SNL NEWSLETTER
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SNL consistently advocates on behalf of school libraries to the Elected Trustees, Board of Managers, elected officials, administration, library staff, and you, their community of stakeholders. Published monthly during the school year. |
SNL focuses locally, because we live here in Houston and continue to obsess about the lack of libraries in most HISD schools. But we also pay attention to the broader landscape of education and library access, always in search of new ideas to help us have more impact here at home. Today, I offer you a range from local news to why reading aloud matters (a favorite topic for us) to the need for international awareness in our book choices at all ages. And I can’t leave out Civics Education or censorship either. Our collaboration across Houston is so important as we continue to work in behalf of all HISD students. Easter, Passover and other spring holidays offer us a new beginning on these uber-important fronts. The challenges are real and ongoing. We hope these resources will help you speak wisely and often.  Texas Library Association Conference in Houston As we mentioned in February, Friends of HISD Libraries (FOHL) has provided grants to 11 HISD library staff to attend on March 29-30-31. SNL and some FOHL leaders will be presenting at the conference. Grantees will be asked to offer reflections on new ideas they bring back from this exciting local opportunity which is not in Houston every year. Stay tuned for further info as we hear those reflections.  Allie Conejo of Harlingen ISD named SLJ School Librarian of the Year. (School Library Journal) Why can’t Houston students enjoy this level of library access? Allie is the third winner from Texas. Too many Houston students miss out on this professional staffing that enables campus library programs to function at superior levels. With such intense focus on decoding skills, HISD students are not allowed to access personal book selections to build fluency of literacy skills and insights. "[Allie] uses her personal experience as a model, guiding a school community with a majority Hispanic population, many of whom are seeking to be first-generation college students, providing the foundation for their research and technology in future science careers, and offering a welcoming space for a break and a little fun. She instructs students and staff on the ethical use of AI to support—not replace—tasks, and trains district library staff to meet legislative collection restrictions while curating a collection that still gives their students the stories they need to reflect their lives and open their worlds to others. She is an avid collaborator whose lessons and programming change each year to meet the needs of her students, the curriculum, and the times."  “...children’s listening comprehension exceeds their reading comprehension through age 13, on average.” Wexler, Natalie. “How Can You Tell If a Curriculum Truly Builds Knowledge?” (Mind the Gap blog, 22 Mar 2026) I love this blog. Wexler constantly offers me insights into current trends in K-12 pedagogy. The specific point I want to discuss today is in my title. Wexler states, “But when children are still learning to decode—and really, until they become proficient readers—it’s far more efficient to build knowledge of a new topic by having teachers read aloud from texts that are more complex than those students can read on their own.” (emphasis mine) In her footnote, she cites “Speaking and Listening in Content Area Learning” by Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey (Reading Rockets). The authors remind us that “Decades of research, not to mention personal experiences, confirm that listening comprehension outpaces reading comprehension from early childhood through at least middle school.” I suggest that readers of this newsletter add this rallying cry to our collective calls to restore libraries as core supports of improved literacy skills across HISD. Currently, Miles’ NES curriculum disallows reading aloud at any age, regardless of demonstrated benefits. IMAGE SOURCE: literacyhive.org/a-read-aloud-recipe/  Defaultism in Picture Books Boukarim, Leila. (KQ blog, 24 Feb 2026) As we face a widening war in the Middle East, remembering to offer children AND THEIR ADULTS a wide array of stories that reflect a wide world of cultures and experiences. Boukarim offers lovely insights: “I never think of myself reading an international book for children; I am simply reading a story, one that can teach me something I didn’t know, that can expand my world view, that can offer me a window into another world, regardless of whom the story is about or where it’s taking place.” “Children, as well as their grown-ups, absolutely need to read books that offer them stories they didn’t know, about people they didn’t know. Because if we ever hope to live in a world that is more just and compassionate, where everyone is treated with the respect and dignity they deserve, this, I feel, is the only way to make that happen.” Here is one example booklist of Immigration Stories: Books for Young Children.  Civic Education In other work I’m doing to support libraries beyond HISD, I find I need to raise awareness of the need for civic education. Even adults who were exposed to strong Civics courses in HS are now many years later in their lives and foggy on some details. Libraries have the opportunity to play a role - but so do all citizens who care. That's us. You and I. Every day. I’d like to offer a couple of nonpartisan resources we can all refer to: + Civics for Life (Sandra Day O’Connor Inst.) + https://www.cybercivics.com/ Digital Civics Curriculum 4-12 We also need to remind ourselves and our communities about the threat of misinformation and “truthiness” to everyone’s understanding of current events.  What the Library Is For and Why “Just Buy the Book” Gets It Exactly Backwards (22 Jan 2026) The national Freedom to Read Project offered this post which reminds us how important libraries are, and why they should be easy to access by any and every one, including on EVERY K-12 campus. FTRF also offers this Turning the Page Guide. In the midst of HISD turmoil, we likely want to remember the broader efforts across Texas and more broadly to limit the topics and genres of literature and factual content available in libraries. The national Freedom to Read Project offers this Guide to resisting censorship efforts locally and statewide.  Here in Texas, we also have the Texas Freedom to Read Project which "seeks to connect, support & mobilize parent led groups fighting to protect students' right to read throughout the state.  Talking to Your Friends About Book Censorship: Why It Matters and How to Do It FTRP also offers this helpful list of tips. Every one of us needs to be reminding our neighbors who haven’t been paying attention how much the loss of books and other content from libraries matters to how our country moves forward. And we note that Monday, April 20 (2026) is National Right to Read Day. It’s a very good day to celebrate school libraries as well as HPL and HCPL. Closed school libraries are blatant examples of book banning by a different name.  Remember to keep supporting CVPE. Attend HISD Board meetings and keep your neighbors informed. CVPE remains a leader across the state as other districts face state takeovers. 
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AuthorThis newsletter is primarily authored by Dorcas Hand, with support from others active in SNL. If you have an idea to share, please contact our email below. Dorcas is a retired school librarian who remains active in advocacy for HISD libraries and more. SNL supports increased access to school libraries across all HISD students and campuses. Archives
May 2026
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