I spent the morning at KIPP North Philadelphia (at 2709 Broad St.). Besides my own little obsession with KIPP (yes, I'm a fan - read "Work Hard, Be Nice" about the founders and you will be too), I was excited to see what their library and classroom spaces looked like.
I think there's plenty of suspicion out there about charter schools in general - and for the most part, that suspicion is well-placed. MOST charter schools do underperform, even compared to Phila district schools, and yes, some are corrupt and don't follow the rules.
KIPP is so far and away from those examples of horrible charters though. You just have to walk in one to notice it. They get nationwide attention because they truly are amazing, and outperformers.
I toured their library and met their librarian (no picture though because I forgot my camera!!). She told me that they got their library started with grant many years ago of about $10,000, but that since then the library is kept going by small donations or book donations - even a librarian at a charter school that is a part of a nationally recognized charter system doesn't have a library budget!
It just goes to show that everyone is struggling - even the schools that people would assume can provide these options. Libraries are expensive undertakings, but we need to realize what is most important - yes its important for there to be sports programs, extra teachers (I know, believe me), but if a kid can't read, then I don't know what we're doing all these other things for.
Just some food for thought on this dreary Thursday afternoon.
Showing posts with label school funding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school funding. Show all posts
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Certification versus No Certification?
Over the course of developing Library Build from an idea into an actual nonprofit organization, I have faced a great deal of criticism from librarians who say a variety of things including: "You can't possibly put in people who aren't certified as librarians," or "You will just be taking away the jobs of real librarians," or "Librarians without certification will not serve any great purpose in a library."
So, here we go.
Most of the libraries in Philadelphia's public schools are closed. They have no one in them who manages the collection, no one who monitors what books go in and out. There is no one who runs book clubs, no one who teaches kids how to use technology.
The library at Rowen School is kept locked because it is that useless to the administration without a librarian.
Point One: Is it better for the library to remain closed, than it is for an un-certified librarian to be in the library?
All other organizations that I have read or learned about in the course of my research that do the similar work of renovating libraries either do not put in any supports afterwards, or put in part-time, community volunteers.
A large, corporate foundation renovates libraries, but does not recruit or put in volunteers or librarians. Their work is to put in the books and make it pretty. They then leave the community and the school to use it as they wish. This is why so many of Philadelphia's public school libraries are abandoned now. Because without someone in the library full time to manage it and update it, it becomes useless.
Similarly, other organizations will renovate school libraries and will then place part-time volunteers into the library. Obviously, this is better than nothing, but these volunteers are not trained, and are not there full-time, dedicated to the students.
Point Two: Would you rather have a part time volunteer, or would you rather have someone in the library all day who has received training and is there to serve as a librarian for the entire school year?
As public school districts across the United States continue to face budget cuts and budget crises, they will continue to lay off their workers. Most recently here in Philadelphia, they laid off a great number of teachers. But guess who went long before the teachers? That's right, librarians. Why? Because ten to fifteen years ago when budget problems began arising in urban districts, they started getting rid of the people they felt they could most do without. They need teachers, so librarians and similar staff (music programs for one), got laid off.
That was more than ten years ago. This is why Philly's libraries are empty.
Point Three: Library Build is in no way taking jobs from librarians. There are very few librarians in Philadelphia! Once we renovate Rowen's library, we will place a trained librarian into the library. The School District is not magically going to come up with the budget to hire a full-time, certified librarian just because we put in the library. That is wishful, and dangerous thinking.
That being said, when we do actually begin to recruit Library Fellows we will consider any qualified college graduate. We will hire the most qualified applicants we get (including those with MLS degrees) who are willing to work at the salary offered.
So, here we go.
Most of the libraries in Philadelphia's public schools are closed. They have no one in them who manages the collection, no one who monitors what books go in and out. There is no one who runs book clubs, no one who teaches kids how to use technology.
The library at Rowen School is kept locked because it is that useless to the administration without a librarian.
Point One: Is it better for the library to remain closed, than it is for an un-certified librarian to be in the library?
All other organizations that I have read or learned about in the course of my research that do the similar work of renovating libraries either do not put in any supports afterwards, or put in part-time, community volunteers.
A large, corporate foundation renovates libraries, but does not recruit or put in volunteers or librarians. Their work is to put in the books and make it pretty. They then leave the community and the school to use it as they wish. This is why so many of Philadelphia's public school libraries are abandoned now. Because without someone in the library full time to manage it and update it, it becomes useless.
