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Food for Thought as Summer Comes On

5/30/2025

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In total, about 50 people came to celebrate HISD libraries and library staff on Wednesday, May 14. Nusaiba Mizan of the Houston Chronicle brought a photographer, and offered this article: “HISD has just 23 librarians for 274 schools after move to turn libraries into discipline areas.” It showed in the print edition as a front page feature. You can see details of the event in our May newsletter.

​SNL continues its work to reconstitute libraries for ALL HISD schools in order to provide strong library services to EVERY HISD student. We succeeded in 2022 under former Superintendent Millard House, and we will again as the negative effects of the takeover recede. Please continue to speak out in support of all libraries. Every voice of support matters.

As of April, the HISD library situation looked like this, with only 28 certified librarians by our records. We’re not sure where the Chronicle got 23, but they may have some info we don’t.
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At least as best we can show as of early April. HISD library staffing is a moving target as librarians leave, whether pushed by campus admin decisions or by choice as they seek better job security. 23 (or 28) refers to certified school librarians; there are additional schools with certified teachers staffing the library as Media Specialists. On some NES campuses, a principal may instead designate an ancillary role to staff the library, and that person may or may not actually be working in the library. A campus may continue to list that they employ a certified school librarian, but that person is actually doing entirely unrelated work - perhaps as testing coordinator or even classroom teacher. SNL leadership has tried to keep up with all these nuances, but frequently we discover we’ve been misled. Schools want to pretend they offer library access when they do not.
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This list is as correct as we could make it as of late April - but we know it is changing often, especially this time of year. As you see, only 33% of HISD schools have any library services; only 9% have certified librarians.  The list does not differentiate between Certified School Librarians and Media Specialists who are certified teachers, or other assigned staff. SNL does not consider a library truly functioning if there is no assigned staff. That said, campus leaders often refer to whoever is staffing a library as a librarian, a blunder that implies more training than most library staffers have. [NOTE: The list of schools without functioning libraries appears at the end of the post.]

Certified school librarians in Texas have 2-3 years of full-time classroom teaching experience and a Masters degree in addition to their library certification coursework and the state-mandated test. Those years teaching are what makes them so effective in supporting student learning across the campus as they work with both students and teachers to enhance classroom units of study.
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The NES extreme focus on the Science of Reading (SOR) does a huge disservice to the breadth of student needs in support of strong literacy. A previous newsletter offered Scarborough’s Reading Rope to illustrate how the SOR skills (phonics, decoding, sight recognition) are only useful and interesting when they are embedded in broader applications that allow access to content knowledge. The NES version of SOR ignores the broader requirements of background knowledge, vocabulary, language structure under the misapprehension that if students can decode they are literate and can succeed on the STAAR test. Maybe students will show improvements on the STAAR in the short term, but they have no enthusiasm for reading or learning, nor do they have any stamina to read anything longer than the test length passages to which are all they are RESTRICTED during school hours. Without a campus library (and look on the map to see which parts of town have campus libraries), these students have no chance to become truly literate or college ready.

On April 24, 2025, Education Week published “
It’s Not Just About the Phonics” by Sarah Schwartz. This NEW article reiterates the ideas illustrated by the Reading Rope and reflects current 2024-25 research. The article also references a new (to me) term, disciplinary literacy,” which is defined as “[referring] to how an expert in a discipline (i.e., science, history, mathematics, literature, and other subjects) uses specialized knowledge and abilities to read, write, think and communicate. (Shanahan & Shanahan, 2008; Shanahan & Shanahan, 2012; Jetton & Shanahan, 2012; Goldman et al., 2016). The NES curriculum allows no time to teach students how to read differently in different subject classes, or even just different kinds of books.

The Houston Chronicle also offered this: “
Less than 5% of HISD students at some NES high schools meet Texas' reading, math standards on SAT.” How can they possibly meet college standards if they never have the chance to read a whole book or learn how to read different kinds of information?

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In April, this blog shared Suzanne Lyons’  If You Give a Kid a Library… She spells out  all the  things certified librarians do to enhance the student school experience for EVERY student on a campus. Please read it again.

