School librarian value study

 Research shows that certified librarians and greater investment in school libraries are tied to improved academic outcomes for students. Fort Worth Independent School District conducted a study to "determine if there was a significant difference between the schools flagged by the state for chronically low academic achievement and the schools with high achievement despite a greater than 70% economically disadvantaged population."

“Our findings were that students at the higher performing schools checked out twice as many books as students at IR (Improvement Required) schools and the circulation of Spanish language books was 40% higher,” Cook said. “The higher performing schools allocated an average of $2.30 more per student for library books than the IR schools and had 15% more books in their library collections.”

Fort Worth Independent School District. (2021). Kids are not reading at grade level. Why don't all Fort Worth schools invest in books? Forth Worth Star-Telegram.

https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/crossroads-lab/article253693598.html

The Prague Sonata

Tomoko likes to read about music, not just perform and teach it. She also likes traveling, especially when combined with music. One of her favorite countries was the Czech Republic. She arrived in 1993, the day that the republic separated from Slovakia. "The day was amazingly calm," says Tomoko. "The event was considered no big thing."

Bradford Morrow's brand new book The Prague Sonata, to be published October 2016 by Atlantic Monthly Press, would interest Tomoko with its combination of location and topic.

This story relates the mystery -- and provenance -- of a sonata, part of which was given to a young musicologist by a dying Czech WWII survivor.  The score appears to be the middle section of a three-movement sonata written in the late seventeenth century. While the piece shows some mastery, and influences by Mozart and Hayden, the musicologist cannot identify the composer.  She is so possessed by the composition that she flies to Prague in order to find the rest of it.

The tale alternates with the history of the music as it passes through various Czechs, focusing on the individuals' experiences of the Holocaust and its influence on their lives afterwards.

The sonata attracts the attention of other musicologists, some of whom are not so scrupulous. As they suspect that the sonata is an early composition of a renown musicians, these competing experts try to twist nationalism and provenance to their advantage.

The result is a suspenseful and satisfying look at the process of musicology and the influence of music on people's lives.

It's sure to intrigue Tomoko!

Reading for Life

Obviously, Tomoko reads music – scores of scores. And not surprisingly, she has read lots of books on musicians and composers. Her knowledge base of the musical universe is both broad and deep. Such knowledge informs her performance, and she passes this information onto her students.

What is less well known is that Tomoko likes other kinds of reading as well. She particularly likes biographies that reveal compelling stories and personalities. Tomoko has been known to suggest a good book to colleagues, tantalizing them with a vivid scene from the book. Tomoko says,“I enjoy other people’s lives and challenges. Everyone should write a biography.”

Tomoko has always had an interest in different people and ways of life, and books enable her to vicariously experience a wide variety of cultures and times. Even though Tomoko has travelled a lot, and has lived a rich life, her reading extends her interest even more. Through such reading, Tomoko asserts,
“I learn from others. That’s my education -- good or bad.”

By learning how how people think and perceive the world, Tomoko is able to relate to people even more effectively. She concludes, “Church gives you belief. Books gives you ideas, and open your mind about people.”

Another gift Tomoko gives to her students and broader audience is this blog, which captures some of her experiences and insights. We all benefit from her shared reading and writing.