Reading format study

More children now know what it's like to read an e-book, but most prefer print texts.  Nor have e-books markedly altered the collections of school libraries.
Scholastic. (2016). Kids and family reading report (5th ed.). New York: Scholastic.
 http://www.scholastic.com/readingreport/Scholastic-KidsAndFamilyReadingReport-5thEdition.pdf
Education Week. (20160. The changing face of literacy. Bethesda, MD: Education Week.

Parents' literacy activities

Low-income families are engaging in more developmentally stimulating activities with their children, including family reading and education trips. However, other gaps exist.
American Educational Research Association. (2016).
Kalil, A. et al. (2016). Changes in income-based gaps in parent activities with young children from 1988 to 2012. AERA Open, 2(3).
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/2332858416653732

Academic library learning spaces

This paper identifies approaches, challenges, and bet practices related to planning and designing academic library learning spaces.
Head, A. (2016). Planning and designing academic library learning spaces. 
http://www.projectinfolit.org/uploads/2/7/5/4/27541717/pil_libspace_report_12_6_16.pdf

Barriers to ed tech integration

A school's structure does matter in its ability to integrate education technology, according to a recent report. Researchers identify 19 building blocks that are key to ed tech and highlight how these elements are working in schools or school districts across the country.
EdSurge Research. (2016). How schools are changing. Burlingame, CA: EdSurge Research.
https://www.edsurge.com/research/special-reports/state-of-edtech-2016/buyers_and_users

RTI status

This report on RTI explores how the instructional framework has expanded into new forms and uses in schools across the country. The report explores the challenges facing educators as they adopt RTI for new uses, scale it up to more schools and districts, and use it to improve learning for all students.
Education Week. (2016).  Response to intervention 2.0: Next generation. Bethesda, MD: Education Week.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/collections/rtireport-2016/index.html?cmp=eml-eb-sr-rtimini-20161214

Talking about LGBT issues

In many school districts, the classroom is still a difficult place for LGBT students and teachers, according to a recent report. The report covers a variety of challenges LGBT students encounter, including restrictions on LGBT student groups, bullying, and discrimination from classmates and school staff members, and exclusion of LGBT topics from curricula—with an overall conclusion that many U.S. public schools are still unwelcoming to LGBT students and teachers. The report offers recommendations to state legislators, state departments of education, and school administrators to make school environments more welcoming to LGBT students and staff, including repealing laws that prohibit discussion of LGBT issues in schools; enacting laws to protect students and staff members from discrimination based on their sexual orientation and gender identity; creating school policies and curricula that explicitly include LGBT people; and enforcing protections against bullying.
Human Rights Watch.  (2016). Like Walking Through a Hailstorm. New York, NY: Human Rights Watch.
https://www.hrw.org/report/2016/12/07/walking-through-hailstorm/discrimination-against-lgbt-youth-us-schools

Perceptions about fake news

According to a new survey by Pew Research Center, most Americans suspect that made-up news is having an impact. About two-in-three U.S. adults (64%) say fabricated news stories cause a great deal of confusion about the basic facts of current issues and events. When it comes to how to prevent the spread of fake news, many Americans expect social networking sites, politicians and the public itself to do their share.
Barthel, M., Mitchell, A., & Holcomb, J. (2016). Many Americans believe fake news is sowing confusion. Washington, DC; Pew Research Center.
http://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2016/12/14154753/PJ_2016.12.15_fake-news_FINAL.pdf

Areas of the brain can be reshaped and reorganized through activities that include touch and movement—the foundation of creative expression. Just as trauma is experienced—through nonverbal sensation—it can be released. Research found that the simple act of art-making, regardless of skill level, reduces cortisol (or stress levels) in the brain. By making art, children learn about themselves and widen their perspective, creating empathy and deeper engagement.
Perry, B. (2016). Creative interventions with traumatized children. New York: Guilford.
Ray, K., & Muniz, J. (2016). Reduction of cortisol levels and participants' responses following art making. Art Therapy, 33(2), 74-80.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5004743/