Why focus so heavily in May on this information about why school  librarians matter and which schools don’t have them? Because as we all head out for summer break from K-12 education, advocates for improved education in HISD - your friends here in Students Need Libraries - and those fighting the Takeover of HISD more broadly - CVPE - will keep working hard. Please support us by continuing to ask why there are not more staffed libraries in less-advantaged neighborhoods. Be the squeaky wheel. More voices are better.

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If you give a kid a library….

4/11/2025

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by Suzanne Lyons
In HISD, the variety of experiences students have on their campuses and in their school library makes it a challenge to say exactly what happens… when you give a kid a library. In its simplest form the library is a room full of books. But what if the bar is raised? What if they DO have access to a fully staffed and fully resourced school library on their campus?
IMAGE SOURCE: Why is Houston shutting down libraries at some of its poorest public schools? by Francine Prose (Guardian, 15 Aug 2023)

Some campuses (NES or not) may have a room… with books.. .and maybe someone available to check books out, check books in, and shelve books.  So, there!  Those schools have libraries, right? That’s what  the HISD Superintendent insists.  Hmmm… maybe not.

Access to literature and books is very important, make no mistake.  Librarians are experts in finding the “just right book” for their students.  But it is only one thread in the tapestry of a library program.  Certified librarians are also certified classroom teachers who have continued their education to get a masters degree in library science and complete the requirements to become certified as a school librarian in addition to their classroom teaching credentials.  They are generalists, with expertise across curricular areas.  They collaborate with classroom teachers to add to or reinforce the instruction taking place in the classroom.  When the classroom teacher delivers a lesson on the life cycle of the butterfly, the librarian can follow up with a read aloud about the butterfly, or gather a cart of materials that students can browse on that topic, or guide students in using digital resources to research more about butterflies. Most critically, a librarian guides students to materials and books that are appropriate for the reading level and that spark their interest in reading and research.  Students may access the library multiple times throughout the week and even before and after school.  That seems amazing!  Whew. That’s it. That’s all the certified librarian does. Right?  Nope. There’s more! There are many administrative and other responsibilities the librarian is responsible for, including managing the largest capital fiscal investment in every school  - the library book collection. Inventory, tracking, selecting and ordering materials and removing outdated or irrelevant materials are all part of the gig.  
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So if there isn’t a librarian on a campus, all is lost.  Right?  No, not necessarily.  Some schools employ a certified educator (a classroom teacher) to staff the library who can take on some of these duties.  Teachers know curriculum.  They can match what students are working on in the classroom with resources found in the library.  Are they completely familiar with the library collection?  Maybe.  Can they direct and instruct students in the use of digital resources and support research assignments in a variety of areas (librarians have professional development activities that support this task)? Not really likely, but possibly.
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So what if there isn’t either a librarian or a teacher in the library… zip…nada…nothing.  The library door is closed.  The lights are off.  The books may or may not be there.  If they are on the shelves but unattended, things can (and do) disappear. With no one there to be accountable for materials, the materials and the funds spent to purchase them are gone. And there is no one to support students or teachers who need those books that were on the shelf in previous years.   IMAGE SOURCE: Opening School Libraries Slows the Summer Slide by Valentina Gonzalez (Middle Wed, 27 May 2018)

​Just as libraries are not created equal… the “backpack of experience” each child carries is weighted in varying degrees.  Book deserts are real.  Children with no access to their school library may not have access to a public library, or a bookstore within a reasonable distance from their home.  Many parents have full schedules (long hours, multiple jobs, special family situations) and may not have the time, energy or transportation to bring their child to experience literature elsewhere.  Parents may not have the funds to purchase books for their child’s home library, so children don’t have access to books at home either.  Parents may not be aware of free and/or low-cost resources to access books for their child; or have the skills to help their child select a “just right” book; or even be able to read as adults. If a parent doesn’t model or value reading at home, and a child has no access to reading materials elsewhere they are not likely to develop a love or even a tolerance for reading.
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So there’s the question.   If you give a kid a library…. What happens?   Everything.  If the library is valued and staffed with a high quality certified professional librarian whose life’s work is to bring joy and love of reading to children, they demonstrate a commitment to giving students all of the opportunities for resources and learning they deserve.  If you don’t give a kid a library, you guarantee they do not have access to that wealth of information. Information privilege in the form of access to campus libraries is alive and well in Houston ISD: only students in non-NES schools have any hope of such under current leadership. Those non-NES schools do not even reliably support their libraries. 
IMAGE SOURCE: https://www.honestlymodern.com/how-libraries-are-saving-lives-and-supporting-our-health/

Please remember these thoughts as you evaluate HISD in 2025. Students thrive with access to school libraries. They can get excited about reading when they choose their own next literary adventure. Literacy for ALL is the goal.