Similarly, other organizations will renovate school libraries and will then place part-time volunteers into the library. Obviously, this is better than nothing, but these volunteers are not trained, and are not there full-time, dedicated to the students.
Point Two: Would you rather have a part time volunteer, or would you rather have someone in the library all day who has received training and is there to serve as a librarian for the entire school year?
As public school districts across the United States continue to face budget cuts and budget crises, they will continue to lay off their workers. Most recently here in Philadelphia, they laid off a great number of teachers. But guess who went long before the teachers? That's right, librarians. Why? Because ten to fifteen years ago when budget problems began arising in urban districts, they started getting rid of the people they felt they could most do without. They need teachers, so librarians and similar staff (music programs for one), got laid off.
That was more than ten years ago. This is why Philly's libraries are empty.
Point Three: Library Build is in no way taking jobs from librarians. There are very few librarians in Philadelphia! Once we renovate Rowen's library, we will place a trained librarian into the library. The School District is not magically going to come up with the budget to hire a full-time, certified librarian just because we put in the library. That is wishful, and dangerous thinking.
That being said, when we do actually begin to recruit Library Fellows we will consider any qualified college graduate. We will hire the most qualified applicants we get (including those with MLS degrees) who are willing to work at the salary offered.
Monday, September 19, 2011
City Schools - No Librarian
Today in the Philadelphia Inquirer is an article about the Cook-Wissahickon School Elementary. It's a general story about public schools that can be successful, yet are facing tough times because of the School District's budget cuts and the lay-offs of hundreds of teachers (including yours truly).
But I was caught by one line on the first page: "We lost our Spanish teacher, and librarian".
Its not something that most people think of as necessary. But without a librarian, the students at this school won't be able to check books out that interest them. Their classes won't be able to make visits to the library to learn about reading, writing, or research projects (yes, even elementary students need to learn these skills!) Teachers won't be able to work with the librarian to find interesting books that go along with their curriculum. And the library will eventually become disorganized and old with misuse.
This is why we are trying to get Library Build, Inc off the ground! I am very excited by the things we have planned for Rowen Elementary's school library.
But I was caught by one line on the first page: "We lost our Spanish teacher, and librarian".
Its not something that most people think of as necessary. But without a librarian, the students at this school won't be able to check books out that interest them. Their classes won't be able to make visits to the library to learn about reading, writing, or research projects (yes, even elementary students need to learn these skills!) Teachers won't be able to work with the librarian to find interesting books that go along with their curriculum. And the library will eventually become disorganized and old with misuse.
This is why we are trying to get Library Build, Inc off the ground! I am very excited by the things we have planned for Rowen Elementary's school library.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
First Day of School!
Today is the first day of school for the Philadelphia School District! And while teachers are preparing lesson plans, and our students are getting back into the swing of learning, we need to remember that the vast majority of Philadelphia public schools do not have librarians, and do not have functional libraries.
It's hard to imagine learning without a great library and access to books. Of course it can be done, and great teachers every day are able to help their students learn. But we are doing a disservice to our students every day that they are not able to learn how to research, learn how to use a computer or computer software, or just read for fun.
We need to ensure that one way or another public schools have libraries and librarians again. That's why what we do at Library Build is so important to us, and why we hope that more people see the value in what we are trying to do.
We need to ensure that one way or another public schools have libraries and librarians again. That's why what we do at Library Build is so important to us, and why we hope that more people see the value in what we are trying to do.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Library Impact Studies
I took some time this weekend to read "School Library Impact Studies Project" - a project of the library science program at Mansfield University in Pennsylvania.
Their project was a compilation of all the other studies that have come out about the importance of school libraries, school librarians, technology, etc. But it was good to see it all in one place. Here's a general run-down of points we should all know:
1. "The most universal finding is the presence of full-time, certified school librarians and appropriate support staff who implement a quality, school-integrated program of library services."
2. Despite differing levels of poverty of students tested, a full-time librarian and library increased test scores across the board.
3. Test scores often increase in correlation with increases in library hours.
4. A librarian at a school "was the single strongest predictor of reading enjoyment for both grades 3 and 6 students."
5. Test scores especially rise when teachers and librarians collaborate together on lessons.
6. "Schools with newer collections in their libraries had higher test scores."
