The Principal Connection: Educating Your Administrator to Value Your School Library Program

Presentation for the 15th Annual National Conference American Association of School Librarians

Minneapolis, MinnesotaOctober 2011

Facilitated byJudi Moreillon, Assistant Professor, and Becky McKee, Ph.D. Student

School of Library and Information StudiesTexas Woman’s University

Objectives for this presentationAt the end of the session, the participants will be able to: Articulate the key components of a school

library program that matter to administrators. Articulate the key components of an effective

strategy to educate administrators regarding the roles of school librarians and the potential of the library program to impact student achievement and educator proficiency.

Access resources to support administrators in understanding and advocating for the school library program.

ELDR5223: Professional Development

and Supervision in Education Pre-Survey What is your current position, and in what district do you serve?

What will you look for in your school's library program when you begin your principalship?

What specific contributions can librarians make to the learning community?

ELDR5223: Professional Development and Supervision in Education Pre-Survey (continued) What tasks do librarians perform

that connect them to campus curriculum and instruction?

In your opinion, what is the difference between cooperation and collaboration?

Pre-Survey DataWhat will you look for in a school

library program?33% -- variety of books and

materials22% -- teaching reading and

research17% -- inviting environment17% -- collaboration with teachers

Pre-Survey DataWhat contributions can a

librarian make to the learning community?

33% -- instruct students28% -- promote reading22% -- provide materials11% -- support school objectives

Pre-Survey DataWhat tasks do librarians

perform that connect them to curriculum and instruction?

39% -- locate and “pull” books28% -- teach reading skills

Cooperation - Collaboration That everyone does their own part. Getting along with someone to do a

particular job. Everyone bringing their own ideas and

finding a way to make them all… work. Complying with a request. Just working together to accomplish a task. Agreeing to something and being

supportive.

Cooperation - Collaboration We work together to get a common goal. A group of people giving input in order to produce a

specified product. The group coming up with ideas together. Working with a team of educators toward a common

goal or objective. When someone opens up their experiences with

others in order to make a better environment for students.

Seems more intense. Involves one in the planning stages.

What Every Principal Should Know… about Evaluating the School Librarian and the School Library Program

Interactive Workshop: The Roles of School Librarians

Facilitated byJudi Moreillon, Ph.D., Assistant Professor,

and Becky McKee, Ph.D. StudentSchool of Library and Information Studies

Texas Woman’s University

Coteaching Images

Five Roles of the School Librarian Leader Instructional Partner Information Specialist Teacher Program Administrator

Predictors of Student Achievement, particularly in reading and language arts

Planning with teachers; Coteaching; Teaching ICT (information and

communication technologies); and providing in-services to

teachers (Achterman, 2008, pp. 62-65).

Predictor of Student Achievement in Standardized

Tests in Reading A study of National Educational Statistics 4th-grade reading test score data and school librarian layoffs showed that fewer librarians translated to lower performance—or a slower rise in scores—on standardized tests. (Lance & Hofschire, 2011).

Five Roles of the School Librarian Leader Instructional Partner Information Specialist Teacher Program Administrator

Serves as teacher leaderTakes a global view of the schoolIntegrates 21st-century skills throughout

the curriculumDemonstrates commitment and knowledgeBuilds relationships and partnerships

Five Roles of the School Librarian Leader

Instructional Partner Information Specialist Teacher Program Administrator

Develops policies, practices, curriculaCollaborates with colleagues to co-

design instruction, co-teach, and co-assess:academic standards, critical thinking, technology and information literacy, social skills, cultural competencies

Five Roles of the School Librarian Leader Instructional Partner

Information Specialist Teacher Program Administrator

Integrates technology toolsCreates engaged learning tasksConnects school with global communityModels emerging technologiesModels ethical use of information

Five Roles of the School Librarian Leader Instructional Partner Information Specialist

Teacher Program Administrator

Empowers students to becomeCritical thinkers, enthusiastic and strategic readers, skillful researchers, ethical users of information

Follows trends in reading materialsAdvocates for resources in all formats

Five Roles of the School Librarian Leader Instructional Partner Information Specialist Teacher

Program AdministratorProvides equal access to resourcesCo-develops library’s mission, strategic

plan and policiesManages staff, budget, physical spacePartners with stakeholders and other

organizations

1. Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge.2. Draw conclusions and make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations, create new knowledge.3. Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of a democratic society.4. Pursue personal and aesthetic growth.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)Identify information needs then

Access Evaluate Manage Integrate Create Communicate information using

21st-century technology tools.

Standards

Keywords6th-grade ELA-RResearchFollow a research plan

Collect data from print and electronic sourcesDifferentiate between primary and secondary

sourcesDifferentiate between paraphrasing and plagiarismRecord bibliographic informationRefine major research questionEvaluate relevance and reliability of sources

Job-embedded Professional Development

“The organic nature of the classroom-library collaboration model offers on-site, job-embedded professional development integrated into the daily practice of educators. Through shared responsibility, collaborators create opportunities for reciprocal mentoring and ongoing shared reflection….The opportunity to learn alongside a colleague as an equal improves teaching practices for novice as well as veteran educators” (Moreillon, 2007, p. 9).

