by Ann Kaste
Quick Summary
Did you know that only 23 percent of schools have a licensed educator assigned to the school library, according to 21-22 Common Core data. Legislation and advocacy to increase the number of school librarians and the amount of funding for school libraries is being worked on during this cycle in the Minnesota Legislature.
This Teacher Appreciation Week, we celebrate School Librarians! The school library data team and the Minnesota Library Association Legislative Committee have been working to gather data and evidence of the impact school librarians have on student outcomes. Although only 23 percent of schools in Minnesota have licensed teachers assigned to Media/Library roles, many school library advocates are working to increase those numbers and raise the visibility of the importance of the school librarian and library as not only the heart and hub of the school community, but the teacher focused on some of the most important skills that students will need: information literacy, digital citizenship, comfort with technology, and of course, a lifelong love of reading.
Connect to your legislator to support school library funding, connect with your community to support your school libraries, and celebrate school librarians during this Teacher Appreciation Week.
