Mr.+Ray+Goes+To+Washington

by Mark Ray

I just got back from Washington DC. Thanks to twitch-speed thinking and the generosity of my colleagues at the Washington Library Media Association, we identified a teachable moment for a newly-minted TOY to travel to the other Washington to do some advocacy on behalf of Senator Patty Murray's SKILLS Act which aims to strengthen school library programs as part of the Reauthorization of ESEA. With a late post-WLMA conference night at the Sukiyaki Inn still in muscle memory, I boarded an early flight to Washington DC and mobilized for action. These are the two executive summaries that I wrote on my way to Washington. I wanted to share them with you because they speak to both our challenges and yes, many successes. If I missed something, it was a sin of omission rather than commission. This was an emergency dispatch more than a calculated campaign.

10/16/11 Prepared by Mark Ray, 2012 Washington State Teacher of the Year
 * Executive summary of school library programs in Washington State**

Facing continued budgetary challenges, teacher librarians in Washington State are doing more with less. The Washington Library Media Association (WLMA) and teacher librarians enhance student learning statewide through a variety of initiatives that support information fluency, digital citizenship and other 21st century learning objectives.

Given the pressures of increased class sizes, high stakes student testing and decreased funding and support, teachers and schools need help to teach critical educational technology and information literacy skills to ensure students are prepared for work, college and life. Using teacher librarians and library information and technology programs in creative ways to support student learning is a cost-neutral solution that can help schools meet 21st century learning needs.
 * In 2010, WLMA developed and is currently implementing the Library Information and Technology Framework to ensure students are effective users and producers of information and ideas.
 * For several years, WLMA has worked with the Educational Technology Department of the Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) in the development and implementation of integrated content and technology assessments.
 * In 2011, WLMA and the Northwest Council of Computer Education helped develop and pass SB5392 strengthening the role of educational technology in basic education.
 * In 2011, OSPI and WLMA set a statewide goal to train all teacher librarians as tech peer instructional coaches who work with teachers and students to use and integrate technology into teaching and learning.
 * In 2012, Washington State selected Mark Ray, a teacher librarian and instructional technology facilitator as teacher of the year, raising the profile of teacher librarians and the important role of educational technology in K-12 education.

A success story can be seen in Vancouver Public Schools, now in the fourth year of a technology training program that helps teacher librarians be information and educational technology leaders in their schools. Teacher librarians have been trained to use tools such as Google Docs, podcasting, simple video production and online information databases. They provide instruction for students and coaching for fellow educators.

Despite this success story and the re-invention of teacher librarians and school library programs to support student learning, districts throughout the state continue to cut programs and positions. This denies students and teachers access to valuable resources, services and support to meet critical learning needs, exacerbating inequalities among districts and impacting the neediest populations disproportionally.

10/16/11 Prepared by Mark Ray, 2012 Washington State Teacher of the Year
 * Executive summary of key issues connected to school library programs**
 * and educational technology in Washington State**

Despite Washington State's leadership in high tech industry and technology-oriented programs in higher education, the effective integration of educational technology in K-12 schools is, at best, a mixed success. In the last legislative session, SB5392 was passed. This statute codified educational technology as an essential part of basic education. But in the current budgetary climate, this well-intentioned will to innovate and better prepare students for work, college and life faces some significant challenges in its implementation.


 * EETT funding was used to effectively train teachers in the integration of educational technology and support the adoption of statewide educational technology learning objectives
 * Statewide information database funding and licensing provides all school districts the ability to access rich digital resources that would not be available without state consortium pricing
 * Many districts are cutting or eliminating school library programs due to the failure of the Washington State to fund voter-approved education initiatives and K-12 basic education
 * In the move to adopt Web 2.0 tools, adopt cloud computing solutions and innovate the use of educational technology with students, districts often encounter legal issues connected to COPPA and other federal statutes
 * Despite a strong statewide network backbone, many districts have limited or poor broadband infrastructures
 * Significant disparities exist within and among districts in student and teacher access to basic classroom technologies such as computers, projectors, document cameras and voice amplification
 * Few students have access to or support for personal computing devices in the classroom
 * Due in large part to a focus on meeting AYP and state benchmarks, it is difficult to support training and innovation v/v 21st century learning objectives in areas of communication and collaboration, digital citizenship and information literacy.