The high-quality instruction offered in the school library and in collaboration with classroom teachers helps students understand and practice the content standards. School librarians should begin by collaborating within their school building and then thoughtfully expand those connections to neighboring schools, community organizations, and state…

While volunteers can be the backbone of a library, there's a fine art to crafting a well-oiled team of helpers, especially in these tough economic times when a nonpaid assistant can end up taking one's job. Case in point? Librarians at Bridgewater Middle School and Raynham Middle School in Massachusetts recently lost their positions, and parent…

This article describes a practical, sure-fire way for media specialists to boost student achievement. The method is called data-driven collaboration, and it's a practical, easy-to-use technique in which media specialists and teachers work together to pinpoint kids' instructional needs and improve their essential skills. The author discusses the…

Focuses on the potential role of the media specialist in the delivery of professional development. The role of the school principal is described, and it is suggested that the media specialist can be a valuable source of assistance with instructional leadership responsibilities. The team concept and various approaches to instructional leadership…

The DeWitt Wallace-Readers Digest Library Power Initiative has been instrumental in precipitating reform efforts in school libraries. National Library Power programs have strengthened the role of the school library media specialist and the school library program. The initiative emphasizes that library media specialists integrate information…

Encourages a symbiotic relationship between secondary school library media specialists and teachers to promote the goals of Advanced Placement programs. Advanced Placement courses are explained, and recommended materials and support needed from the library media program are described for the curriculum areas of English, history, and mathematics.…

These two documents contain a variety of articles on media use in education. The first provides 16 articles that focus on justifying media programs in the 1980's. Topics include selling your program to administrators; reorganization of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction; video literacy; student-made videotape recordings; interactive…

Outlines some of the similarities in the roles of the teacher-librarian, curriculum consultant, teacher educator, and administrators in general, and then describes new partnerships that can be nurtured when teacher-librarians move into other educational roles. Discusses institutional leadership, curriculum development, advocacy, management,…

California is ranked 50 out of 50 states for providing school library services, with a ratio of student to public school media specialist of 6,361 to 1. The second worst state is Rhode Island, which has a ratio of 1,941 to 1. California's school libraries are declining at a time when technological developments and research in academic achievement…

Teacher-librarians in a learning organization must function both as members of teams engaged in organizational learning and as leaders of leaders. Teacher-librarians must be a mirror image of teachers, plus contribute more to the school. This paper examines the characteristics of the work of teachers and teacher-librarians in four major…