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Responding to Channel 2

11/17/2023

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‘It is not a detention center’: Inside HISD’s ‘Team Centers,’ which took over some libraries at NES campuses (https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2023/11/11/it-is-not-a-detention-center-inside-hisds-team-centers-which-took-over-some-libaries-at-nes-campuses/, 10 Nov 2023)

Channel 2: Please do better with your coverage of this critically important issue. Our children are depending on you!

This post embeds all of the comments already posted below the Channel 2 article, placing them in a broader context. Thank you to all those who said parts of what I was thinking.

Students Need Libraries in HISD (http://www.studentsneedlibrariesinhisd.org/ ) would like to push back a bit on some statements in the Channel 2 article linked above in hopes of stronger reporting towards a broader public understanding of operations in the NES and NESA schools. The premise of embedding in a specific campus is often a useful one that potentially allows deeper reporting through developed relationships with personnel on the one campus. The flip side of those deepening relationships is that the campus is prepped to always have its best foot forward for Channel 2 visits. The station is offering Miles and his NES system free lipstick! With this challenge in mind, we hope Channel 2 will plan some visits to other NES, NESA, and even campuses supposedly being “left alone” in order to compare morale and other conditions. Certainly, it is possible that Fleming is a shining example of improvements as a result of Miles systems. However, every board meeting sees 70+ community people speaking out with a different message. Considering this outcry from students, parents and teachers at Board of Managers meetings, Channel 2 should want to dig a bit deeper to challenge the rosy picture the Nov 10 Fleming interviews offer.
 
The article is accompanied by three videos. The long one at the top includes clips from the other two. One interview of the two posted within the article speaks with the 6th grade Learning Coach who is also making it possible for students to borrow library books. She talks about how much 6th and many 7th graders love their books; she even mentions that comic books are favorites. That’s great. But how many students - exactly? How many books - exactly? What mechanism for checkout? Honor system or paper system? In a district obsessed by data, it is interesting that the Fleming book circulation is not reflected in the Library Services district-wide data; according to that data, Fleming students have checked out ONLY two ebooks and NO print books this school year. This indicates that Ms. Timms is not using the district-wide automated circulation and catalog system - she may not even be aware one exists. Maybe the computer that would have managed that circulation was removed as part of the transition to a Team Center. It is most unfortunate that normal library procedures have been pushed aside in this new world of NES – that data could ultimately support insights into the success (or not) of NES efforts.

Additionally, what about assistance and training for research skills and needs? There is so much more to a library than simply allowing a few students to take home an occasional couple of books. Certified school librarians are trained professionals with classroom teaching experience ready to help students locate the right book for their needs or interests of the day, and to repeat the process for new needs or interests tomorrow. We can guess that in the NES focus on decoding skills that students will not be given time to learn how to locate useful information to support even academic topics, much less areas of personal interest. Libraries support students to discover how to love learning. The NES system in its rigidity and focus on skills over content is likely to do the opposite.

Let’s look at the happy faces in this article. The teachers interviewed cannot say anything negative. The media across Houston are carrying stories of the many reassignments of teachers and administrators happening for seemingly random reasons: HISD staff members who have spoken negatively have faced retribution. All teachers have personal lives with bills to pay. Notice that parents and students interviewed gave the school lower marks. They have nothing to lose by being critical. They can afford to be honest. Watch a Board meeting to see the anguish being felt at many levels.

Because we are Students Need Libraries in HISD and have been active for several years with that focus, we will set to the side questions about the actual effectiveness of the Team Center concept. Not addressing it here does not mean we think it is fine. We understand that there are three kinds of students in the space, each with different needs: classroom disruptors, in school suspensions, and fast learners. Those Learning Coaches have a huge job in the Team Centers to teach various levels in subject areas that may not be their own expertise.

