Sundance Elementary School

It was big news in December when President Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), replacing No Child Left Behind, yet many questions remain: When does this legislation go into effect? How does this legislation affect school libraries? What are the next steps for school librarians? Here is a list of resources from the Council of State School Library Consultants (COSSLC) that may help:

• The Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015, from the American Library Association (ALA)
• School Librarians and the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), from the American Association of School Librarians
• Basic Provisions in ESSA for Libraries, Technology, and Digital Learning, from the Colorado State Library
• The Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA), from the Texas State Library and Archives Commission

A number of posts have gone out on AASL’s Knowledge Quest blog:

• AASL, ESSA, and School Libraries (Leslie Preddy, 5/26/16)
• Everybody Loves a “Thank You” – Some ESSA Love! (Jay Bansbach, 5/12/16)
• ESSA and Your Partnerships with Administrators (Dorcas Hand, with help from AASL presenters Mary K. Biagini and Debra Kachel, 4/28/16)
• “If you’re not at the table, you’re probably on the menu.” ~Unknown (Len Bryan, 4/27/16)
• ESSA – It Takes a Village! (Jay Bansbach, 4/26/16)
• A Week in the Life…School Library Snapshot (Leslie Preddy, 4/25/16)
• A New Way to Share Our Stories (Megan Cusick, Office for Library Advocacy, 4/4/16)
• ESSA and Digital Literacy Skills (Dorcas Hand, 3/10/16)
• Articulating an Impact on Student Learning (Elizabeth Burns – 3/3/16)

More stories may be found on the site’s ESSA updates.

Do you have questions about ESSA or other school library issues? The Wyoming State Library is here to help. Contact our school library consultant Paige Bredenkamp at paige.bredenkamp@wyo.gov or (307) 777-6331.