Whole Child Education

Students often mention the library when asked what's so special about Swan Valley High School, in Saginaw, Mich. The library—which was nominated by whole child partner American Association of School Librarians' (AASL) for it's 2013 National School Library Program of the Year (NSLPY) Award—is a part of every aspect within the school, creating an environment where all students can do learning attitude. School library programs were cut in every other school in the district, but the high school's administrators, parents, and teachers fought hard to keep Swan Valley High's library open—citing its positive effect on student achievement as a reason to keep the program alive.
 

Pennsylvania Avenue School, located in Atlantic City, N.J., is an American Association of School Librarians' (AASL) 2013 National School Library Program of the Year Award (NSLPY) recipient. Through collaboration with administration, teachers, parents, and students, the school library helps to build a school environment that is globally interactive, safe, flexible, and innovative in every way. Together the administrators and school librarian have worked to build an exemplary school library program that showcases the Pennsylvania Avenue's 21st century learning by providing state of the art digital technologies for students to learn and use and help school educators stay on the front line of change and growth. The dedication of the school administrators alongside the school librarians helps to ensure efficient, effective, engaging, and empowering instruction for every student and the differing abilities of each student is embraced and respected.
 

New Augusta Public Academy South elementary school, part of the Metropolitan School District of Pike Township, serves 531 students in kindergarten through 5th grade. The work of faculty and staff focuses on creating a safe, caring and respectful environment that is necessary for powerful learning, building a culture of respect with collaboration, and organizing meaningful curriculum connected to state standards. The school uses research-based teaching and learning practices that actively engages students; promotes collaboration among staff, students, parents, and community patrons; and prepares students to live and learn in an ever-changing technological and global society. The school library is embedded in every aspect of life at New Augusta and has become the hub where all of this school collaboration and student-centered learning happens. The school librarian works side-by-side with the classroom teachers to help students learn in multiple ways: inquiry based projects, distance learning, and helping students develop a love of reading. Winner of whole child partner American Library Association's 2013 National School Library Program of the Year, the library and school librarian have helped make this school an admirable example of what a stimulating, student-centered school environment should look like.
 

East Syracuse Minoa’s Pine Grove Middle School earned the 2011 National School Library Program of the Year award from the American Association of School Librarians (AASL). The Pine Grove library program was given this honor for its ability to transform and meet the needs of the community. The library plays a vital role in providing students with learning experiences that embrace real world connections, interdisciplinary work and community partnerships. Efforts at the school have integrated the library program into curriculum, literacy, technology, and all areas of educating the whole child.
 

North East Independent School District (NEISD) in Texas is an American Association of School Librarians’ (AASL) 2011 National School Library Program of the Year (NSLPY) Award recipient. To create lifelong learners at NEISD, the school library program works to “model and promote the effective integration of technology and student-centered strategies to support the access, use, evaluation, and creation of information; and model, teach, and practice the ethical use of information in order to promote good digital citizenship in students, teachers, and the community.” Along with skills to evaluate information, technology skills are embedded into the core content areas when teachers and school librarians collaborate to design lessons. Products of these lessons incorporate various presentation tools, including podcasts, slideshows and videos. This allows students to not only complete their work, but share it with others, like their parents and peers, by posting it on classroom or library blogs.
 

Henrico County (Va.) Public Schools received an American Association of School Librarians' (AASL) National School Library Program of the Year (NSLPY) Award in 2011. Collaborative partnerships are the key to the Henrico program’s success. “Parents, central office personnel, school board members, feeder schools, and the business community are constituents that all have a stake in successful students,” read the application submitted by Henrico’s educational specialist in library services, Ann M. Martin. “Our model is based on an all-inclusive approach, with students and staff at the center of the circle and each succeeding circle encompassing more of our stakeholders. When a library activity occurs, we include as many stakeholders as possible.”