“It is not a detention Center” offers window dressing to mask the devastating impact of this new regime on HISD's students, with the library system as today’s lens. 98 HISD schools now have no functioning libraries - that is 39% of 250 schools compared to only 5% without any library services in 2022-23. These schools have no library staff to support students seeking either books of personal interest or books that expand classroom topics; staff to help them find and use digital materials; staff to manage and track books and other resources. Books and/or shelving have been removed or rearranged from some campuses to open the full space to the many desks required to implement the NES Team Center concept. Out of the 16 NES and NES/A middle schools, with 9766 students, only 8 print books have been checked out so far this school year through the district-wide library circulation management system. Channel 2 and its viewing public would be well served by visits to other campuses – perhaps Furr HS, Fondren MS, Oates Elementary. Perhaps a rotation of visits across the NES spectrum of schools would expand Channel 2 and public understanding? In our opinion, Channel 2 should dig further into a broader spectrum of campuses to understand and broadcast the effects of the NES system.

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Please do better with your coverage of this critically important issue. Our children are depending on you!







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HISD Campus Library Staffing Status Update to SB Candidates and Board of Managers

11/3/2023

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This letter went today to all candidates for open School Board seats, as well as to all sitting Board members and to the sitting Board of Managers.
The candidates are: Savant Moore (unopposed, D2); Dani Hernandez (D3); Fe Bencosme (D3); Pat Allen (D4); Meg Seff (D4); Placido Gomez (unopposed, D8).

        
Dear HISD School Board Candidates, 
Students Need Libraries in HISD is organized for the purpose of raising awareness among HISD leadership, parents, and community about the importance of strong school libraries. We want all students to be successful in life. Reading is an important factor in their success. We know that presently the district leadership has lost sight of that understanding by closing libraries in some schools, but we believe that the Board of Managers and the elected board can provide the needed correction to develop proficient readers district-wide, a correction that should include campus libraries district-wide. HISD has many fine library programs and top-notch library professionals across the district. 
 
Research tells us that schools staffed by certified school librarians are better able to raise literacy rates and standardized test scores. “…[T]he benefits associated with good library programs are strongest for the most vulnerable and at-risk learners, including students of color, low-income students, and students with disabilities.” (Lance, Keith Curry and Debra Kachel. “Why School Librarians Matter: What Years of Research Tell Us.” Phi Delta Kappan, 26 Mar 2018.) Additionally, “A 2022 study by Rutgers University found 1st-year college students who had prior high school research experience, especially those from schools with certified librarians, felt more confident in their academic research skills.” (Philadelphia students navigate school without access to school libraries. Pennsylvania Capital Star, 24 Oct 2023). 
 
SNL is led by Debbie Hall, a retired HISD librarian; Dorcas Hand, another retired school librarian from Houston but not HISD; and Lisa Robinson, a former HISD teacher turned library staffer and now retired. We represent a grass-roots organization of HISD school library supporters from across the district. Our membership includes active duty librarians, parents, community activists, retired librarians, and others who support school libraries. We have seen the impact that strong resources and programs organized by trained professionals can have on students hungry to learn, both in and beyond the classroom. We are working toward the goal that all students in all HISD schools will benefit from an active, engaging library program which will allow them access to resources they need to grow as readers and learners.
 
Our SNL website is packed with information for you as Board candidates and members, as well as for all advocates for and stakeholders in HISD school libraries. Today, we offer you current and retrospective data about library staffing in your Board district. We know how hard you will work for students in our district, and want to help you have accurate information about ways to help them even more. Thank you for all you hope to do as an HISD Board Trustee.
 
