Awesome news!  VSLA and Vermont NEA have received a NEA Great Public Schools Grant award: School Library Leadership: Mentoring Matters. The three year grant provides funding to train and develop a statewide roster of school librarian mentors.  Each year a cohort of seasoned school librarians will build knowledge and skills for mentoring and coaching, and will use the National School Library Standards (2017) for goal setting with mentees.  VSLA and Vermont NEA will collaborate to reach out to Vermont superintendents and administrators who have hired new school librarians to pair mentors/mentees in each region of the state.  

Mentoring and coaching are critical components of professional learning opportunities for novice educators to improve practice for teaching and learning.  The role of the school librarian mentor is to provide professional support specific to the administration of school library programs, teaching and learning in the school library and beyond, collaboration with colleagues, knowledge of current library trends, and leadership and advocacy for equitable access to resources for all learners. 

The grant will allow VSLA to build a framework for sustaining the pilot program to maintain the network of  trained school librarian mentors. Progress, updates, and reports will be shared through VSLA and Vermont NEA.  The pilot project may provide a model for other novice education specialists who might benefit from having a mentor in their area of expertise.

Check out the new website: https://bit.ly/2Vc5wC8