Ruminating on the Core activated my curiosity for implications for Teacher Librarians, Technologists and other Specialists in the school. In particular, Teacher Librarians have long endured the pinch of the budget, each year fearing the worst, losing their jobs. After five consecutive years of RIFS for Teacher Librarians, this year is different in that it serves as a chance for Teacher Librarians to plan for the new school year and be the frontrunners for the Common Core Standards. Like other school districts, LAUSD district offices have began to support this sub group of professionals with promotional materials such as the one pictured below.
Professional Development workshops have been provided for Teacher Librarians in preparation for this shift. At the last LAUSD TL Professional Development, Teacher Librarians were provided literature and in particular one article by Gewertz, labeled TL’s as the “Secret Weapon” for Common Core integration. As the secret weapon, TL’s will be charged with leadership roles that include identifying text complexities, assessing students' reading abilities, weeding collections, purchasing, selecting and introducing students and teachers to quality non-fiction texts.
Professional Development workshops have been provided for Teacher Librarians in preparation for this shift. At the last LAUSD TL Professional Development, Teacher Librarians were provided literature and in particular one article by Gewertz, labeled TL’s as the “Secret Weapon” for Common Core integration. As the secret weapon, TL’s will be charged with leadership roles that include identifying text complexities, assessing students' reading abilities, weeding collections, purchasing, selecting and introducing students and teachers to quality non-fiction texts.
However, Professionals at San Jose State University SLIS (School of Library and Information Science) have long prepared for this shift in education for School Librarians. Professors like Dr. David Loerstcher, have created platforms through Social Media and electronic Documents that promote the ongoing conversation to utilize School Librarians effectively within the purposes of the Common Core Standards. Loerstcher writes, since the Core Standards as a whole stress that language arts permeates every discipline taught, teacher librarians can confidently link research, information use, and technology across the entire curriculum as a means of pushing the bottom line on whatever assessments are prescribed. He provides an example, “the teacher librarian had Mrs. Smith’s 3rd grade class for research three times over the year, each in a different discipline. Each time, the level of sophistication in writing went up; both adults included that track record in their annual reports (David Loertscher, CCS Google Doc 2010). Loertscher further recommends a collaborative partnership formed between teachers and TL’s, “When collaborating with classroom teachers on any learning experience, check in the writing standards for the sophistication level expected of the product as a guide in building expectations, the support that will be needed, and the formative and summative assessments made jointly by the teacher and the teacher librarian”.
This year, the future of Teacher Librarians appears to be brighter than past years, and possibly because of the adoption of Common Core. The implications of these standards are likely a perfect combination for both TL’s and Teachers to become more collaborative in their work and continue to bridge the achievement gap that has existed for far too long in LAUSD. As a TL, I look forward to using the anchor Core Standards as an inclusive set for collaboration with all teachers at my school site.