(All information and quotes came from "School Library Impact Studies Project," Kachel, et al. 2011. http://library.mansfield.edu/impact.asp)
Their project was a compilation of all the other studies that have come out about the importance of school libraries, school librarians, technology, etc. But it was good to see it all in one place. Here's a general run-down of points we should all know:
1. "The most universal finding is the presence of full-time, certified school librarians and appropriate support staff who implement a quality, school-integrated program of library services."
2. Despite differing levels of poverty of students tested, a full-time librarian and library increased test scores across the board.
3. Test scores often increase in correlation with increases in library hours.
4. A librarian at a school "was the single strongest predictor of reading enjoyment for both grades 3 and 6 students."
5. Test scores especially rise when teachers and librarians collaborate together on lessons.
6. "Schools with newer collections in their libraries had higher test scores."
(All information and quotes came from "School Library Impact Studies Project," Kachel, et al. 2011. http://library.mansfield.edu/impact.asp)
Friday, August 26, 2011
Introducing Rowen Elementary
- Location: North Philadelphia, a little west of Broad Street- Numbers: about 470 students
- Grades: K - 5
- Academics: Rowen has made AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress, the national standard for improving schools) the last two academic years!
- Breakdown: 95% are African American, 2.6% are white, and 1.5% are Latino (the rest are "other")
- Special Education: 11.8% of students are in some form of special education
- Economics: 82.8% of the students at Rowen are "economically disadvantaged" (according to School District standards), and 17.2% are "other". The entire school is Title 1.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
July 2011 Update
A few updates today:
- About this time last year I was able to connect with a school in Philadelphia that was interested in Library Build. Unfortunately, the situation got complicated when the district sent along paperwork that was too overwhelming for LB at that point. Fast forward to now, and I am working steadily through it. Which means that hopefully we can officially announce a partnership soon.
- Grant applications have been taking up a lot of time recently. In March and April of this year I had completed about 8-10 applications (also including just general letters of inquiry). Not surprisingly, LB was rejected from all of them. The state of funding right now is a mess because of the economy. Grant programs and grant-giving organizations even in good times usually only like to fund projects that they have funded before, and in hard times like these, a new nonprofit has no shot. Hopefully we can interest at least one grant-giving organization though, and really get the ball rolling!
- The government likes paperwork, and even the service orgs within the government are no different! Currently working to partner with AmeriCorps for the Library Fellows program - if I can make it through the paperwork rounds!
- I have been on an intense search for volunteers. Anyone and everyone interested is more than welcome - even if you don't live in Philly! I am trying to develop the following:
Also, a point from his article about why the library is important to our students NOW: "More than 500,000 Philadelphia adults have limited reading ability."
http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/david_brown/20110614_Turning_reluctant_readers_into_eager_ones_at_Free_Library.html
- About this time last year I was able to connect with a school in Philadelphia that was interested in Library Build. Unfortunately, the situation got complicated when the district sent along paperwork that was too overwhelming for LB at that point. Fast forward to now, and I am working steadily through it. Which means that hopefully we can officially announce a partnership soon.
- Grant applications have been taking up a lot of time recently. In March and April of this year I had completed about 8-10 applications (also including just general letters of inquiry). Not surprisingly, LB was rejected from all of them. The state of funding right now is a mess because of the economy. Grant programs and grant-giving organizations even in good times usually only like to fund projects that they have funded before, and in hard times like these, a new nonprofit has no shot. Hopefully we can interest at least one grant-giving organization though, and really get the ball rolling!
- The government likes paperwork, and even the service orgs within the government are no different! Currently working to partner with AmeriCorps for the Library Fellows program - if I can make it through the paperwork rounds!
- I have been on an intense search for volunteers. Anyone and everyone interested is more than welcome - even if you don't live in Philly! I am trying to develop the following:
- Fundraising plans that do not involve applying to grant programs (so far this has involved contacting local bookstores about book fairs, obviously I am open to any other ideas).
- Marketing materials for Library Fellows, partner schools, the media, etc etc.
- Grant writing, or just grant reading. Like to proofread?
- Anything and everything!
Also, a point from his article about why the library is important to our students NOW: "More than 500,000 Philadelphia adults have limited reading ability."
http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/david_brown/20110614_Turning_reluctant_readers_into_eager_ones_at_Free_Library.html
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Potter-Thomas Elementary gets a Library!
