Working together: the school media specialist’s role in the school

1. Working together:the school media specialist’s role in the school MEDT 6466 Spring 2013 Christa Cliver

2. How the principal might see me Flaherty “A lot of principals continue to view librarians as unfriendly shushers who are more concerned with keeping their books in order than encouraging kids to read” (Kuon and Weimar).

3. How I wantThe Principal to see me “In a recent survey of 102 media specialists and 67 principals, 65 % of librarians in the study thought their bosses would recognize the valuable role we play” (Kuon and Weimar) • Help students select books. • Collaborate with teachers. • Read and book talk with classes. • Teach research and use of technology to students and teachers. • Keep library organized which includes cataloging, placing, and weeding books, doing inventory, sending late notices, updating the website, vacuuming the floor, and dusting shelves. • Help with extracurricular activities such as: laminating for teachers, running the morning show, building scenery for school plays, lunch duty, before- and after-school duty, preparing for parties and after-party clean-up, babysitting naughty students, coaching UIL teams, and counseling teachers and students regarding their personal problems. • Study standards to prepare library lessons. • Troubleshoot technology issues around the building. • Prepare book orders, equipment orders, and supply orders. (Reading reviews of books and reading books themselves is done at home after hours.) • Organizing special library events like book fairs, author visits, book clubs, and reading contests. Clipart

4. What the research says… • In 2006, the state of Indiana surveyed 293 library media specialists, 99 principals, and 422 teachers. This study, conducted by Keith Lance, Marcia Rodney, and Becky Russell, explored the impact of standardized test scores in relation to the roles of the school librarian as well as the principal and teachers. • Across grade levels, better-performing schools tended to be those whose principals placed a higher value on: • The library media specialist providing in-service opportunities to classroom teachers (proportional increase in test results of 29.5% from schools whose principals placed a lower value on the LMS as in-service provider to schools whose principals placed a higher value on that role) • Regular meetings between themselves and their library media specialist (16.9%) • Having their library media specialist serve on key school committees (10.2%) • Collaboration between the library media specialist and teachers in the design and delivery of instruction (7.8%)

5. Schoolastic

6. So, let’s break this down • At the elementary level, schools averaged better test results where there were: • Library media specialists who believed that their principals and teachers saw them as school leaders, curriculum designers, fellow administrators (in the case of principals), and fellow teachers (in the case of teachers). • Teachers who reported collaborating with the library media specialist more frequently at their own initiative, and who believed that they teach to information literacy standards better when they engage in such collaboration. • Both the library media specialist and teachers were more familiar with the document that correlates information literacy and academic standards. Clipart Overall, both elementary and middle schools tended to perform better on tests where the library media specialist took the initiative, on at least a weekly or monthly basis, to provide their teachers with resources needed to design instruction. Like elementary schools, high schools tended to have better test results where teachers reported that they initiate collaboration with the library media specialist on the design and delivery of instruction at least weekly or monthly.

7. What the Indiana survey says about my role as the media specialist • Across grade levels, Indiana students tended to perform betteron state tests where principals: valued teacher-library media specialist collaboration, supported flexible library scheduling, met regularly with the library media specialist, and had the library media specialist serve on key school committees. • At the elementary level, Indiana schools averaged better test results where the library media specialist believed principals and teachers understood the library media specialist roles as school leader, curriculum designer, administrator, and teacher. • Like Indiana elementary schools, high schools tended to have better test results where teachers reported initiating collaboration with their library media specialist on the design and delivery of instruction. Clipart

8. Who else says school media specialists are important? • Baughman Study, Massachusetts, 2000 • Key Facts: • At each grade level, schools with library programs have higher test scores. • At each grade level, students score higher on standardized tests when there are more books per student available. • At the elementary and high school levels, students who are served by a fulltime school librarian have higher standardized scores than those in schools without a full-time librarian. • At the high school level, schools with automated collections have higher average test scores. • The U.S. Office rankings indicate that 87 percent of Massachusetts schools have • libraries. Research showed that the highest achieving students went to a school with an exceptional school library. Yet school libraries in Massachusetts, according to our survey data, spend an average of $12 per child for book, that’s less than half the average cost of a hard cover book.

9. Who else says school media specialists are important? • Lance, Rodney, Hamilton-Pennell, The Second Colorado, 2000 • Key Facts: • Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) reading test scores increase with increases in: • LMS hours per 100 students (7th grade) • Total staff hours per 100 students • Print volumes per student • Periodical subscriptions per 100 students • Electronic reference titles per 100 students (7th grade) • Library media expenditures per student. • CSAP reading scores increasewith increases in the following characteristics of library media (LM) programs: LM program development, information technology, teacher/library media specialist (LMS) collaboration, and individual visits to the library media center (LMC). • In addition, as participation increases in leadership roles, so does collaboration between teachers and LMSs. The relationship between these factors and test scores is not explained away by other school or community conditions.

10. references • (2008). In School Libraries Work. (chap. The Indiana Study) Retrieved Mar. 1, 2013, from http://www.scholastic.com/content/collateral_resources/pdf/s/slw3_2008.pdf • Baughman, J. C., Ph.D. (2000). School Libraries and MCAS Scores. Simmons. Retrieved from http://web.simmons.edu/~baughman/mcas-schoollibraries/Baughman%20Paper.pdf. • Flaherty, David. (2012). [Illustration], RetrievedMar. 1, 2013, from: http://www.slj.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/SLJ1209w_Admin_Boss.jpg • Kuon, T., Weimar, H.. (2012, Sep. 4 ). In How Does Your Boss See You?: Proof That Principals Value Librarians. Retrieved Mar. 1, 2013, from http://www.slj.com/2012/09/careers/how-does-your-boss-see-you-proof-that-principals-value-librarians/ • Lance, K. C., Rodney, M.J. & Hamilton-Pennell, C. How school librarians help kids achieve standards. Castle Rock, CO: Hi Willow Research and Publishing, 2000. Retrieved from http://www.lrs.org/documents/lmcstudies/CO/execsumm.pdf • Lance, K., Rodney, M., Russell, B.. (2007). In How Students, Teachers, and Principals Benefit from Strong School Libraries. Retrieved Mar. 1, 2013, from http://www.ilfonline.org/clientuploads/AIME/INfinalreportNextSteps.pdf