'SLJ' Summit: Building Bridges
Educational leaders gather in NYC to resolve most pressing obstacles to learning
By Debra Lau Whelan and Kathy Ishizuka -- School Library Journal, 4/1/2005
What must librarians do to succeed in the 21st century? They need to reach out to all educational leaders—everyone from federal and state representatives to technology experts, said attendees of School Library Journal's first annual Leadership Summit: Empowering Leaders, Advancing the Profession, which took place March 18 and 19 in New York City. Librarians must also understand the changing needs of today's students, speak a common language with their colleagues, and better promote themselves if they are to make any headway in shaping the future of education.
With so much focus on test scores and the speed of advanced technology, it's not surprising that educators often lose sight of the children they serve, said keynote speaker Paul Houston of the American Association of School Administrators.
Honing in on literacy, student achievement, and 21st-century learning skills, more than 200 attendees were divided into three groups, with each brainstorming solutions to some of the most pressing issues in education. The impressive mix of participants—librarians, teachers, administrators, reading researchers, and federal and state education officials—were put through their paces by SLJ Editor-in-Chief Evan St. Lifer.
Those who focused on literacy urged librarians to reach out to their colleagues—especially reading specialists. "That's why we're here, so we can break down the barriers," said Kathleen Reif, director of the St. Mary's County Library in Maryland. But before doing so, all educators, including librarians, must adopt a common language that puts the learner first.
Those assigned to explore the challenges of 21st-century learning skills said librarians should redefine their roles to make them more relevant in these changing times. "Think beyond information-literacy skills to figure out where libraries fit in school services, and then build that around student achievement and literacy," said Don Knezek, CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education.
One of the most compelling issues regarding student achievement is better collaboration with all educational groups, and that means "integrating other stakeholders' agendas into the process," said Ross Todd of Rutgers University's School of Communication, Information, and Library Studies. "It's not just about test scores. It's about creating a wider understanding of what school librarians do, and cross-pollinating with other professional groups."