Target has a program called the Target School Library Makeover, in which they spend $200,000 to renovate a few chosen school's libraries. One recent school was Potter-Thomas Elementary in North Philadelphia. Potter-Thomas's 400+ students received a brand new library, about 2,000 new books, and each student got 7 books to take home.This is a fantastic gift from Target!
But unlike Potter-Thomas, hundreds of schools in this district are still struggling to teach reading and writing, help their students attain literacy, and instill a love of learning without school libraries or librarians.
As we at Library Build know, and as Philly.com says, "In the late 1990s, a time of huge budget deficits, the school district began eliminating librarian positions and failed to replace those who retired or found other jobs." Now schools don't have librarians, and they don't have libraries.
In some ways the Philadelphia School District is trying: they allowed Target to help out Potter-Thomas, they are spending money on the Promise Academies to increase standards and resources at 6 under-performing schools, and they are working with the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences to provide students at Drexel's School of Information Science with scholarships.
Of course, even with these plans in motion there is still a lot of work to be done.
Here's the two articles about Potter-Thomas's new library!:
Excited for School Library
Happy Ending
But unlike Potter-Thomas, hundreds of schools in this district are still struggling to teach reading and writing, help their students attain literacy, and instill a love of learning without school libraries or librarians.
As we at Library Build know, and as Philly.com says, "In the late 1990s, a time of huge budget deficits, the school district began eliminating librarian positions and failed to replace those who retired or found other jobs." Now schools don't have librarians, and they don't have libraries.
In some ways the Philadelphia School District is trying: they allowed Target to help out Potter-Thomas, they are spending money on the Promise Academies to increase standards and resources at 6 under-performing schools, and they are working with the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences to provide students at Drexel's School of Information Science with scholarships.
Of course, even with these plans in motion there is still a lot of work to be done.
Here's the two articles about Potter-Thomas's new library!:
Excited for School Library
Happy Ending
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Well What About Digital Books?
After reading Callie's discussion of the digital book trend, I thought I would add my two cents. The questions in my mind are:
1) Are digital books a disruptive technology?
2) Do digital books make sense for Library Build's school libraries?
I think that question #1 is a very difficult question to answer. Two recent examples of disruptive technologies that come to mind are the replacement of film photography with digital photography and the replacement of CDs and DVDs by digital downloads. Both of these examples, as well as many other examples of disruptive technologies, have a few features in common. One is cost. The replacement technology's cost is substantially less than the technology being replaced once the cost curve has come down and the disruptive technology has matured a bit (Is this happening to solar energy right now?). Another feature in common among disruptive technologies is the high adoption rate with the exception of specialists. The disruptive technology goes through the usual stages of being adopted by innovators, then early adopters, early majority, late majority and finally laggards. By the end of this cycle all but specialists have taken up the new technology (think of music enthusiasts who still enjoy vinyl because of its unique characteristics or serious amateur and professional photographers who still use large format film due to the high quality images it is capable of producing). So will Kindles, E-Readers, Mini Netbooks and the like replace physical books? Well, the cost of these devices is coming down and it seems likely that many people are open to this technology. It definitely seems though that there will always be a sizable number of "specialists" who will prefer traditional bound books for aesthetic and other reasons.
There have been some recent articles regarding E-books, primarily focusing on digital borrowing rights and competition with the traditional publishing industry establishment. For instance, the NYT reported last year that the NY public library has about 18,000 digital books and they now devote about 1% of their annual book purchasing budget toward E-book purchases. But several publishers are reluctant. Some of the main publishing houses have refused to sell E-books to libraries for fear of eating into sales. You can read the article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/15/books/15libraries.html
Additionally, I speculate that publishers fear that the E-book format will allow many authors to self publish. Without the need to actually print and distribute the book, authors only have to focus on editing and marketing, two tasks that don't necessarily require the traditional publishing industry.
