Southeast Texas P-16 Council

While the five high school libraries in the Beaumont Independent School District are not yet on the level with digital library leaders as The Library of Congress World Digital Library or the Carnegie Melon University’s Million Book Project, Director of Library Services Rosalind Eyre believes this year’s $497,785 Improving Literacy through School Libraries grant will help place BISD on the right track.

As one of only 50 recipients across America to receive the prestigious grant, BISD is using the funds to “Improve reading achievement by providing students with increased access to up-to-date school library materials, to develop well-equipped and technologically advanced school library media centers and to increase its professionally certified school library media specialists at the high school levels,” Eyre explained. The grant was awarded to BISD by the U.S. Department of Education.

According to Eyre, BISD anticipates purchasing up-to-date media resources, acquiring advanced technology that is integrated into school curricula and facilitating Internet links and other resource-sharing networks. “Information retrieval and critical thinking skills will be enhanced and improved by what we are doing. We are already going beyond the traditional by providing students with opportunities to access school libraries during non-school hours, including weekends and summer vacations,” the District Lead Librarian said.

“One of the first notable changes is at the Taylor Career Center. We have already purchased 33 Kindle book readers that students may check out from the library, readers which have the potential access to thousands of books, magazines and other media. More Kindles will be purchased during this school year, not only for Taylor but for all the high schools, taking reading for book reports, researching for class assignments and studying to a whole new level.

Students will be able to carry their library home in something lighter than a paperback weighing less than nine ounces. They will be able to search for a book, access it and start reading it in 60 seconds,” she said.

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AUSTIN – Ogden Elementary in Beaumont was one of 25 Texas schools (including Ogden Elementary in Beaumont) were named 2010 Blue Ribbon Schools award winners by the U.S. Department of Education. The award honors schools that achieved academic excellence or made significant progress in closing the achievement gap.

Since its creation in 1982 by then Secretary of Education Terrel H. Bell, this prestigious program has honored more than 6,300 of America’s most successful schools, including more than 500 Texas schools. The Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools. The schools are selected based on one of two criteria:

• schools that dramatically improve student performance to high levels on state tests;
• schools whose students achieve in the top 10 percent of their state on state tests.

The winning Texas schools were recommended by an intra–agency committee at the Texas Education Agency that examined student achievement statistics for the more than 8,000 public school and charter campuses in the state. The schools selected have demonstrated success in closing the achievement gap and each school has an economically disadvantaged population of 40 percent or greater. Schools that receive the award serve as models of best practices for schools across the state.

After being identified by the state, the schools competed in a rigorous application process through the U.S. Department of Education.

Schools that receive the prestigious award will be recognized at the Blue Ribbon Schools conference in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 15-16 where each recipient will receive a plaque and a flag signifying their status as a Blue Ribbon School.
 

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