Getting in the Principal's Face
Give your boss compelling reasons to be the school's top library advocate
By Evan St. Lifer, Editor -- School Library Journal, 10/1/2004
Choosing our 2004 Administrator of the Year Award finalists from the scores of entries submitted was a painstaking decision made reluctantly, due to the overwhelming number of administrators committed to the instructional role of the school library.
The truth is, that didn't happen.
After receiving more than 200 nominations from schools across the country for this year's award, the evidence is disquietingly clear: precious few administrators understand how a school library's inquiry-based program buttresses the learning objectives of a school.
It wasn't the nominees' lack of enthusiasm. Indeed, many outlined valiant efforts to sustain funding, or upgrade their library media center with the latest technology and eclectic collections that would make even the best-supported library staff envious. Nominees talked about the importance of reading, some mentioned research, and of the library being "the town square of the school," testaments all to the importance of the school library.
What was missing, in most cases, was the link between the school library/library media specialist function and student achievement. School Library Journal wants to celebrate those administrators who have found and are leveraging that link, including winner Joseph Roy, who has made research and instruction a top priority during his tenure as principal of Springfield Township High School in Erdenheim, PA (See "Not Your Average Joe," pp. 46–48). "Our focus on inquiry-driven research skills is aligned with the school's mission and places the library media center at the heart of our efforts," says Roy. "Inquiry-driven research requires critical thinking, reading comprehension, and writing skills that are essential to all disciplines."
Runners-up John Titus and Cindy Burkhart, both high school principals—Titus at James River High in Midlothian, VA, and Burkhart at Ephrata Senior High, PA—also are passionate advocates of the school library, primarily because they understand how essential the library media specialist is to student learning, through the honing of critical–thinking skills. The collection of 18 K–12 leaders on SLJ's Administrator Honor Roll (p. 48) consistently articulated their vision of the school library as a learning hub.
Unfortunately, these outstanding administrator advocates represent an enlightened minority. Too few of Roy's, Titus's, and Burkhart's colleagues share their philosophy. Why do the legions of K–12 administrators fail to see what is so obvious to this select group?
"Truth be told," says Titus, "it's about the library media specialist getting in the principal's face. Some [librarians] don't advocate well, they don't see that they need to promote and sell their role as instructional leaders, but rather see themselves as just a support function to provide resources where needed." Burkhart concurs, saying, "They need to be our master teachers, and sometimes they forget that."
If your administrator has an antiquated view of the library, you need to launch a strategic plan to promote yourself as an agent of inquiry-based learning with an assessment mechanism built in. The endgame is to help your principal set student performance and school improvement goals that utilize the library as a valuable tool in order to achieve those goals, as Joe Roy has done.
Ultimately, you're going to have to win over your administrator, to make him as enthusiastic as you are about what you do. Titus says "it takes a lot of nerve" to stand in front of an overburdened faculty and tell them they now have to work with the library media specialist. "But sometimes you have to force it to happen. Any principal has a certain amount of influence; the [teaching] staff tends to pay more attention to things [the principal] is passionate about."
Evan St. Lifer
Editor
estlifer@reedbusiness.com
