From literacy support to literacy leadership

As teacher-librarians, we have long seen ourselves to be an essential support for the overall literacy program in our schools. Traditionally, we have promoted the love of reading and have nurtured the lifelong reading habit by providing access, developing excellent print collections, and promoting independent reading in a variety of ways. In schools where we have been able to work in a collaborative culture, we have been literacy teaching partners with classroom teachers. However, in recent years, with the increased emphasis on high-stakes testing, some schools and school districts have developed literacy plans that provide forspecialist literacy teachers and the funding and development of "literacy bookrooms" and classroom libraries without funding better school library collections. In some schools, there has even been a movement to label all books in the school library according to reading levels. Such literacy plans have sometimes relegated the school library and the teacher-librarian to a peripheral role and, in worst-case scenarios, with the teacher-librarian not even included as part of the school's literacy leadership team.

To reverse such scenarios, it is imperative that we teacher-librarians see ourselves as literacy leaders rather than as supporters of literacy programs. In addition, we must ensure that the school library be an essential part of the school's literacy program, by assuming a literacy leadership role. In her article "Eight Ways Your Librarian Can Help Promote Literacy," Jane Fenn (2005) shows high school principals how the teacher-librarian can be a literacy leader in the school by

• offering books that teenagers want to read;
• promoting reading for pleasure;
• providing appropriate resources in subject areas;
• collaborating with teachers to integrate literature and technology into the curriculum;
• providing online resources to foster literacy in curriculum areas;
• developing special events and programs promoting reading; and
• modeling lifelong learning and reading for pleasure.

For years, teacher-librarians have used the work of researchers such as Stephen Krashen (2004) and Jeff McQuillan (1998) on Free, voluntary reading topromote the value of independent reading in developing literacy skills that result in higher achievement. In the past 2 years, several major education associations have released reports on adolescent literacy. The concept that a positive attitude toward reading, fostered through independent reading, results in higherliteracy levels and higher achievement has been highlighted in some of these reports. In its report to the Carnegie Corporation entitled Reading Next: A Visionfor Action and Research in Middle and High School Literacy, the Alliance for Excellent Education (2006) identifies 15 key elements of effective adolescentliteracy programs. These key elements include a comprehensive and coordinated literacy program, teacher teams, extended time for literacy [including independent reading), and a diversity of reading materials. The report discusses the need to promote motivation and greater student enjoyment of reading through independent reading of self-selected material. The National Association of Secondary School Principals' report Creating a Culture of Literacy (2005) offers a similar blueprint for creating school plans. The International Reading Association's Archive for Adolescent Literacy (2006) also offers a discussion of issues and practice that are positive about the role of independent reading.
The New York Life Foundation's Revitalizing High School Libraries Initiative (2005) was a pilot project conducted between 2003 and 2005 to provide an infusion of funds to four high schools in three states to "create library media centers that are true centers of teaching and learning and foster a school culture that values and promotes high levels of adolescent literacy" (p. 1).

• Funds were earmarked to have teacher-librarians work in collaboration with other teaching staff, public library staff, and students to update school library collections to provide students access to a range of high-interest and developmentally appropriate reading materials.
• The project also Funded improvements to the physical space of the pilot school libraries.
• Teacher-librarians at the pilot schools engaged in marketing campaigns to showcase their new resources and functional spaces.
• Each of the pilot school libraries focused on encouraging independent reading and on engaging reluctant readers.
• Each of the schools reported that the teacher-librarian assumed an expanded role and that this resulted in a larger amount of collaboration with classroom teachers.

Preliminary results from a 2005 large student survey in the pilot schools indicate that these students are reading more for fun as well as for class, are talking more about books and reading with family and friends, and are developing positive attitudes toward reading. Furthermore, students are conducting deeper inquiry into subject areas in research projects and are reporting increased reading levels, especially in comprehension and new vocabulary.

We have much to do to assert our role as literacy leaders. We hope that this issue of Teacher Librarian will provide you with fresh insights and strategies.

Enviado por: Denise Soto [delyann2000@yahoo.com]