As for my second question, do digital books make sense for Library Build, the answer, at least for now, is a firm, "No!". Among other reasons, digital books require expensive readers (which require maintenance) and thus far digital copyright and borrowing privileges have not been sorted out. What may make sense for a suburban high school district that already has a laptop program (think Lower Merion) may not make sense in elementary schools in Philadelphia where schools receive only about half the funding per student as their suburban counterparts and where our focus is on students who are not yet in high school. This certainly does not mean that kids in Philadelphia don't deserve the luxuries that some suburban kids receive (regardless of what one thinks about the value of a laptop program) - quite the contrary - I argue that if we believe that every woman/man is created equal, then shouldn't every kid in the United States get the same school learning resources and thereby chance to succeed in life? Unfortunately, Philadelphia does not, and for the foreseeable future, will not have the funds to implement a laptop program or purchase E-readers. Nor do I think that a laptop program (in Philly or the suburbs) is appropriate for elementary and middle school kids (do we really want or need our 5-year-olds addicted to the internet or middle school kids surfing the internet in the middle of class?). The best way to spend nonprofit and precious school district resources is not on laptops so that elementary school kids can have E-books. We must put resources into traditional libraries to serve elementary and middle school students. We must give them access to the resources they need in order to learn and be able to achieve at the same level as their peers in Montgomery, Bucks and Chester counties.
There is a lot of potential for digital books to both eat into the traditional market for paperbacks and to enable and enhance the learning process. This does not mean that this is the right solution for Library Build. In the meantime, however, it will be an interesting trend to watch. We will certainly be keeping an eye on it and constantly re-evaluating our position as times change.
1) Are digital books a disruptive technology?
2) Do digital books make sense for Library Build's school libraries?
I think that question #1 is a very difficult question to answer. Two recent examples of disruptive technologies that come to mind are the replacement of film photography with digital photography and the replacement of CDs and DVDs by digital downloads. Both of these examples, as well as many other examples of disruptive technologies, have a few features in common. One is cost. The replacement technology's cost is substantially less than the technology being replaced once the cost curve has come down and the disruptive technology has matured a bit (Is this happening to solar energy right now?). Another feature in common among disruptive technologies is the high adoption rate with the exception of specialists. The disruptive technology goes through the usual stages of being adopted by innovators, then early adopters, early majority, late majority and finally laggards. By the end of this cycle all but specialists have taken up the new technology (think of music enthusiasts who still enjoy vinyl because of its unique characteristics or serious amateur and professional photographers who still use large format film due to the high quality images it is capable of producing). So will Kindles, E-Readers, Mini Netbooks and the like replace physical books? Well, the cost of these devices is coming down and it seems likely that many people are open to this technology. It definitely seems though that there will always be a sizable number of "specialists" who will prefer traditional bound books for aesthetic and other reasons.
There have been some recent articles regarding E-books, primarily focusing on digital borrowing rights and competition with the traditional publishing industry establishment. For instance, the NYT reported last year that the NY public library has about 18,000 digital books and they now devote about 1% of their annual book purchasing budget toward E-book purchases. But several publishers are reluctant. Some of the main publishing houses have refused to sell E-books to libraries for fear of eating into sales. You can read the article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/15/books/15libraries.html
Additionally, I speculate that publishers fear that the E-book format will allow many authors to self publish. Without the need to actually print and distribute the book, authors only have to focus on editing and marketing, two tasks that don't necessarily require the traditional publishing industry.
As for my second question, do digital books make sense for Library Build, the answer, at least for now, is a firm, "No!". Among other reasons, digital books require expensive readers (which require maintenance) and thus far digital copyright and borrowing privileges have not been sorted out. What may make sense for a suburban high school district that already has a laptop program (think Lower Merion) may not make sense in elementary schools in Philadelphia where schools receive only about half the funding per student as their suburban counterparts and where our focus is on students who are not yet in high school. This certainly does not mean that kids in Philadelphia don't deserve the luxuries that some suburban kids receive (regardless of what one thinks about the value of a laptop program) - quite the contrary - I argue that if we believe that every woman/man is created equal, then shouldn't every kid in the United States get the same school learning resources and thereby chance to succeed in life? Unfortunately, Philadelphia does not, and for the foreseeable future, will not have the funds to implement a laptop program or purchase E-readers. Nor do I think that a laptop program (in Philly or the suburbs) is appropriate for elementary and middle school kids (do we really want or need our 5-year-olds addicted to the internet or middle school kids surfing the internet in the middle of class?). The best way to spend nonprofit and precious school district resources is not on laptops so that elementary school kids can have E-books. We must put resources into traditional libraries to serve elementary and middle school students. We must give them access to the resources they need in order to learn and be able to achieve at the same level as their peers in Montgomery, Bucks and Chester counties.
There is a lot of potential for digital books to both eat into the traditional market for paperbacks and to enable and enhance the learning process. This does not mean that this is the right solution for Library Build. In the meantime, however, it will be an interesting trend to watch. We will certainly be keeping an eye on it and constantly re-evaluating our position as times change.
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