Research has shown links between good libraries and good student performance. A good library is adequately staffed, stocked, and funded. Its staff is involved in the school's teaching and learning; provides access to materials; has collegial, collaborative relationships with teachers; and embraces information technology. A dynamic librarian and a…

As the need to access information increases, school librarians must create virtual libraries. Linked to reliable reference resources, the virtual library extends the physical collection and library hours and lets students learn to use Web-based resources in a protected learning environment. The growing number of virtual schools increases the need…

In remote Bristol Bay (Alaska), award-winning librarian Tiki Levinson built a library program that inspired students to read and teachers to embrace new resources for their classrooms. She recommends new books and Web sites to students and teachers and searches avidly for new resources that might pique a child's interest or meet a teacher's needs.…

Research has linked strong school library programs to academic achievement. In Oregon's Tigard-Tualatin School District, one school librarian collaborates on curriculum units with teachers, weaving instruction on information literacy and research skills throughout the curriculum. In Portland (Oregon), another librarian designs ways for students to…

In this interview, a leading expert in school librarianship discusses the school librarian's role in creating students who are effective users of information. The importance of information technology to information management is described, as are strategies librarians can use to collaborate with teachers and administrators. He describes how…

With the advent of the Internet, the tools for accessing information changed radically. For librarians, the mission has remained the same: manage library resources and give students the skills to find, organize, use, and share information, including Web site evaluation. Strategies for integrating technology with a love of reading are discussed. A…

Various partnerships between public and school libraries in the Northwest are described, from summer reading programs to continuous collaboration. School librarians appreciate the support available from public libraries, which becomes more important as school budgets tighten and services in schools become vulnerable. But the presence of a…

Student performance in U.S. history is poor because most history teachers have not studied history and textbooks present history as an incontrovertible story. The bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition provides an opportunity for interdisciplinary history education that emphasizes inquiry and critical thinking. Primary documents, local…

A project to help teachers use technology to enhance learning is tied to the Lewis and Clark Expedition bicentennial, to bring a sense of adventure to learning. A 3-day outdoor workshop emphasizing the Nez Perce role in the expedition and a mapping project tracing changes in Lewiston (Idaho) had 8th-graders using global positioning systems,…

A project to help teachers use technology to enhance learning is tied to the Lewis and Clark Expedition bicentennial, to bring a sense of adventure to learning. Four examples of projects along the Montana section of the expedition's trail show how outdoor, experiential learning is enhanced by the use of global positioning systems, digital cameras,…

A Portland (Oregon) middle school teacher teaches an ethnobotany class using plants identified in Lewis and Clark's journals. After months of learning about native plants, Native American culture, and the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the class culminates in a 3-day canoe trip down the Columbia River. A Lewis and Clark Rediscovery grant provides…

Judy Bluehorse Skelton is an herbalist of Native American descent who conducts field trips to identify plants and classroom activities to demonstrate their uses. She also works with Portland (Oregon) schools developing culturally appropriate strategies for presenting Native American content. She encourages students to look at events such as the…

As part of a reform effort utilizing project-based learning, A Washington high school offered an interdisciplinary course on the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Students were involved in every phase of the course, and projects ranged from writing a textbook with third-grade partners to building a log building. The class canoed down the Columbia river…

An Oregon high school offered an interdisciplinary history/science course on the Lewis and Clark Expedition that focuses on experiential learning and student projects. Camping and field trips helped make the material relevant as the course moved from a study of the primordial Pacific Northwest, through the Native American period, to what has…

This document contains the four issues of Northwest Education published during the 2001-02 school year. Issue themes are: (1) "High Standards for All: Confronting the New Paradigm"; (2) "New Teachers: From Surviving to Thriving"; (3) "Living Lessons: How Projects Engage Kids and Deepen Understanding"; and (4) "Beyond the Bell: Extending…