Lakewood Elementary School met its goal of reaching 100% participation for the White House ConnectED Library Card challenge this April. The White House ConnectED Library Challenge is a national effort to increase partnerships between public libraries and school districts to support student learning in—and out of—the classroom. In December 2016, the City of Sunnyvale’s Public Library (SPL) and the Sunnyvale School District (SSD) joined the national effort and created the “Passport to Learning Pilot Program” – a local effort to educate every student (K-5) and teacher at Lakewood Elementary School on how to access online resources available through the Sunnyvale Public Library.
Students participated in 15 minutes of instruction weekly during their scheduled library time on how to access Sunnyvale Public Library’s online resources. One new skill was introduced each week with directions on a “passport” for students to write in what resource they accessed in alignment with the established curriculum. Upon completion of the established curriculum, students turned in their passport to earn a “Tech Research” badge and received formal recognition at an all-school assembly in May.
“The SPL Passport Card Program will strengthen educational outcomes for students by deepening the collaboration between the Library and the School District as they work together to promote literacy, digital skills development, and quality out-of-school programming,” said Cynthia Bojorquez, Director of Sunnyvale Library and Community Services.
As part of the program, every student has been issued a “virtual library” card using their student id number. This provides 24/7 access to downloadable ebooks, audiobooks, digital magazines, newspapers, online videos and premium research databases.
Submitted by Cynthia Bojorquez.
