The 'Learning Quarterly' Epiphany

It was during a National School Board Foundation (NSBF) press conference in June 2002 that I had an epiphany. NSBF had scheduled a meeting in Washington, DC, to announce the results of its long-awaited study, "Are We There Yet? Research and Guidelines on Schools' Use of the Internet." The study surveyed more than 800 district technology coordinators nationwide to determine how well they thought teachers were using technology. Not surprisingly, tech coordinators answered the question "Are We There Yet?" with a resounding no. Nearly seven out of 10 respondents rated new teachers' competence in using technology in the classroom as average or lower. Teachers were portrayed as often knowing less than students, to whom they regularly turned for tech support and troubleshooting advice.

However, I was astonished that none of those surveyed cited the critical role of the school librarian in integrating technology into the curriculum. More vexing was NSBF's glaring omission of school librarians in its study. Although never explicitly mentioned, the influence of media specialists surfaced in another way: nearly all of the top instructional uses of technology—Internet searches, teacher research, lesson planning, demonstrations/presentations, utilizing Internet services, student projects, and student research—fall under the purview of the school librarian.

Educators saw media specialists as peripheral to the school's learning needs and goals. School librarians were a mystery to them, an undefined and underestimated resource. I realized the need to commit SLJ as the engine to help reverse this perception.

Our magazine began that strategy in earnest in 2002, and now we're taking another step in 2003 with the debut of Learning Quarterly in this issue. This new section will equip school librarians with the resources and strategies they need to be leaders in an array of areas ringed by technology and the curriculum. Perhaps most importantly, Learning Quarterly will tackle the most pressing issues in education, detailing how school librarians, teachers, and administrators can work together to meet the learning objectives they have set.

Our inaugural issue of Learning Quarterly, which appears after page 56, focuses on professional development. In his editorial, Learning Quarterly Editor Doug Johnson reasons that school librarians are more indispensable than ever, given the pressure on educators to integrate technology into the curriculum. He explains why school librarians are best equipped to lead their colleagues in professional growth. Media specialist Mary Alice Anderson chronicles her leadership role in coordinating her school's technology program, while her principal, Scott Hannon, discusses how the school librarian fits into his professional development goals and priorities. Future issues of Learning Quarterly will tackle assessment and evaluation, promoting reading, and curriculum standards and testing.

The goal of Learning Quarterly is to inform school librarians, teachers, and administrators about their collaborative possibilities, hopefully leading to epiphanies of their own. Only then will most educators' prevailing sentiments begin to resemble Principal Hannon's: "Meaningful staff development has led to higher student achievement, and a staff that feels comfortable, confident, and really enjoys teaching. Our school's success is directly attributed to the strong and mutually supportive partnership between my media specialist and me over the past 15 years."

Evan St. Lifer Editor estlifer@reedbusiness.com