Administrator of the Year: Ultimate Advocate

When Edward Gonzalez arrived in 1998, everyone suspected business as usual. But that attitude soon changed. Right away, Gonzalez allocated $30,000 in Title I funds solely for school library materials, added an additional part-time library technician, and designated media specialist Sharon Owen "the school's most important resource." He even outfitted two small rooms behind the library with top-to-bottom bookshelves, turning the former storage area into extra space for library resources. That's no small achievement—the school has close to 1,100 seventh- and eighth-graders, exceeding its 700-student capacity by more than 60 percent.

Gonzalez's investment has paid off big-time. In just five years, the media center's circulation has shot up more than tenfold to about 65,000 annually, and there was a record 5,000 more student patrons in 2002–2003 than the previous year. Reading scores are up by 40 percent, the library's collection has increased by 300 percent, and its budget is still robust, despite ongoing cuts nationwide. Apart from allotting at least $15,000 of Title I funds to the media center each year, Gonzalez lobbies for additional money from parents and local organizations, as well as from the School Site Council, made up of elected teachers, parents, and students who evaluate funds for school improvement programs. He also promotes Owen's role at all of the staff meetings and carves out time to talk about how the media center can best meet the school's educational needs.

It's words and deeds like these, coupled with Gonzalez's relentless devotion toward his students and staff, that have earned him School Library Journal's inaugural Administrator of the Year Award, which recognizes an administrator's contribution to the long-term success of the school library. Gonzalez, who was chosen from among more than 300 nominees nationwide, received $5,000 toward the purchase of school library resources during a ceremony last month at the American Association of School Librarians' national conference in Kansas City, MO. Two runners-up—Dale Bowen, superintendent of the Wishkah Valley School District in Aberdeen, WA, and Vernon Waltz, principal of Switzerland County High School in Vevay, IN—received $2,500 each, courtesy of Greenwood Publishing Group, a cosponsor of the award.

Why is Gonzalez such a strong advocate of his media specialist? He sees the library as the "hub of the school's curriculum" and understands the importance the principal plays in driving that message home. "The staff sees her as an active teacher, not just a card cataloger," he says, adding that the library is always being used for various projects and assignments. "The single biggest contribution that [Owen] makes is in teaching information literacy." To Gonzalez, the classic saying "penny-wise and pound-foolish" applies to cutting library resources and staff. "I make it a priority to send her to conferences so she can keep our staff abreast of new strategies and resources," he says. "If there was one room in my school where I had to be trapped for a day, without question, it would be the library," he says. "A healthy, dynamic library will do more for the academic success of a school and community than any stand-alone curricular program that money can buy."

Bringing success to this part of California hasn't been easy. Madera sits in the San Joaquin Valley, where agriculture is the main source of income, and many immigrant migrant workers work long hours for little pay. The neighborhood that surrounds the Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School is known for its high crime rate and poverty, and low-income housing projects are everywhere. The only new construction worth mentioning is the school, which was built in an open field on the eastern edge of town. The contrast between the school and its backdrop is jarring. While many say the trees and grass that encircle the school's campus remind them of a stroll through the park, the dilapidated buildings and the nearby Madera Rescue Mission—where many students and their families go for holiday dinners—are constant reminders that the school sits in Madera's poorest neighborhood.

Still, Gonzalez has managed to turn his school into an educational oasis. Outside the buzzing school library is a beautifully landscaped area called the Sharon Owen Reading Plaza, which was built with proceeds from a $24,000 Governor's Performance Award, a statewide program that rewards improving schools. A plaque near the water fountain reads: "Dedicated to Sharon Owen for her years of service as an advocate of literacy in the Madera community." And each day, kids walk to classes along a paved outdoor corridor listening to the soothing sounds of classical music. "The hallmark of my philosophy is the unlimited exposure of ideas, especially to students who have a limited background," Gonzalez says. And he should know. Gonzalez came from a family of Mexican migrant workers "who stressed the importance of literacy and of education being the great equalizer."

As a testament to his love of learning, Gonzalez keeps searching for ways to encourage more student visits to the library. One of his favorite methods is through a schoolwide trivia contest in which students must submit their answers along with a supporting bibliography. Gonzalez personally drives the winners, along with Owen, to the only bookstore in the neighborhood, where each child is given $10 to purchase a book or magazine of his or her choice. "He believes that in middle school we need to teach kids the process of proper research," Owen says. "Both of us believe that strongly—not just in finding the right answer—but how to go about finding the right answer."

Believe it or not, the two didn't always get along. Before becoming principal, Gonzalez spent 15 years as a teacher in a school without a librarian, and he hadn't been exposed to the critical instructional role of the media specialist. Initially, he questioned Owen's every move. "My new principal questioned everything I did and every dollar I spent," Owen says, adding that he demanded that she meet with him monthly. But the inquiries stopped once Owen handed Gonzalez a detailed portfolio outlining circulation and patron statistics, her materials budget, various collaborative efforts, and the goals of the library. Then one of Gonzalez's colleagues, who also works with Owen, told him, "You have a gold mine in Sharon Owen. She's going to make you look good." "Once I took a step back, I realized it was an insult to even question her," Gonzalez says.

Four months into his tenure, Gonzalez and Owen became full-fledged partners. "He said, 'I finally realize that the job of the school librarian is essential to the educational process and that no one can do that job as you can,'" Owen says. "Now he trusts me implicitly."

Debra Lau Whelan is SLJ's senior editor for news and features.