Ed tech research

2016 was a big year for high-quality research on the promise and peril of educational technology.   http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/DigitalEducation/2016/12/ed-tech_research_2016.html?cmp=eml-enl-eu-news2-RM

As Maker Education has evolved, researchers have explored related equity issues, design principles for Maker spaces, and the impact of this approach on student learning. http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/DigitalEducation/2016/04/maker_movement_in_k-12_education_research.html
Halverson, E., & Sheridan, K. (2014). The maker movement in education. Harvard Educational Review (Winter).
Martin, L. (2015). The promise of the maker movement for education. Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research.
Martinez, S., & Stager, G. (2013). Invent to learn: Making, tinkering, and engineering in the classroom. Constructing Modern Knowledge Press.
Sheridan, K., et al. (2016). Resourceful and inclusive: Towards design principles for makerspaces. Paper presented at AERA.
Stornaiuolo, A., & Nichols, P. (2016). Making publics: The iterative design of high school makerspaces. Paper presented at AERA.

A meta-analysis of 15 years' worth of research found 1-to-1 laptop programs had a positive impact on students' English, math, and science scores.
Zheng, B. (2016).  Learning in One-to-One Laptop Environments: A Meta-Analysis and Research Synthesis, Review of Educational Research.

 Key studies on the comparability of computer- and paper-based assessments.http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/DigitalEducation/2016/02/comparing_paper_computer_test_scores_research.html

 Students in online credit recovery fare worse than peers.
Heppen, J. (2016). Comparing the effectiveness of online and face-to-face credit recovery in algebra I. American Institutes for Research. http://www.air.org/resource/comparing-effectiveness-online-and-face-face-credit-recovery-algebra-i

Among young adults who regularly use smartphones and tablets, reading a story or performing a task on a screen instead of on paper led to greater focus on concrete details, but less ability to infer meaning or quickly get the gist of a problem, found a series of experiments.
Flanagan, M., & Kaufman, G. (2016). Lost in translation: Comparing the impact of an analog and digital version of a public health game on players' perceptions, attitudes, and cognitions. International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations, 5(3), 1-9.
http://www.tiltfactor.org/wp-content/uploads2/Lost-in-Translation-Comparing-the-Impact-of-an-Analog-and-Digital-Version-of-a-Public-Health-Game-on-Players-Perceptions-Attitudes-and-Cognitions.pdf

Teachers' confidence in ed tech varies based on the type of school they work in, concluded a research  analysis. As a result, students in low-poverty and suburban schools may be getting more and better exposure to technology than their counterparts. 
Education Week Research Center. (2016). Teachers and Technology Use in the Classroom: Exclusive Survey Result. Education Week.
http://www.edweek.org/media/teachers-and-technology-use-in-the-classroom.pdf

Researchers investigating "affect-aware" computerized tutoring systems expressed confidence that systems capable of detecting student emotions could help change the direction of personalized learning. 
Education Week Research Center. (2016). Extending the Digital Reach: Schools Push Personalized Learning to New Heights. Education Week.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/collections/personalized-learning-report-2016/
 

Role-play helps boots persistence

Young students who pretend to be fictional characters associated with persistence, such as Batman, Dora the Explorer or Bob the Builder, may stay more focused during repetitive tasks than peers who do not pretend, according to a study in child development.
White, R. (2016).  The Batman effect: Improving perseverance in young children.  Child Development (Dec.). DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12695

Peritext literacy

An after-school book club, led by the school librarian, was held to test the efficacy of the peritextual literacy framework (PLF) in teaching skills related to critical thinking, problemsolving, information literacy, and media literacy. The participants enjoyed the club and were able to demonstrate their ability to use peritextual elements to think critically about STEAM

-related nonfiction books. Students were able to discuss how the functions of peritext affected their motivation to read a text

and their ability to retrieve information from a text, and how peritext functions might affect their opinion of the credibility of information presented in a book.

