Teacher librarians impact report

A new report  reveals that school librarians are highly involved leaders playing a critical role in their schools through consistent and sustained collaboration with other educators. Additionally, school librarians not only participate in but deliver professional development to peers, educators and staff in their schools. The report details key findings from a nationwide survey of more than 2,400 educators representing all grade levels and subject areas. It investigates the connection between professional learning, educator collaboration and student learning.
National Center for Literacy Education. (2014). Remodeling Literacy Learning: Making Room for What Works.
http://www.literacyinlearningexchange.org/sites/default/files/remodeling_literacy_learning_press_release.pdf

AASL School Library Research studies

The 2014 volume of AASL’s peer-reviewed online journal, School Library Research, features studies on college readiness, information literacy during the high school to college transition, and educational stakeholders’ perceptions of school library programs.

• In “College Ready—What Can We Learn from First-Year College Assignments? An Examination of Assignments in Iowa Colleges and Universities,” Jean Donham examines the readiness of high school graduates to produce scholarly work that meets the expectations of college instructors.
• Jana Varlejs, Eileen Stec and Hannah Kwon examine school librarian and teacher working relationships in their article, “Factors Affecting Students’ Information Literacy as They Transition from High School to College.”
• To provide data for their article, “What Do Stakeholders Know about School Library Programs? Results of a Focus Group Evaluation,” the research team of Nancy Everhart and Marcia Mardis ran four focus groups throughout the state of Pennsylvania to identify what educational stakeholders expect from school library programs.

Articles can be found on the AASL website at www.ala.org/aasl/slr.

PISA 2012 results

The PISA assessed the competencies of 15-year-olds in reading, mathematics and science (with a focus on mathematics)in 65 countries and economies. In 44 of those countries and economies about 85 000 students also took part in an optional assessment of creative problem solving. The test aimed to measure the capacity to engage creatively in cognitive processing to understand and resolve problem situations where a method of solution is not immediately obvious (including motivational and affective aspects).
Among the findings were:
US students did better in problem-solving than in math, reading, or science. 
Proficiency in mathematics is a strong predictor of positive outcomes for young adults, influencing their ability to participate in post-secondary education and their expected future earnings. Across OECD countries,a more socio-economically advantaged student scores 39 points higher in mathematics– the equivalent of nearly one year of schooling – than a less-advantaged student. Pre-primary school attendance also advantages students in math. Other positive associations include high parental expectations, enjoyment of school, sense of belonging at school, punctual school attendance, good teacher-student relations,heterogeneous classes, and resiliency.

OECD. (2014). PISA 2012 - Creative Problem Solving: Students’ skills in tackling real-life. problems. Paris: OECD.
http://www.oecd.org/pisa/keyfindings/pisa-2012-results.htm

Study on children's books that portray animals

Animals with human traits in children's books lead to less-factual learning
A recent study showed that children's books that portray animals with human characteristics hindered factual learning, abstract thinking and conceptual reasoning about animals. "Books that portray animals realistically lead to more learning and more accurate biological understanding," said the study's author Patricia Ganea, a psychologist at the University of Toronto.
Ganea, P.  et al. (2014). Do cavies talk? The effect of anthropomorphic books on children's knowledge about animals. Frontiers in Psychology, 5.
http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00283/abstract

Do cavies talk?: The effect of anthropomorphic books on children's knowledge about animals - See more at: http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00283/abstract#sthash.fsyrfpDa.dpuf

Do cavies talk?: The effect of anthropomorphic books on children's knowledge about animals - See more at: http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00283/abstract#sthash.fsyrfpDa.dpuf

Do cavies talk?: The effect of anthropomorphic books on children's knowledge about animals - See more at: http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00283/abstract#sthash.fsyrfpDa.dpuf