Aligning the Curriculums for College Success: High School and College Library Collaborations

Abstract

In today’s highly competitive global economy, City University of New York (CUNY) graduates need strong critical thinking skills. More New York City students than ever before are applying to college and enrolling into CUNY schools. This is especially the case with high schools throughout the Bronx, a good portion of these schools are feeder schools for Bronx Community College (BCC). Unfortunately, many of the students who matriculate into BCC come un-prepared for college level work, where information literacy skills are essential. A strong body of published scholarly literature discusses the importance of information literacy instruction at the high school level, as it relates to college readiness. In an ideal secondary education system, students receive instruction on how to think critically, how to evaluate information, and how to avoid plagiarism; these are essential skills that are necessary for college academic success. As the library liaison for the BCC First Year Seminar program, I encounter many students who are in need of academic remediation because they lack research skills. In addition to the lack of information literacy skills, we discovered that a substantial number of students who matriculate into BCC come unprepared for the critical thinking required for college level STEM courses.

Keywords:

• College readiness
• communities of practice
• information literacy
• library-teacher collaborations
• pedagogy and curriculum