[Dcmosls] Fwd: The SKILLS Act ( Strengthening Kids' Interest in Learning and Libraries)

[John Brock]

Hello;
 
Please consider writing you congress people urging them to support the
SKILLs Act.
The time to do this is now. The hyper-link below to the ALA Advocacy
pages makes this easy to do.
The time to do it is now, as the vote is scheduled soon.
 
Thank you very much.
 
John P. Brock
School Library System Coordinator
Delaware-Chenango-Madison Otsego BOCES
6678 County Road 32
Norwich, NY 13815-3554

(607)  335-1371
FAX (607) 336-6518
E-mail: brockj at dcmoboces.com 
Website: http://www.dcmoboces.com/sls 


>>> "Barraco, Gail" <gbarraco at esboces.org> 9/4/2007 4:36 PM >>>

Dear Librarians:
 
Never has the issue of the essential role library media specialists
play in student achievement been brought to bear as with the new
proposed legislation to NCLB in the SKILLS Act.  Information on the
SKILLS Act from the ALA website can be found below.  You can easily send
a message online in support of this bill by going to the link below
(press CTRL and click), copy and paste information from the talking
points there (or create your own) and select our state senators and
Congressman (Tim Bishop). 
Congress will be returning back today (September 4th) and will be
reviewing NCLB proposed legislation.  Thank you for taking time to
address this very important legislation.--GailContact Your
Representative and Senators Immediately and Ask Them to Co-Sponsor the
SKILLs Act ( http://www.capwiz.com/ala/issues/alert/?alertid=10223941 )

If you know librarians that are not on the listserv; please let them
know about this legislation and the need to act on it.
Bi-partisan legislation introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives
and U.S. Senate on June 27 is an essential step forward in ensuring that
students across America have the library resources and support they need
for a Twenty-First Century education.
The Strengthening Kids’ Interest in Learning and Libraries or SKILLs
Act guarantees that 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 is sponsored by Senators Jack Reed (RI) and Thad Cochran
(MS) and by Representatives Raul Grijalva (AZ) and Vernon Ehlers (MI).
The SKILLs Act ensures that library funds will be available to serve
students in elementary, middle and high schools throughout the nation;
that appropriate books and materials will be available for students at
all grade levels, including those with special learning needs and those
learning English as a second language; and that highly qualified school
library media specialists will be available to assist and support all
students with their learning needs.
The SKILLs Act reauthorizes and strengthens the Improving Literacy
through School Library Program of the No Child Left Behind Act.
What can I do?
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 PointsMultiple 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.

Other InformationPublic law print of PL 107-110, the No Child Left
Behind Act of 2001 (
http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/107-110.pdf ) (PDF) 
SKILLs Act (at Library of Congress website) 
H.R. 2864 ( http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.r.02864: ) 
S. 1699 ( http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:s.01699: )

 
Gail Barraco, Director
School Library System
Eastern SuffolkBOCES
627A North Sunrise Service Rd.
Bellport, NY 11713-1540
Phone (631) 286-0891
Fax (631) 286-0985
gbarraco at esboces.org
 
 
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