, schools would serve as neighborhood beacons, catering to the needs of individual communities. One might offer an adult literacy program and another job training services. At Nalle, adults have been offered everything from conflict resolution classes to help with obtaining their GEDs.

The Post also provided a few details about the staffing and costs associated with the Nalle’s community school:

Unlike the District’s new pilot program, which will be paid for using city funds, Nalle operates through a 12-year partnership between the school system, the Freddie Mac Foundation and the National Center for Children and Families. Freddie Mac has contributed nearly $8 million to the school, and the National Center for Children and Families oversees the after-school program and employs four day-time staff members, including Sherman and two social workers.