"Guidelines for Uniform Performance Standards and Evaluation Criteria for Teachers" was approved by the Virginia Department of Education on April 28, 2011. This document, effective July 1, 2012, details new guidelines for evaluating teacher performance in the state of Virginia. These guidelines have gained the attention of every educator…

The Common Core Curriculum Standards point educators toward rigorous or deep learning so that students will become "college and career ready." College-ready students engage with text in thoughtful ways so that they arrive at insights through interpretation, discussion, and analysis. One reading anchor standard of relevance for school…

For schools to be successful in providing current and future students with the right support to rise to the level of expectations embodied by the Common Core State Standards (CCSS 2010), school librarians must lead the way to improving school environments using effective, theory-based design of problem-based instruction that includes acquisition…

School librarians are collaborators, making connections with community, school, technology, jobseekers, and individuals with language barriers. They have served as a resource of information to the community and students. As an elementary school librarian, the author has become more creative by seriously listening to school community members. What…

The Common Core Standards (CCS) movement represents a double-edged sword for school librarians. On the one hand, it gives prominence to inquiry skills and interdisciplinary collaboration, reinforcing the profession's efforts to infuse inquiry into the curriculum through collaborative planning and co-instruction between classroom teachers and…

As the school librarian at Aliamanu Elementary School, Patty (Patricia Louis) has focused on assessment with her teachers and students as a means to improve teaching and learning. Over the years, Patty and Vi (Violet Harada) have formed a collegial mentoring relationship, and this article provides a glimpse of what both discovered about building…

What is the common goal of our school? Why is this important? How does this build community? What are Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and where does the library media program fit in? All these questions swirled in the author's head during the first few months they were opening their new middle school. She had been hired as the school…

Planning is the less visible part of the teaching and learning process; however, it serves as the blueprint for student learning. To conceptualize the unit or project as a holistic learning experience, the authors created the C.L.E.A.R. G.O.A.L.S. guidelines that address the major elements of unit planning. An essential step is identifying the…

Just as the mission of the library program evolves from the school's mission, the goals of school librarians' curriculum and teaching evolves from the needs of administrators and classroom teachers. In the 21st-century, these needs are framed by standards such as Common Core State Standards (CCSS). School librarians also have the American…

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP or DP) is a curriculum available to students in the final two years of high school. The library and school librarian can play a role in the school's Diploma program, alongside students, faculty, and administration. School librarians new to the program often ask about guidelines or documents…

Today, school librarians must be advocates for their students, administrators, staff, and instructional program. This important responsibility, if neglected, can result in the library program being cut severely or eliminated completely. One way to begin building advocacy is through developing strong relationships with members of the learning…

"Building Inquiry Partnerships" was a yearlong professional development course conducted in 2005-2006. The course emphasized an inquiry approach to learning, improving skills in instructional design, and nurturing librarian-teacher partnerships. This article describes the goals, design, and implementation of the course and summarizes the…

As the authors progressed through their research agenda last year, they contributed an article to "School Library Monthly" entitled "Forecasting Professional Dispositions of School Librarians" (January 2011, 54-56) wherein they described a Delphi study they conducted in the fall of 2009 that identified professional dispositions based on responses…

How can school librarians know about other teachers' professional development experiences? School librarians need time to talk with fellow teachers about the wide range of issues and challenges present in schools. A collaborative mission gives precious time to create learning opportunities for students; but does it give enough time for reflective…

Over the last year, "School Library Monthly" ("SLM") has challenged school librarians to "nudge toward inquiry" through the "SLM" blog-driven submissions compiled by Kristin Fontichiaro. Iowa took up the challenge! This article describes how teacher librarians across Iowa teamed with classroom teachers to…