Professional Development for School and Public Librarians
Libraries, Literacy, and African American Male Youth is a free online professional development resource for school and public librarians to help them develop programs and services that will best meet the needs of African American male youth. Why the emphasis on African American male youth?
These reports challenge the nation to improve the educational and life outcomes of African American male youth through the implementation of rigorous academic curriculum and the provision of equitable and responsive support services.
Historically, librarianship has adhered to an empowerment-oriented value system, thus, I believe public and school libraries can play an instrumental role in improving the quality of literacy and life for African American males. Libraries, Literacy, and African American Male Youth provides librarians with the knowledge and strategies they need to embrace their role in developing and providing sevices that enable, facilitate, and empower African American male youth to level the economic, social, and political playing field.
The strategies offered on this site are based on the findings of the 2012 Institute of Museum and Library Services summit, Building a Bridge to Literacy for African American Male Youth: A Call to Action for the Library Community, co-hosted by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina Central University. The summit was a working meeting that brought together 65 stakeholders from around the United States to examine the issue of African American male literacy, the achievement gap that exists for this population, and how libraries can take action to improve the literacy rates of African American male youth and better serve their needs. For more information about the summit, please visit its website.
The result of the summit was a report of the same name that synthesized the summit's findings, written by Sandra Hughes-Hassell, Kafi Kumasi, Casey H. Rawson, and Amanda Hitson. This report was published in September of 2012 and sent to stakeholders around the country including school and public library systems, state libraries, education policy makers, and legislators. The full report is available for download and printing here.
The report is the inspiration for Libraries, Literacy, and African American Male Youth and provides the basis for its organizational structure, but the nature of a website allows it to be more interactive and to delve deeper into each topic. There is no need to register. The information is arranged into ten different modules that you can feel free to work through at your own pace. Before you start any of the modules, visit "Using This Site" to learn more about how the modules are organized and how to proceed.
- A 2010 report issued by The Council of the Great City Schools concluded: "The nation's young black males are in a state of crisis" (Lewis et al.).
- On July 26, 2012 President Obama signed the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans. This executive order recognizes that "many African Americans lack equal access to highly effective teachers and principals, safe schools, and challenging college preparatory classes, and disproportionately experience school discipline and referrals to special education."
These reports challenge the nation to improve the educational and life outcomes of African American male youth through the implementation of rigorous academic curriculum and the provision of equitable and responsive support services.
Historically, librarianship has adhered to an empowerment-oriented value system, thus, I believe public and school libraries can play an instrumental role in improving the quality of literacy and life for African American males. Libraries, Literacy, and African American Male Youth provides librarians with the knowledge and strategies they need to embrace their role in developing and providing sevices that enable, facilitate, and empower African American male youth to level the economic, social, and political playing field.
The strategies offered on this site are based on the findings of the 2012 Institute of Museum and Library Services summit, Building a Bridge to Literacy for African American Male Youth: A Call to Action for the Library Community, co-hosted by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina Central University. The summit was a working meeting that brought together 65 stakeholders from around the United States to examine the issue of African American male literacy, the achievement gap that exists for this population, and how libraries can take action to improve the literacy rates of African American male youth and better serve their needs. For more information about the summit, please visit its website.
The result of the summit was a report of the same name that synthesized the summit's findings, written by Sandra Hughes-Hassell, Kafi Kumasi, Casey H. Rawson, and Amanda Hitson. This report was published in September of 2012 and sent to stakeholders around the country including school and public library systems, state libraries, education policy makers, and legislators. The full report is available for download and printing here.
The report is the inspiration for Libraries, Literacy, and African American Male Youth and provides the basis for its organizational structure, but the nature of a website allows it to be more interactive and to delve deeper into each topic. There is no need to register. The information is arranged into ten different modules that you can feel free to work through at your own pace. Before you start any of the modules, visit "Using This Site" to learn more about how the modules are organized and how to proceed.
About the Author
Amanda Hitson is a graduate student and research assistant at the School of Information and Library Science of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She plans to graduate with a Master of Library Science degree in May of 2013 and hopes to begin working as a school library media specialist the following school year. Her research has primarily focused on the literacy of African American male youth and multimodal forms of storytelling.
Ms. Hitson also holds a Master of Philosophy degree in education from the University of Cambridge, received in 2009. Before attending UNC-Chapel Hill, she spent several years teaching at the elementary school level. For more information about Ms. Hitson, please visit her website at amandahitson.weebly.com or email her at [email protected]. |