Gross, M. (2016). The peritext book club. School Library Research, 19.  http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/aaslpubsandjournals/slr/vol19/SLR_Peritext%20Book%20Club_V19.pdf

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Fake News and K-12 Information Literacy

An 18-month study shows that students all the way to college age are not recognizing the basics of evaluating a source. Especially as students are looking more and more to social media for their daily news, they may mix satire and "hard" news. The new ACRL information literacy framework reflects the importance of ascertaining the nature of news with its lens that "Authority Is Constructed and Contextual."
Stanford History Education Group. (2016).  Evaluating information: The cornerstone of civic online reasoning. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University.
http://sheg.stanford.edu/upload/V3LessonPlans/Executive%20Summary%2011.21.16.pdf 

African-American teenagers and technology

African-American youth see computers as vital for their future, but they may lack opportunities to code, develop apps and innovate. The most important technology for them are smart phones, but for homework they prefer computers over mobile devices. These youth frequently use technology to learn and create content, but only about an eighth code.
Clark, K., Scott, K., & Rideout, V. (2016). The digital lives of African American tweens, teens, and parents: Innovating and learning with technology. Seattle: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
https://cgest.asu.edu/sites/default/files/digital_lives_report.pdf

Positive school library may shrink achievement gaps

Multiple studies found that a positive school climate can weaken the effects of low family income on achievement. A positive school climate can facilitate greater equality in education opportunities and more social mobility. A negative climate increases the correlation of achievement and socio-economic backgrounds, especially for low-income families.  School climate includes factors such as "positive teacher-student relationships, sense of safety, and student connectedness to and engagement in school" (Berkowitz, et al.)
Berkowitz, R. et al. (2016). A Research Synthesis of the Associations Between Socioeconomic Background, Inequality, School Climate, and Academic Achievement. Review of Educational Research.
http://rer.sagepub.com/content/early/2016/09/19/0034654316669821.full.pdf+html?ijkey=1T3lGnRAnqVJ6&keytype=ref&siteid=sprer

PISA 2016 report

The link between socio-economic status and school performance is weakening for U.S. students, a sign of improving equity in American education even as U.S. teens continue to lag behind their international counterparts in  math, reading and science, according to an international study. The report suggests that education outcomes are increasingly the result of students’ abilities and effort rather than their personal circumstances and family background. The report cited Canada, Estonia, Germany and Hong Kong as role-model countries or regions that have succeeded in achieving both high levels of performance and equity in education outcomes.
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. (2016). PISA report. Paris: OECD.
http://www.oecd.org/pisa/

Banerjee, P. (2016). A systematic review of factors linked to poor academic performance of disadvantaged students in science and maths in schools. Cogent Education, 3, 1178441.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2016.1178441

Research shows a teacher-diversity gap in schools that may contribute to lower achievement among some student groups. Some school systems, including one in California (Partnerships to Uplift Communities Schools), have expanded teacher-recruiting efforts to high-school graduates.

Quintaro, D. , Putnam, H, Walsh, K., & Hansen, M. (2016). High hopes and harsh realities: The real challenges to building a diverse teacher workforce. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution.
https://www.brookings.edu/research/high-hopes-and-harsh-realities-the-real-challenges-to-building-a-diverse-teacher-workforce/

Gershenson, S., & Papageorge, N. (2016).   Who believes in me? The effect of student-teacher demographic match on teacher expectations. Economics of Education Review, 52, 209-224.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272775715300959

School counselors' impact

Meeting one-on-one with a school counselor to discuss college admission or financial aid makes a big difference in students' futures, tripling the chance they'll attend college, doubling the chance that they'll attend a four-year college, and increasing by nearly seven times the likelihood that they'll apply for financial aid, according to a recent national study.
Velez, E. (2016). How can high school counseling shape students' postsecondary attendance? 
Arlington, VA: National Association for College Admission Counseling.
https://www.nacacnet.org/news--publications/Research/postsecondaryattendance/

Evidence base about school library impact

Have a look at some of these reports, all of which stress the importance of reading for pleasure and educational achievement.  A well run and professional school library can address these difficulties: Heart of the School blog: http://heartoftheschool.edublogs.org/evidence-base/