Wayne State University, Sponsored Program Administration

Wayne State University School of Information Sciences will address the decline in urban school libraries by testing whether culturally responsive curricula and practicum experiences in online school library certificate programs better prepare School Library Media specialists for working in urban school environments. The project team will develop and pilot a culturally responsive school library certificate curriculum with embedded mentorship for six classroom teachers who currently work in urban school districts. Results from the project may inform how school districts can restore and grow school library programs by recruiting existing teachers and providing online education and mentor opportunities. The project team will also test and model culturally responsive pedagogy in the school library by documenting the use of a Hip-Hop inquiry-based instruction with K-12 students. Project results will include freely available curriculum for use by other school librarian preparation programs, documentation of inquiry-based methods, and published case studies.