School librarian decline study

      A recent report highlights an ongoing decline in the number of districts nationwide with school librarians. According to the findings, there were about 20% fewer librarians during the 2018–2019 school year in the 13,000 districts examined than a decade prior. But the absence of these educators isn’t equally distributed: Smaller, rural districts, and those with higher proportions of English-language learners, Latinx students, and low-income students were more likely to lack a librarian.

     Debra E. Kachel and Keith Curry Lance write: “Most of us know there have been large losses of school librarians over the past two decades. What is less well known—and begs for attention—is that these losses pose a major educational equity issue. In our new study, we found that everyone isn’t losing their librarians; losses tend to occur in districts where there are more students living in poverty, more minority students, and more English-language learners. Districts with fewer such students are far more likely to have and maintain librarians. The other news is that, since 2015–2016, several states have begun to see net increases in their numbers of school librarians.”

School Librarian Investigation: Decline or Evolution? (2021). Seattle: Antioch University.

https://libslide.org/publications/

https://knowledgequest.aasl.org/whats-behind-the-slide-findings-from-a-study-of-school-librarian-employment/

STEM report

While STEM fields continue to be high priority,  K-12 educators note that these fields present many places where kids can get stuck—from weak instruction in the early grades to traditional calculus classes in high school and college. Even the end goal, improved employment outcomes, remains murky.Thus report takes a closer look at these STEM gateways, searching out ones that offer new avenues—like hands-on preparation for advanced manufacturing—and the efforts to break down longstanding barriers, like remedial algebra.
STEM education. (2018). Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/ew/collections/stem-education-careers/index.html?cmp=eml-eb-summer-sr-06262018&M=58530142&U=1673093

Projection of Teacher Turnovers

This report by Learning Policy Institute states that without changes in current policies, U.S. teacher shortages are projected to grow in the coming years. Teacher turnover is an important source of these shortages. About 8% of teachers leave the profession each year, two-thirds of them for reasons other than retirement. Another 8% shift to different schools each year. In addition to aggravating teacher shortages, high turnover rates lower student achievement and are costly for schools. This brief examines turnover trends and causes. The report concludes that policies to stem teacher turnover should target compensation, teacher preparation and support, and teaching conditions.

Carver-Thomas, D., & Darling-Hammond, L. (2017). Teacher turnover: Why it matters and what we can do about it. Palo Alto, CA & Washington, D.C.: Learning Policy Institute. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/product-files/Teacher_Turnover_BRIEF.pdf

Status of Libraries in America as of 2010

This 2010 report by the American Library Association shows that Americans have turned to their libraries in larger numbers in recent years. When jobs go away, Americans turn to their libraries to find information about future employment or educational opportunities. This library usage trend and others are detailed in the 2010 State of America’s Libraries report, released today by the American Library Association. However, the report also shows that increased library use did not lead to an increase in funding for libraries.

Other key findings include:

• Internet use continues to expand at public libraries, which have seen double-digit growth since 2007 in the on-line services they make available to their patrons.
• Almost all Americans feel that school libraries are an essential part of the education experience because they provide resources to students and teachers and because they give every child the opportunity to read and learn.
• America’s academic libraries are experiencing increased use, both physical and virtual.
• America’s libraries continue their efforts to support minorities and other underserved or disadvantaged populations.
• The library community continues to defend a core value embodied in the First Amendment and the corollary right to receive and consider ideas, information, and images.
• Library construction fared better in 2009 than many expected during the recession, especially given the unreliability of funding for programming, materials, and hours.

American Library Association (2010). 2010 State of America’s libraries report: Recession drives more Americans to libraries in search of employment resources, but funding lags demand. Chicago, IL: American Library Association. http://www.ala.org/news/sites/ala.org.news/files/content/mediapresscenter/americaslibraries/soal2010/ALA_Report_2010-ATI001-NEW1.pdf

The Future of Work

This report analyzes key drivers that will reshape the landscape of work and identifies key work skills needed in the next 10 years. It does not consider what will be the jobs of the future. Many studies have tried to predict specific job categories and labor requirements. Consistently over the years, however, it has been shown that such predictions are difficult and many of the past predictions have been proven wrong. Rather than focusing on future jobs, this report looks at future work skills—proficiencies and abilities required across different jobs and work settings.

Davies, A., Fidler, D., & Gorbis, M. (2011). Future work skills 2020. Palo Alto, CA: Institute for the Future for Apollo Research Institute. https://uqpn.uq.edu.au/files/203/LIBBY%20MARSHALL%20future_work_skills_2020_full_research_report_final_1.pdf