Low-income Latino students' reading scores report

 Some districts with substantial numbers of low-income Latino students vastly outperform others when it comes to reading and writing. The results appear to have more to do with how schools are teaching students to read and less about their family’s income or their English proficiency. That’s according to a new report from a literacy advocacy group made up of organizations of educators, advocates and researchers. The pandemic negatively impacted students. However, 

"The clear message is that it is not the students themselves, or the level of resources, that drive student reading achievement - the primary drivers are district focus on reading, management practices, and curriculum and instruction choices.  The top performing districts come in all types: urban, rural, and suburban, across 9 different counties, with high-need students levels ranging from 39% to 94%.  Any district can succeed at teaching reading."

California Reading Report Card 2022. (2023). California Reading Coalition.

https://www.careads.org/2022-reportcard

Academic Librarians' Perspective on AI

 Many academic librarians believe context matters when artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT are used by students and faculty to assist with their work, according to a recent study. While only eight percent of respondents said that they believe it is cheating when students use AI products for research—compared with 49 percent who said it was not—42 percent said that it was “somewhat” cheating.

AI in Higher Education: The Librarians’ Perspectives. (2023, March). Helper Systems.

https://www.helpersystems.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/HS-AI-Survey-Whitepaper-3-7-22.pdf

Study on access to controversial library materials

A national study identified patterns in library resources and content, especially as they relate to political preferences, state laws, and book bans. the researcher found that:

• ·         Libraries in low-income areas have lower staffing levels and less up-to-date collections. 
• ·         Access to controversial content is related to local political environments. 
• ·         Book challenges may have chilling effects on the acquisition of LGBTQ+ content. 

Mumma, K. (2023). Politics and school libraries: What shapes students’ access to controversial content. Brookings. 

https://wheelockpolicycenter.org/high-quality-education/school-libraries/

 

Reading Skills Report

 A national report shows that reading skills are rebounding for young learners, with most students in grades K-3 on track to read at grade level by the end of the school year. The report also shows faster-than-average improvement among students who are Black and Hispanic. For the first time since 2019-20, the majority of students in every grade, from K-3, are on track to tackle grade-level reading by the end of the year—though no grade has yet matched its pre-pandemic performance levels.

Amplify. (2023). Middle-of-year data show that academic recovery continues in early literacy, with Black and Hispanic students making the greatest gains. Amplify.

https://amplify.com/news/latest-school-assessment-data-show-continued-academic-recovery-in-early-literacy-with-black-and-hispanic-students-making-the-greatest-gains/

Data Literacy Downward Trend Report

 Students’ data analysis skills have dropped, and teachers say they’re putting less emphasis on the subject, a new analysis finds—even as workforce demand for data-literate employees continues to rise. The data was derived from the 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress. Scores in this subset of the NAEP math test dropped 10 scale score points for 8th graders and four points for 4th graders. The declines were larger for students from low-income families. The downward trend started before the pandemic, but math scores overall dropped during and since that time.

Drozda, Z. (2023). Data science is vital to student success: So why are outcomes going down? Data Science4Everyone. 

https://www.datascience4everyone.org/post/data-science-is-vital-to-student-success-so-why-are-outcomes-going-down

Politics and School Libraries Study

 

A national study of school libraries found that most school libraries have some controversial titles, but the collection reflects local politics and policy makers. There continues to be a gap  in library resources between schools in low- and high-income communities, which may affect students in ways not reflected in test scores, including by exposing children to stories that expand their horizons or affirm their lived experiences.  

Mumma, K. (2023). Politics and children's books: Evidence from school library collections. Boston College. https://wheelockpolicycenter.org/high-quality-education/school-libraries/

Popular apps and devices survey

 YouTube was the most common app used on a weekly basis by 4th-12th graders and for 9th-12th graders, email was the second most common app, according to a survey issued by The Social Institute, a company that provides curriculum addressing social-emotional learning, social media and technology. The survey, which included responses from nearly 23,000 students in U.S. public and private schools, found school-issued devices, TVs and smartphones are the most popular devices used by students on a weekly basis.

23 insights for 2023 on how students navigate well-being, social media and tech. Social Institute. https://thesocialinstitute.com/insight/report-23-insights-for-2023-on-how-students-navigate-well-being-social-media-and-tech/.

