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Hot Issues in School Libraries

Hot Issues in School Libraries. OLA Super Conference Session 413 February 1, 2007. Michael Rosettis President, Ontario School Library Association. Overview. Research Study Advocacy Knowledge Ontario

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Hot Issues in School Libraries

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  1. Hot Issues in School Libraries OLA Super Conference Session 413 February 1, 2007 Michael Rosettis President, Ontario School Library Association

  2. Overview • Research Study • Advocacy • Knowledge Ontario • Ministry Curriculum & Initiatives • Ministry Meeting: OSLA, TALCO & OLA • Discussion/Focus Groups • Future Direction

  3. Perspective “The government recognizes the critical role that school libraries play in improving student achievement ... Libraries have a powerful influence on stimulating interest in reading and strengthening research and critical thinking skills.” (Avis Glaze, Chief Student Achievement Officer, The Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat, and Kit Rankin, Acting Assistant Deputy Minister, Secondary and Elementary Strategic Planning Division, Ontario Ministry of Education, 2005)

  4. Research Study: Phase 1 • Presence of teacher-librarian the strongest predictor of reading enjoyment for grade 3 and 6 students • Schools with TLs tended to have reading enjoyment scores up to 8 percentile points higher than average • Reading enjoyment strongly/positively linked to student achievement • Schools with professionally-trained school library staff could be expected to have reading achievement scores that were higher (~ 5.5 percentile points in grade 6 EQAO results) • Schools without trained library staff tend to have lower achievement on grade 3 and 6 EQAO reading tests • Eastern and Northern regions of province particularly disadvantaged

  5. Research Study: Phase 2 • Data collection: March-June 2007 • Data Analysis and Preliminary Report: July to September 2007 • Release of preliminary findings: October 2007 • Data collection: November 2007 to June 2008 • Data Analysis and Final Report preparation: July to September 2008 • Release of final report findings: October 2008

  6. Research Study: Phase 2 Possible Research Directions • Research impact of exemplary libraries and library programs on student attitude and achievement • Extension of the use of EQAO data results • Use of School Library data from People for Education Annual Survey (2006) • Identification of exemplary school library programs • Sampling of schools from across the province • Initial emphasis for Phase 2: Elementary schools; rural vs. urban; small vs. large schools

  7. Research Study: Phase 2 Possible Research Directions • Case study approach: observation and analysis of varied staffing models; qualitative research design • Measuring learning transfer (re: Interdisciplinary Skills learned through school library program – e.g., note-taking, evaluating content, accessing print and digital resources, etc.) • Use of EQAO data to identify higher scoring schools, and analysis of common factors • Survey tool development of local and web-based use (Cont’d)

  8. Quotes: The Importance of School Libraries • Conference Board of Canada • Ministry Statements • Statistics Canada • Teacher Federation Statements & Policy • CPCO • Dr. David Booth • Time, Globe and Mail

  9. OSLA Website Renewal

  10. Advocacy: Provincial Level Lobbying • Teacher Federations • OSSTF • ETFO • OECTA • Ministry of Education • Education Minister • Curriculum and Assessment Policy Branch (CAPB) • Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat

  11. Advocacy: Professional Networking • Networking • TALCO • Leaders Today • Knowledge Ontario • Education Institute • Research • Queen’s University • People for Education

  12. Advocacy: Professional Networking • Conferences • Ontario Principal’s Council (OPC) • OECTA New Teacher’s • Teacher Federation AGMs • OTF Curriculum Forum & Ministry Subject Association Meetings

  13. Federation Support • Federation Policy Statements • OSSTF • ETFO • OECTA • Federation Action • International School Library Day, ETFO • January 2007 Education Watch, OSSTF • Open Letter to NDP Delegates, ETFO • OSLA Correspondence