The graph below offers you an overview of current staffing compared to last year and to 2019. We note that in 2022, library staffing and libraries were reactivated in most campuses that had been without. Most of the 2022 staffing were certified librarians or teachers. This year, under Mike Miles, most of that progress has been lost - especially in low-income neighborhoods of color, areas where students are least likely to have ready access to a convenient public library or other book sources, areas likely to be considered “book deserts.” Given that raising literacy skills and scores is a top priority of the district, this loss of access to a variety of age-appropriate books to support student interests and academic needs is heartbreaking and counterproductive. We also remain concerned about the $1.4 million in ESSER funds invested in these reactivated library programs, funds  that are now unaccounted for on too many campuses.
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The numeric data that supports this graph can be found by scrolling down on the Houston Independent School District School Board page. If you are interested in the details for each elected Board district, please click on the appropriate district on that same page. You may also want to “Choose Your Own Adventure - you can Discover 10 Ways Effective School Librarians Support HISD Students.” Read one or several, in any order. Short reads, every one.
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We look forward to meeting you, to answering any further questions you may have, and to building a relationship that will serve the students of HISD well after you join the elected Board in January to support the Board of Managers in deeper understandings of the role libraries could play in improving student STAAR scores. We welcome you to advocate with us whether you are elected or not.
Respectfully,
Dorcas Hand 
Debbie Hall ​
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Misleading Update to SBOE by Commissioner Morath

10/4/2023

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Debbie Hall sent this letter to the state-appointed HISD Board of Managers a few days ago. I am sharing it here so that all our Students Need Libraries readers are aware of the snow job that is happening in TEA. We must all continue to speak up at every opportunity. There are no roses to be found in the chaos that Mike Miles is instigating. Our HISD students across the district are subjected to unreasonable education methods. 
 
I saw that Mr. Morath recently gave the SBOE an update on the Houston ISD takeover. I am sure you are aware of the fact that this takeover by TEA has received national attention and generally it has not been viewed by the public favorably. I wanted to clarify the remarks he made to you. We do not need more misinformation. 
  1. Mr. Morath stated incorrectly that HISD was beginning the year with no vacancies. That is highly questionable. Looking at the HISD website, numerous positions are being advertised. We have seen multiple instances of inaccurate information being reported by this administration. Miles is working hard to fill the teaching positions even as he has made cuts in the Personnel department. At least one hired teacher was escorted off campus when the district realized that individual failed the background check. Mr. Miles is insisting on moving as quickly as possible and this is definitely putting students at risk. A number of teachers have been hired that are not certified. Putting unprepared, untrained staff in schools is disturbing. Currently the district is advertising and looking to hire more hourly lecturers who will not be certified educators.
  2. At least 28 libraries have been converted to discipline/study centers. The contents of the libraries are in disarray due to accommodating large numbers of desks. Some of the library shelving and books have been removed from schools and sent to the warehouse to make room. These items were on the campus inventory and part of a school’s capital outlay. It is unclear if this is being accounted for. One of the constraints on school policy is a focus on equity which is not being considered. Currently it is estimated that about 1/3 of HISD schools no longer offer library services. Most of the schools where libraries are being eliminated are in minority communities.
  3. Much money is being spent on desks, additional support personnel, and administrative support. Reading is supposed to be a major focus which is understandable. What is not clear is why Mr. Miles is targeting libraries and removing the services of a librarian on campus. The teacher is responsible for students learning to read. The library is responsible for inspiring kids to want to read as well as teaching research skills to enable students to effectively search for information online and within a library collection.  It makes no sense to close libraries when you are trying to increase reading scores. 
  4. The appointed Board of Education is merely a rubber stamp. TEA has instituted an autocracy. There is no accountability for Miles' spending or policies.
  5. TEA should enforce standards in schools like having certified personnel. Mike Miles is an uncertified superintendent. What does that say about the decision to put him in charge of the largest school district in the state? 
The long term effects of the takeover are huge. All Texas schools are currently struggling to hire teachers. This takeover is going to make it worse. No one is going to want to teach in Houston under this administration.  We need a state board that will work to improve education for students, teachers, and our communities. Allowing Mike Miles and Mike Morath to be unaccountable is a travesty and will ultimately add to the teacher shortage problem statewide. 
 
Sincerely,
Deborah Hall
Education Advocate
Retired Educator

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Even Picture Books Are Being Banned! We must fight back with everything we’ve got!

3/22/2023

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by Lisa Sandoz Robinson

When former Texas State Rep. Matt Krause released his list of 850 titles* that he felt needed to be investigated, I read through page after page with growing alarm. An informational text on how to avoid bullies? A history book about the Trail of Tears? A book discussing a resistance movement among Afghani girls? But what really shocked me was seeing a book that I myself had purchased for my elementary school library just a few years ago: Separate Is Never Equal by Duncan Tonatiuh.

