<h1 class="entry-title">Call your senators today and ask them to support the
SKILLs Act!</h1>
<div class="entry-meta"><span class="meta-prep meta-prep-author">Posted on</span>
<a title="12:05 pm" href="http://www.districtdispatch.org/2011/07/call-your-senators-today-and-ask-them-to-support-the-skills-act/" rel="bookmark"><span class="entry-date">July 25, 2011</span></a> <span class="byline"><span class="meta-sep">by</span> <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" title="View all posts by Jenni Terry" href="http://www.districtdispatch.org/author/jterry/">Jenni
Terry</a></span></span><span class="comments-link"><span class="meta-sep">|</span>
</span></div><div class="entry-meta"><span class="comments-link"></span> </div><div class="entry-meta"><span class="comments-link"></span>Please call both of your
U.S. senators today at <span class="skype_pnh_print_container">202-224-3121</span> and ask them to
co-sponsor the Strengthening Kids’ Interest in Learning and Libraries (SKILLS)
Act (S.1328). The SKILLs Act was introduced on July 6 by Senators Jack Reed
(D-RI) and Thad Cochran (R-MS) and will amend the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act (ESEA) by:
</div><div class="entry-content"><p></p>
<ul>
<li>Ensuring that funds will serve school libraries in elementary, middle, and
high schools;</li>
<li>Improving literacy and college and career readiness through effective school
library programs;</li>
<li>Encouraging coordination and shared planning time among school librarians
and classroom teachers;</li>
<li>Expanding professional development to include digital literacy instruction
that is appropriate for all grade levels, an assessment of student literacy
needs, the coordination of reading and writing instruction across content areas,
and training in literacy strategies in all content areas;</li>
<li>Requiring books and materials to be appropriate for students in all grade
levels and students with special learning needs, including English language
learners;</li>
<li>Providing grants on a competitive basis for a period of three years;</li>
<li>Targeting funding to school districts with 20 percent or greater levels of
students in poverty;</li>
<li>Ensuring an equitable distribution of funds among the different geographic
regions of the country and among urban and rural areas; and</li>
<li>Requiring greater coordination among other literacy, technology, and
professional development funds and activities.</li></ul>
<p>These measures in the legislation highlight many of the provisions that the
library community believes are needed in the reauthorization of the ESEA.
Garnering support for this bill will support our efforts to ensure ESEA
addresses our concerns.</p>
<p>So please call today and encourage your colleagues, neighbors, friends,
family, and others to do the same.</p>
<p>To find who are your two senators are please refer to the <a href="http://capwiz.com/ala/home/" target="_blank">ALA Legislation Action
Center</a>.</p>
<p>As of July 25 the following senators have agreed to co-sponsor this
bill:<br>Jack Reed (D-RI)<br>Thad Cochran (R-MS)<br>Patty Murray (D-WA)<br>Jay
Rockefeller (D-WV)<br>Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)<br>John Kerry (D-MA)</p><p><a href="http://networkedblogs.com/kPNGp?a=share&ref=nf">http://networkedblogs.com/kPNGp?a=share&ref=nf</a></p><p><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>
</p></div><div><em><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 10pt;">Diedre Conkling</span></em><i><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><br><em><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Lincoln County Library District</span></em><br>
<em><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">P.O. Box 2027</span></em><br><em><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Newport, OR 97365</span></em><br><em><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Phone & Fax: 541-265-3066</span></em><br>
<em><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Work email</span></em></span></i><em><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal;">: </span></em><a href="mailto:diedre@lincolncolibrarydist.org" target="_blank"><i><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><font color="#0000ff">diedre@lincolncolibrarydist.org</font></span></i></a><i><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 10pt;"><br>
<em><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Home email: </span></em></span></i><a href="mailto:diedre08@gmail.com" target="_blank"><em><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 10pt;">diedre08@gmail.com</span></em></a></div>
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<h6>
<div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/WAR-IS-OBSOLETE/297916183027" target="_blank"><font color="#3b5998">WAR IS OBSOLETE</font></a></div><span>Holding resentment is like eating poison and waiting for the other person to keel over. - Unknown Author</span></h6>
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