  14. OSSTF: International School Library Day

  15. OSSTF: Education Watch

  16. ETFO: Open Letter to NDP Delegates

  17. Knowledge Ontario

  18. Knowledge Ontario Resource Ontario: • Equity of access across province • Product selection • KO Board of Directors • Procuring sustained funding • OSLA Rep • Listserv

  19. Knowledge Ontario

  20. Ministry Curriculum & Initiatives • The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1-8: Language, 2006 • Many Roots, Many Voices: Supporting English Language Learners in Every Classroom • The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1-8: Science, Draft (2007) • The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9-12: English, Draft (2007)

  21. Ministry Curriculum & Initiatives inclusion in Future Documents

  22. Ministry Meeting: Jan. 2007

  23. Ministry Meeting: Jan. 2007 Our Vision: • Ministry leadership regarding policy and program direction for school libraries and school library programs • Equitable staffing for school libraries across Ontario by qualified teacher-librarians and support staff • Board accountability for school library funding: staffing, resources and facilities. • Clear connections between school libraries and Ministry literacy and curricular initiatives • The school library becomes a learning commons for the entire school community

  24. Ministry Meeting: Jan. 2007 • Revitalised school library programs can: • help teachers and students meet provincial expectations; • increase student achievement levels; • integrate a wide range of vital cross-curricular knowledge, skills, and technologies; • improve teaching and learning, especially literacy and research skills; • develop the love of reading for learning and pleasure; • provide learning environments that are safe, nurturing, positive, and respectful; • serve entire school communities.

  25. Ministry Meeting: Jan. 2007 The development of comprehensive content and professional standards, print and electronic, for school libraries in Ontario that: • scaffold knowledge and skills with specific teaching and learning strategies, activities, and templates to support: • research process; • reading literacy and independent reading; • Information literacy; • media literacy; • communication and presentation skills; • character education; • ICT and other innovative technological literacies. • collect best practices, activities, and templates to support the collaboration of teachers and teacher-librarians in implementing:

  26. Ministry Meeting: Jan. 2007 • To address the issues of equity and accountability, the funding formula must recognize that school library programs need Ministry policy, direction, standards and targeted funding rather than local school board and school independence. • There are large disparities and inequities in the resource budgets of school libraries and in the quality of school library collections. • Our most disadvantaged students continue to be disadvantaged if school library resource budgets are inadequate.

  27. Ministry Meeting: Jan. 2007

  28. Ministry Meeting: Jan. ‘07 “Recommendations: …That the Ministry of Education reinstate adequate funding for qualified teacher-librarians and library resources.” (CPCO Submission on Education Funding 2006)

  29. New Ministry Leadership “Effective school library programs can … help promote the development of information literacy skills among all students by supporting and coordinating the collaborative planning and implementation of reading programs, inquiry and research tasks, and independent study.” (Ontario Ministry of Education, The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9 to 12: Program Planning and Assessment, 2000)

  30. OSLA Discussion/Focus Groups • Advocacy: School Library Programs/ Role of Teacher-librarian • AQ Courses, Library • Faculties of Education Pre-service • Federation Advocacy • Fundraising in Libraries • Global Citizenship • Libraries & Literacy • School Library Budgets/Funding

  31. OSLA Discussion/Focus Groups • Dedicated listserv • Regular e-mail • Wiki Interaction • Teleconferences • In-person meeting  dialogue  planning further action

  32. Interested? Please join the discussion! Sign up before you leave

  33. Future Direction ??? • Research: School Libraries in Ontario • Targeted Action: • Principals: OPC, CPCO • Federations: OTF, EFTO, OECTA, OSSTF • Ministry Dialogue • Literacy & Numeracy Secretariat • Curriclum & Assessment Policy Branch • Minister of Education • Other Ideas???

  34. Action is Paramount! “School libraries are places where students can develop a passion for reading and learning … [and] inspire our students and help them succeed” (Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario, 2006)

  35. Hot Issues in School Libraries February 1, 2007 Michael Rosettis michael.rosettis@ycdsb.ca

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