“Results-based Solutions for Increasing preK-12 Student Learning”
Mirah Dow, MLS, PhD and Harry Willems, MA, MLS
What do students need to learn and reach school standards? There is
now empirical proof that school librarians matter. According to statewide
studies in Alaska, California, Colorado, Iowa, Massachusetts, Minnesota,
Oregon, Pennsylvania and Texas, there is one clear and consistent finding:
A school library media program with a full-time library media teacher,
support staff, and a strong computer network (one that connects the
library’s resources to classrooms and labs) leads to higher student
achievement, regardless of social and economic factors in a community.
A 21st century library media center can be the “heart-beat” of the intellectual life of the school if it is a high-tech learning center staffed by a high-powered learning and technology consultant: the school library media specialist. If you are still thinking of the school librarian as someone who simply checks book in and out, and who “ baby-sits” students during teachers’ planning period, then think again. According to the American Association of School Librarians (America Library Association) and the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), school library media specialists are prepared in three complementary roles: teacher, information specialist, and instructional consultant.
Teacher - The school library media specialist must first become a licensed Kansas teacher. Graduate level school library media programs build upon a board general education background and include professional studies in teacher education. General education provides background and understanding of the liberal arts, humanities, and social, biological and physical sciences. Beginning September 1, 2003, a licensed Kansas school library media specialist must: 1) have two years teaching experience; 2) successfully complete a masters degree including a core of required school library media courses and a supervised field experience; 3) pass a content test; 4) be supervised during her/his first two years in a school library; and 5) complete additional professional development courses.
Information specialist – The school library media specialist has knowledge of leadership and professionalism; client groups; communication; administration; managing materials, access to information, and services. These areas of expertise should be used by school administrators and human resources directors to create evaluation instruments, determine staffing needs, and develop job descriptions.
Consultant – The school library media specialist is trained to use both consultation and collaboration in working with teachers to teach information literacy, the effective use of ideas and information. Working together, librarians and teachers equip learners with a research model whereby students learn to build a question, find high-quality information, internalize the information, synthesize and draw conclusions, communicate findings, and reflect on the process and the learning. Results of this collaborative teaching are measured when content-related items and process related items (information literacy) are both included on the rubric for evaluation of the project. Learners discover that they must master knowledge about the topic and show competence in the research process.
Principal support can make a difference in sustaining the librarian and school library, and helping students to achieve standards! Knowledge about the management and function of a “high-powered” learning and technology consultant –the school library media specialist—is a prerequisite to change. Here are some suggestions we have for how to use school librarians, technology and instruction to achieve school standards:
1. Use the management role of the Principal to enable the school library program. Adequate budgeting for a professional librarian, staff assistance, and arranging for flexible scheduling that will permit cooperative planning time are necessary to ensure that students experience quality content, student-centered instructional methods, and become information literate.
2. Work directly with teachers to develop their understanding of the role of the librarian in developing and implementing instruction. Content teachers may be surprised to learn that the school librarian should have a role in developing content, presenting lessons, measuring student success, selecting instructional resources, providing access to electronic catalog and licensed databases, and networking school computers to library media center computers.
3. Looking for results? One simple measure is to ask the school library media specialist to keep a collaboration log. Use the log to measure the amount of collaboration between library media specialist and teachers to plan, execute, and evaluate joint learning experiences. If low frequency of collaboration across disciplines or grade levels, the principal should get involved with the school library media specialist to build new collaborative relationships.
4. When a teacher is overwhelmed by technology or does not have enough computer equipment in the classroom for each student, suggest using the library media center. The library media center not only has more equipment but you will also be increasing the number of adults who can instruct.
5. Avoid “would-be” solutions to improving learning such as increasing hours or days students spend in school, and testing more frequently. Instead, improve your students learning experience by utilizing the school library media specialist to reinvent students’ learning experiences.
For more information on School Library Media Studies
on Achievement, see http://www.iema-ia.org/IEMA1119.html