When I selected this nonfiction title, I was impressed by its numerous awards. I was also hopeful that my mostly Hispanic students could relate to the story since the case involved Sylvia Mendez’s fight to desegregate her California school for children of Mexican heritage. When the book came in, my students were excited to hear about a girl with whom they had so much in common. It reminded me that diverse stories matter for our students who need to see themselves in the books that they read. It also reinforced my belief that one of the most important tasks that a librarian can do is share those individual stories of history that the classroom curriculum is sometimes too rushed to cover. When diverse books and books telling an uncomfortable or difficult story from history are removed from library and classroom shelves, these goals cannot be realized.

I am the co-moderator of a new Facebook group called the Banned Book Club. We have read some great banned and challenged books in the last few months. In honor of National Children’s Picture Book Day on April 2nd, our April Zoom session will be the first time we focus on picture books. These wonderful books, which are usually geared towards younger readers but are really for anyone who loves a great story accompanied by a wealth of illustrations, have also been targeted by rightwing extremists in their zeal to “cleanse” our schools and public libraries.

We cannot continue to let them get away with these book banning efforts which are happening across the country at all grade levels. Too much is at stake. As Kentucky nurse epidemiologist Beverly May wrote in an October 2021 op-ed for the Lexington Herald Leader, “the cost of acquiescence is steep: our kids have lost essential reading, and useful tools have been taken from teachers. Now emboldened, the parent/censors will return, and not just to Floyd County. They are part of a national trend of online organizing which seems to have the unspoken objective of removing literature written by or about black and brown people, as well as any other work that doesn’t affirm their narrow world view, from our schools.”

We must speak up and speak out loudly at every opportunity.

*https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/94fee7ff93eff9609f141433e41f8ae1/krausebooklist.pdf
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HISD Library Services Data Update as Shared with the School Board and Administration

2/28/2023

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by Dorcas Hand
Feb 25, 2023

Dear Mr. House and HISD Administration,

Students need Libraries in HISD has just sent individual letters to the School Board expressing our support for your decisions to reconstitute HISD Library Services this school year. It was a bold and exciting decision, and we wanted to be sure the Board is aware of the impact to students across the district, and specifically in their own districts. The data is also posted to our website.


The letter they received is below, not in italics.

Students Need Libraries (SNL) has been watching with excitement the changes in HISD Library Services as our students across the district get the library resources consistently. We commend you, Superintendent House and Officer Adrian Acosta of the Academic Instructional Technology Department for your collective leadership to reconstitute the central Library Services Department in support of all the campus libraries. We thought you would appreciate an update to the data we have offered SB members for the last 5 years, data that reflects the changes in campus services. We will also post this data to our website.

We can now say that 88% (228 campuses) have certified teachers or librarians (certified teachers with additional library certification) staffing the campus library. That is compared to 48% (132 campuses) last year. And only 24 campuses (9%) have no library services now, compared to 93 campuses (34%) last year. To put a finer point on this, 228 campuses with services and only 9 without for 2022-2023 compared to 132 with and 93 without in 2021-22.

Please keep in mind these points about HISD Library Services and schools within its control when reading the following two-year comparison table:

  • Vacant Libraries are listed as available jobs on the HISD and other Job Search sites.
  • No library means there has been no library staff on this campus for at least three years.
  • ​These types of schools tend not to have a library program and are not tracked by HISD Library Services:
    • alternative schools
    • ​charter schools
    • contract schools
  • Early College schools are provided library services from HCC.​
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The HISD Library Services Department, led by Len Bryan, is working with all these library staff whether they are new to the library, new to the district, or experienced HISD librarians. They are building a team across the district, a team connected by feeder pattern, by grade level served, and by Board district to collaborate to the benefit of all your students. The combinations of staff, active library facilities, and the influx of ESSER-funded books supports students to love reading and learning.

We know that [Board Members] look at the campuses in [their] own district, so we also offer [these tables] of staffing by [district and] campus to help you with those details. We hope that you will stop by these libraries to see the energy and enthusiasm that is clear from students and staff. We know because we have also been stopping by to help the library staff move the old books no longer suited for circulation off the shelves and floors to let the new books shine.