Copyright-free image from Morguefile.com

Benefits to Educators Extra resource Promotes critical thinking Coteacher Integrates technology Promotes enthusiasm Assists in implementation and

management Helps to promote student and teacher

learning

Benefits to Educators Wonderful resource Generating new ideas Updated materials Technology Partner Flexibility Knowledgeable

Benefits to Students Cart of books – info at fingertips Better assessment due to

collaboration/rubric Person chosen for them/pairing helps

classroom management ELLs – highlighted, read-to text Primary sources – authentic

documents/pictures Schedules synced so more time for

research

Benefits to Students Coteaching – best of both teachers’

perspectives Collaborated to be more flexible Use of technology – Glogster – poster

yourself – engages Alignment of TEKS/higher order

thinking New books – use of databases for

more accurate info

Benefits to Principals Student achievement Leader – innovative, excited,

motivating Instructional partner – help absent

students, note-taking, rubric tips, prior research experience (collaboration)

Info Specialist – online encyclopedia, student passwords, added resources

Benefits to Principals Teacher – willing to use planning

time, willing to make changes, help grade – coteach (without the cost of a coteacher)

Program Admin. – collection research School climate improves Job-embedded PD Implementation of technology Curriculum alignment

Comparison Pre- and Post-SurveysWhat will you look for in a school library program? Responses Prior to Session:

33% -- variety of books and materials22% -- teaching reading and research17% -- inviting environment17% -- collaboration with teachers Responses After Session: 69% -- collaboration with teachers23% -- certified librarian 7% -- professional development

/campus leader

Comparison: Pre- and Post-SurveysWhat contributions can a librarian make to the learning community? Responses Prior to Session:

33% -- instruct students28% -- promote reading22% -- provide materials11% -- support school objectivesResponses After Session: 61% -- co-teaching with classroom

teachers15% -- train teachers 8% -- support school objectives

Comparison: Pre- and Post-SurveysWhat tasks do librarians perform that connect them to curriculum and instruction?Responses Prior to Session:

39% -- locate and “pull” books28% -- teach reading skillsResponses After Session: 38% -- provide a variety of materials

that connect to the classroom31% -- train staff

Self-Assessment – 5 Roles Review the five roles as outlined in

Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Media Programs (AASL, 2009).

Rate yourself on a scale of one to five, with five being the most proficient in a particular subcategory of the role.

Note strengths. Note areas for improvement.

Principal InterviewElementary Principal:

Paula Godfrey's Testimonial Paula was completing her first year as a

principal at Gale Elementary in Tucson, Arizona at the time this video was recorded. While earning her principal certificate, her two youngest children attended a school with a well-developed model for classroom-library collaboration. She entered the principalship with high expectations for this model.

Principal InterviewMiddle School Principal: Dr. Ann Poore Dr. Poore is principal at Austin Academy for

Excellence, a 6th-8th grade magnet school in Garland, Texas. The school motto’s is:

“What do we do at school each day? We read critically, write eloquently, and solve problems creatively.”

She has worked closely with the librarian, Janice Borland, to integrate the library into the curriculum and to integrate Janice into professional development activities. She provides additional funds for annual YA author visits to the school and a variety of library activities.

Job-Embedded Professional

DevelopmentCoteaching as a model for job-embedded professional development:

Coequal partners Working together in real time with

Actual students Taught curriculum Available resources and tools

Within the supports and constraints of the school’s learning environment.

Job-Embedded Professional

DevelopmentThird-Grade Teacher: Judy’s

Testimonial At the time of this recording, Judy was

a third-grade classroom teacher. She worked extensively with classroom-library collaboration in order to support her students' inquiry learning.

Job-Embedded Professional Development

8th-Grade Language Arts Teacher: Karen's Testimonial

Karen teaches 8th-grade at a junior high school. Although a veteran teacher, this was her first year at this particular school. In addition to booktalking and recommending resources for her class, she cotaught lessons with the librarian.

Job-Embedded Professional Development

High School Student Teacher: Kelly's Testimonial

Kelly was a student teacher in a high school English class at the time of this testimonial. She and the librarian collaborated from start to finish on every aspect of a Harlem Renaissance unit of study.

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Resources

http://whateveryprincipal.pbworks.com/

Original 60- and 90-Minute Preservice Principal Presentations and Resources

AASL Presentation and Resources

ReferencesAchterman, D. L. (2008). Haves, halves, and have-nots: School libraries

and student achievement in California. Denton, Texas. UNT Digital Library.

http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc9800/m1/American Association of School Librarians. (2009). Empowering learners:

Guidelines for school library media programs. Chicago: American Association of School Librarians.

_____. (2007). Standards for the 21st-century learner. http://ala.org/aasl/standardsLance, K. C., & Hofschire, L. (2011). Something to shout about: New research

shows that more librarians means higher reading scores. School Library Journal, 1 Sept. 2011.

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/home/891612-312/something_to_shout_about_new.html.csp

Moreillon, J. (2007). Collaborative strategies for teaching reading comprehension: Maximizing your impact. Chicago: ALA Editions.Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills: English

language arts and Reading. (2009). http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter110/ch110b.html