Need
Why would a school librarian need a ten-second elevator speech
to pitch his or her program to a school administrator? Because
that is one effective way of delivering the message that the
library media program can be an invaluable tool in improving
student achievement. The Washington State Library believes
that administrators need to hear this message, and that school
librarians need to live it.
School media centers across the 296 school
districts in the state of Washington vary widely, depending
on local budgets, staffing, and resources. In well-funded
districts, media centers can be sophisticated, thriving, and
fully staffed. In other areas, media centers are allocated
few resources and receive little attention from teachers or
school administrators.
Regardless of a community’s economic status,
school library programs can have a powerful effect on school
performance. Research has shown a strong link between student
achievement and school library programs. School librarians
need to know how to use that research and act strategically
to integrate the role of librarian into their school systems
and change the perception of the library’s role in student
achievement from “expendable” to “integral.”
The K–12 Library Initiative began as
a grassroots idea of the Washington Library Media Association
to empower school library staff with leadership skills. After
two years in development by the association, the project was
adopted by Washington State Library and grew into its first
program for school librarians. It also has been the farthest
reaching training program ever offered to the state’s
school librarians.
Goals
The typical school media center has weathered many changes
in the last several years: budget cuts, job eliminations,
positions lost through attrition, and shifts in the use of
technology. What Washington’s school library staff need
most, whether paraprofessional or teacher-certified, is training
to navigate the changing environment and develop the skills
to make the school library the hub of the school.
The goal of the initiative is to provide school
librarians with the skills, tools, and training needed to
make a positive impact on students’ achievement. Training
objectives include helping school librarians articulate the
vision of the school library media program, demonstrate an
understanding of the many roles of the twenty-first-century
librarian, and fully integrate the school library media program
into the curriculum. With these skills they can advocate for
their programs and build support within the school and the
district.
Strategy
In the three years of the K–12 Library Initiative, fifty-three
percent of all school library staff in Washington attended
at least one of the program’s training sessions. The
program reached more than 700 participants, providing two-day
summer training sessions simultaneously at ten sites each
year in a state where roughly twenty percent of the population
resides in sparsely settled areas.
A training curriculum and a collection of tools
for school librarians were developed, including three videos
and a Web site with a “toolkit,” bibliographies,
a glossary, reading lists, and worksheets. Dr. Betty Marcoux,
a professor at the University of Washington Information School,
developed the resources and conducted research to evaluate
the effectiveness of the training.
Perhaps the most successful element of the program
design was the decision to use school librarians as the trainers.
The project hired twenty-four practicing teacher librarians—that
is, professionals with both teaching credentials and a library
degree—to conduct training at the ten sites.
Camaraderie developed among the library trainers
during their train-the-trainer sessions. They learned how
to work with adult audiences and to adopt an instructional
style based on dialog and peer interaction.
Participants responded very positively to their
colleague instructors. They were put at ease and trusted the
instructors because they knew they all shared the same work
challenges every day.
During the training, participants learned methods
of collecting and analyzing data, including student surveys
to gain insight into their programs and computer searches
of their own school’s state-standardized test scores.
They learned to use this data to shape the program their library
offers and to work collaboratively with administrators and
teachers. And they picked up techniques to communicate persuasively
about their programs, such as preparing the ten-second elevator
speech, writing a marketing piece that tells the story of
a school librarian’s job, and developing a “10-week
memo”—a tool to increase communication and accountability.
The response to the training was so positive
after the first year that the program decided to add another
day of training in the spring. The spring sessions were wholly
focused on developing the 10-week memo, through which the
school librarian updates the principal on the library’s
activities every ten weeks throughout the school year. The
memo puts together all elements of the training; it demonstrates
the library’s accountability as a partner in helping
teachers teach and students learn. By reporting on the library’s
goals and activities as they relate to the school’s
curriculum, the memo helps to establish the library’s
value as an instructional leader and collaborator essential
to school success.
Results
Although the project did not meet its goal of training 1,500
school librarians, it did reach at least one person from eighty-nine
percent of the districts that reported having a library position.
In all, 165 of the 296 school districts sent a representative
to one of the thirty-one two-day summer workshops or twenty
spring follow-up workshops.
After each of the three summer workshops, Dr.
Marcoux gathered feedback from the participants. She also
conducted a survey of selected principals to assess their
perceptions of the roles of media center staff. She found
that while K–12 principals have mixed perceptions of
the roles and responsibilities of the professional in the
school library, more than half viewed the school librarian
as essential to their school's learning goals.
The librarians’ response to the training
was quite positive. The trainers were appreciated for their
enthusiasm, presentation, and preparation. Many responded
that they would recommend the training to other librarians
and even their principals. One participant wrote, “In
just a few days, principals and librarians will be working
together to analyze some assessment data—a first!”
Another said, “The K–12 Initiative training has
provided solid, clear information to help me articulate the
important work accomplished in the school library program.”
The program staff at the Washington State Library
believes that they may have a model for other states to follow.
They hope to work with their counterparts in other states
to replicate the training model for even broader impact.
Resources
PowerPoint Files:
The following PowerPoint Files were created to assist
with the training of the school librarians.
Videos:
Three videos were created as part of the project to assist
in the training of the school librarian trainers and the school
librarian who attended training:
- “It’s Not Optional,” featuring Mike
Eisenberg, Dean Emeritus of the University of Washington’s
Information School
- “10-Week Memo and Annual Report,” for practicing
school librarians
- “Collaboration Is the Key,” highlighting
collaborations between classroom teachers and school librarians
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