SNL remains ready to support the libraries in any way that Library Services finds useful. We follow their lead, because they are implementing district goals.
Dorcas Hand
Debbie Hall
​
Students Need Libraries in HISD

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Our Beliefs

2/1/2023

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by Debbie Hall

We believe in the power of books to change lives.
We believe that all students need access to books and that a zip code or school campus should not determine access to libraries.
We believe that Superintendent Millard House has a plan to improve HISD schools and he should be allowed to follow through with his vision.
We believe our school board is focused on the best interests of students.


We believe that a TEA takeover is an unwarranted power grab.
The two problems identified as problematic (school board and Wheatley) have been resolved. Also evidence shows that school takeovers do not provide an effective solution. 

Now is the time to let HISD leaders focus on the task at hand. 

Our Students Need Libraries In HISD advocacy group believes that our elected officials represent the best interests of the students, the schools, and the community. We are appalled by the actions of the TEA and know that this cloud hanging over the school district must end. 


We believe in our board and our new superintendent, Millard House. We would like our readers to know that we have written letters to the editor of the Houston Chronicle to document that support. We have also written to the Chronicle education reporter, Rebecca Carballos, in support of HISD's position. 

There are numerous articles documenting the failure of school takeovers to fix problems in schools. Here are just a few:
  • Barnum, Matt. “Struggling schools don’t get a boost from state takeovers, study shows.” 8 June 2021, Chalkbeat. Tags: School districts; state takeovers; academic success; research studies.
  • Mahnken, Kevin. “Do State Takeovers of School Districts Boost Student Learning? It Depends on Where They’re Tried, Research Suggests.” 17 Aug 2021, The 74. Tags: School Takeover, Student Learning, New Research.
  • Schueler, Beth E. and Joshua Bleiberg. “Evaluating Education Governance: Does State Takeover of School Districts Affect Student Achievement?” Annenberg Brown University EdWorkingPaper No. 21-411. Examines data 2011-2016.

Let the HISD leadership move forward to improve the education of all students. TEA needs to mark this matter resolved. 

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Thank you for Supporting HISD Students’ Freedom to Read & Learn

10/3/2022

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By Dorcas Hand
This may be an off-year for school board elections, but political rhetoric for all other races is heating to a fever pitch. Education issues have become pawns as some try to say schools are not doing their job properly. We are all watching as K-12 curriculum and libraries have both taken heat.

We want to thank the HISD School Board and administration for standing by the solid policies and procedures already in place to manage requests for reconsideration of materials, rather than acting on demands from the loud and passionate speakers who attend SB meetings to request that books be banned. The restoration of library services to all campuses this year is further support of this effort to offer our students a wide range of reading materials to accommodate their ages, abilities, interests and academic needs. HISD demonstrated in its budget decisions that we value our teachers, and are working hard to pay them what they are worth. Thank you for also respecting them as the professionals they are and for the expertises they hold. 

We are here today to remind you that a majority of voters prefer that libraries and classrooms continue to offer readers of all ages access to information that will help them explore their world, and fiction that will excite their imaginations and strengthen their literacy.* These mainstream voters want to make sure that children in families struggling to make ends meet can get the same good education as children in wealthy families, and that quality public education grounded in respect for each person is available to every student. 

Many voters are confident that the democracy defined by our Constitution will keep us steadily moving into the future. But it is the voices in the minority, loud and demanding, who want to control not only what their own children read and learn, but what all children read and learn - and they do it for political clout, rather than for the children. They have generally not completely read the books in question, but focused on words and phrases taken out of context. The so-called Parental Rights they fight for already exist, and schools listen to them. Every parent has the right and responsibility to play the lead role in the education of their own children, but they do not have any right to deny other families the same right to offer their children more open access to information.

How can our students learn to lead this democracy as adults if they cannot read about our history - even unpleasant, messy, unfortunate historical events - to see attitudes and actions they want to prevent from happening again? How can they appreciate the lives, cultures and experiences of our diverse city and world without exposure to all of that? How can our students learn to manage their own human development and understand people around them if those topics are not available? All kids deserve to feel safe to learn and thrive at school. Removing resources that make a few uncomfortable leaves many more students with limited academic resources that would honor their cultural awareness. In America, we celebrate free speech and independent thinking. Trying to limit or remove those freedoms is censorship. 

