TEACH Grant Ignores School Librarians

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Debra Lau Whelan -- School Library Journal, 4/21/2008 2:10:00 PM

Here’s another example of how school librarians get no respect: the TEACH grant, which awards up to $4,000 annually to those studying to become teachers in “high need” fields, makes no mention of library media.

That’s right. The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) grant program is geared toward helping math, science, foreign language, special education, and reading specialists meet the costs of their postsecondary education. Those areas are designated as “high need” by the Federal Government, state government, or local educational agencies.

In exchange, those who receive the grants must teach in a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves students from low-income families.

The only problem is that media specialists aren’t considered “high need,” and therefore don’t qualify for the grants.

If this sounds familiar, it should. In 2006, librarians were in an uproar about the “65 percent solution,” a controversial educational funding formula mandating that school districts spend at least 65 cents of every dollar on "in-class instruction." But school librarians don't fall under the definition of “in-class instruction” and risked losing crucial funding.

The American Library Association (ALA) recommends that the definition of the "high need" field be expanded to “include a field related to library media,” says Melanie Anderson, assistant director of ALA’s office of government relations.

“There’s a lack of understanding that school librarians are teachers,” Anderson says. “And we’re trying to explain that they’re just as important as science, math, and all the other teachers who are listed as "high need."