Research on Reading

 The International Literacy Association shared the following research on reading:

What the Research Says About Read-Alouds for Littles Read-alouds provide unique opportunities to support development and fostering a love of reading—and it’s never too early to start. In Ready for Read-Alouds: 10 Practices for Book-Sharing With Infants and Toddlers (The Reading Teacher, no subscription required), authors Claire D. Vallotton, Nicole Gardner-Neblett, Loria Kim, Tamesha Harewood, and Nell K. Duke share research-based ways to enrich read-alouds with our littlest learners, as well as how to set goals for sharing these important practices with fellow educators, families, and communities.

FREE TO READ Bias Starts Early. Let's Start Now: Developing an Anti-Racist, Anti-Bias Book Collection for Infants and Toddlers Nicole Gardner-Neblett, Atiya Addie, Anissa L. Eddie, Sandra K. Chapman, Nell K. Duke, and Claire D. Vallotton THE READING TEACHER | Open Access Reading During Adolescence: Why Adolescents Choose (or Do Not Choose) Books Katherine Wilkinson, Valentina Andries, Danielle Howarth, Jane Bonsall, Shari Sabeti, and Sarah McGeown JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENT & ADULT LITERACY | Open Access Understanding Literacies in Latinx Families: Teachers Using Home Visits to Reimagine Classroom Practices Judy Paulick, Amanda K. Kibler, and Natalia Palacios THE READING TEACHER | Open Access

School Librarians Slide Project

Summary: Based on research from the School Librarian Investigation—Decline or Evolution? (SLIDE) project, this report utilized NCES school librarian employment data for the 2020-2021 school year. Data characteristics from 12,537 school districts were examined including poverty, locale, and district enrollment, as well as student demographics including race and ethnicity. Data supported previous findings that access to school librarians is strongly related to race and ethnicity and further exacerbated for students living in extreme poverty, in more-isolated locales, and in the smallest districts—locales where students are less likely to have access to the educational resources available in large urban areas. 

In school year 2021-22, 54% of U.S. students in all districts were without any librarians during the COVID-19 pandemic and almost 3 million students in majority nonwhite districts were without any librarians. The gap between students in districts with a “library privilege” and those without librarians continues to widen. Read the full report for more. 

 Lance, K. C., Kachel, D. E., & Gerrity, C. (2023, January 6). The school librarian equity gap:  Inequities associated with race and ethnicity compounded by poverty, locale, and enrollment. Peabody Journal of Education.  https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0161956X.2023.2160112

Book Challenges and School Library Collection Development

https://wheelockpolicycenter.org/high-quality-education/school-libraries/: "This study begins by compiling a novel data set on the books in over 6,000 school libraries across the country. With this unique look inside school library shelves, the author then details some trends and themes related to the collections based on various characteristics, including for instance difference across high and low-income schools and the political leanings of surrounding areas.

Key Findings

• Schools with more white students, schools located in high-income areas, and schools in non-rural areas have better-resourced school libraries than their counterparts. School libraries in high-income areas acquire substantially more books and employ about 40% more staff than low-income schools.
• Politics appear to be at play.
• While books with “controversial content” tend to be widely available, prevalence of certain titles appears to be influenced by local politics, state laws and the social environment around which the school exists.
• Book challenges in the 2021-22 school year have had a chilling effect on the acquisition and access of certain content in school libraries, LGBTQ+ content in particular."

Mumma, K. (2023). Politics and children's books: Evidence from school library collections. Wheelock Policy Center.

https://wheelockpolicycenter.org/high-quality-education/school-libraries/

School-Academic Librarian Collaboration

Abstract: Collaborations between school and academic librarians centered around the professional development of K-12 media specialists may represent a scalable and sustainable method by which school and academic librarians can support information literacy. This article outlines a pilot project developed between The Ohio State University Libraries (University Libraries), located in Columbus, Ohio, and the Columbus City Schools (CCS) that was intended to forge connections between school and academic librarians through professional development.

Hammons, J., & VAasudev, K. (2023). Connecting school and academic librarians through professional development: A pilot project. College & Research Libraries News, 84(1), 32. <https://crln.acrl.org/index.php/crlnews/article/view/25740/33658>.