Thank you for continuing to support Superintendent House and the amazing well-educated, hard-working teachers and administrators HISD has hired as they work with our awesome and diverse students. We are relying on these students to understand their changing world as they become Houston voters and leaders. They will need broad knowledge, confidence in their abilities to collaborate with many, and insightful creativity to solve the problems we already see and the new ones we don’t yet imagine. And you are the current School Board we rely on to continue your support of a great HISD education. Thank you for your service. Students Need Libraries in HISD stands by you to defend our students’ right to read.

*“New ALA Poll Shows Voters Oppose Book Bans.” American Libraries, 24 Mar 2022. “The poll was conducted by Hart Research Associates and North Star Opinion Research on behalf of ALA. It included 1,000 voters and 472 parents of children in public schools. The sample is demographically and geographically representative of voters and parents in the US. Additional survey findings and methodology can be found on the ALA website.”

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HISD’s Goal: The Global Graduate

2/21/2022

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https://www.houstonisd.org/globalgraduate

HISD espouses this obvious and admirable goal: all HISD graduates will be ready for the world they are entering as adults. Sadly, the last time any data was updated on this program is 2014:
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And in those 7 years, HISD has struggled on many fronts. I will focus on libraries. There are 280 schools in the district but only 57 certified librarians in 2021-22; this year, there are 93 schools with no library, whether it is defined as vacant or closed. How can students progress to college without awareness of library skills and resources throughout their K-12 career? At the high school level, out of 40 high schools, only 15 have functioning libraries and of those only 7 have certified librarians. How can HISD expect to send college-ready graduates out the door when they have no clue how to take advantage of the services of their college library? 

And now the good news: Superintendent House has just announced in his Strategic Plan an intention to restore library services to all HISD campuses. This will support HISD Global Graduates in their quest for strong life and academic schools based on clear awareness of the services and tools libraries provide. 

College level Literacy in 2022 includes critical thinking, understanding of how to vet sources for validity, skills to decode images and infographics as well as text, and much more that is not necessarily covered in classroom curricula. School librarians are teachers with additional training to support students in learning to be skilled users of information. In order to use information to build new ideas, students must first identify the information they need; locate that information; read, analyze and understand it; and finally build new ideas of their own based on what they have learned. College and university students who have no previous experience with libraries or research methods struggle very much, and sometimes drop out of higher education as a result. Houston Community College librarians can also speak to this. The Assn for College and Research Libraries commissioned Rhonda Huisman to do research into this topic in 2015 (see link below). “If we continue to allow these roles [librarians] to disappear from the K–12 landscape, what academic librarians and faculty will be compensating for or remediating will impede the engagement, retention, and success of those college ready, college bound students.” 
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HISD has been failing its graduates when its schools do not provide strong library services throughout the K-12 years. Knowing there is now a plan to restore library services across the district is very important. That said, starting with high school libraries makes sense as they will be the first out the door. Even students who will not attend college need information skills to find jobs, to use complex catalogs included in those jobs (think looking up auto parts to match year, make, model), to continue to learn for better jobs, and to participate in their communities as adult leaders. Building new library programs in the 25 high schools that currently have none will take time and attention, not to mention a culture shift. Calling a campus College Guidance area the library is not the same as working with all students to be sure they do graduate with the life skill of information usage in all its aspects. Parents who expect their students to be successful after graduation expect that HISD will step up to offer them the right tools to accomplish that, which includes strong library services geared to preparing students for academic work at the college level.

Reference
Huisman, R. (2015). Library As Place in Urban High Schools: Connecting College Readiness to Librarian Intervention and Community Partnerships.
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    This blog is primarily authored by Debbie Hall and Dorcas Hand, but guest authors are welcome. If you have an idea to share, please contact our email below. Debbie is a retired HISD librarian and Library Services Specialist. Dorcas is a retired school librarian who remains active in AASL/ALA. Both support increased equity in school library access and support for all HISD students and campuses.

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