Aligning Evidence-Based Library Planning with School Goals

1. Aligning Evidence-Based Library Planning with School Goals Mary Virginia Meeks T.C. Marsh Middle School, Dallas ISD Maria Cahill, PhD Texas Woman’s University

2. What is evidence based library practice?

3. Why Implement Evidence-Based Practice?

4. STUDENTS

5. Applying Evidence-based Practice • Determine needs • Consult stakeholders • Brainstorm strategies • Implement a plan • Collect evidence • Evaluate • Communicate • Repeat

6. Needs “To be thought of as essential we must contribute to solving the needs of the School Board. The politics of scarce resources is fickle. All departments and members of the educational community are fighting for the same resources of time, money, and visibility. So, what needs to be done is to figure out what is the most important goal, agenda item, objective of your local school board. Once you find that out then show how the library helps to meet that goal. “ Ann M. Martin, August 2009

7. Determining Campus Goals • Campus Improvement Plan • Conversations with administration • Conversations with teachers • Conversations with students and parents • School Board minutes

8. Planning • Formulate preliminary library goals based on campus goals (CIP) • Create preliminary strategies • Solicit input from stakeholders • Share your plan

9. Planning Details • Prepare a plan for measuring your effectiveness (i.e. what evidence will you collect and how will you collect it?)

10. Implement Strategies • Create a schedule for routine procedures addressing goals and adhere to it; • Create a schedule for collecting and analyzing data; • Carry out all strategies related to accomplishing goals; • Collect evidence to evaluate each strategy

11. Communicate • Get evaluative information from your stakeholders and share with them that which you collect; • Communicate the activities and evaluative data with ALL stakeholders regularly;

12. Address Shortcomings • Identify the shortcomings of your plan; • Repeat the EBP process.

13. Let’s PRACTICE

14. Developing Goals Sample Campus Goals (from CIP) • Increase cohesiveness • Increase technology use • Increase college readiness/awareness • Increase school-wide AVID use • Increase extra-curricular participation • Increase academic behavior

15. Developing Goals cont. Sample Library Goals (Based on Campus Goals) • Increase cohesiveness • Increase technology use • Increase college readiness/awareness • Increase school-wide AVID use • Increase extra-curricular participation • Increase academic behavior

16. Create Objectives Sample Library Goal and Objectives • Increase cohesiveness • Among staff • Among students • Among parents

17. Partnering with Stakeholders to Implement Plan: Brainstorm Strategies for Objectives 1. Strategies to implement for “Increasing Cohesiveness” GOAL: • Staff: initiate collaborative lessons, attend campus and department meetings, host monthly coffee,… • Students: Fine waiving, give “permanent passes,” have library make-over days, clubs and events… • Parents: Host coffees, email/newsletters, volunteer group, …

18. Sources of Evidence GOAL: Increasing Staff cohesiveness • Checked Curriculum Central weekly and approached 5 teachers per month with collaborative ideas/support; resulted in a 200% increase in staff collaborations overall.

19. Sources of Evidence GOAL: Increasing Staff cohesiveness cont: 2. Hosted monthly staff coffees with increased attendance yearlong; end-of year surveys indicated increased satisfaction in personal and professional relationships school wide.

20. Your Turn, Partners! GOAL: Increase extra-curricular participation • Strategies? • Evidence?

21. Sources of Evidence • Demonstrated mastery of info literacy skills (staff and students) • Traditional library stats (WITH other evidence) • National studies/expert opinions (WITH other evidence) • Rubrics • Exit slips • Surveys (formal and informal) • Benchmark tests (with caution) • TEKS objectives • Other feedback

22. Find Sources of Evidence in sample strategies: • Family Literacy program • Reading Incentive Programs/Activities • Website • Parent Coffee • Book Club • Mini-Lessons/Story-time • Collaborations • Book trailers

23. Communicate “You are what people see you do.” –Anonymous • Video • Website/Blog • Local news • PA announcement • Flyer/mini-poster • Stickers/t-shirts on kids • Photos/callouts • 6 Weeks Updates to LMS and stakeholders -Examples on next slide -Doug Johnson’s wiki: https://dougjohnson.wikispaces.com/AllAboard -Share with each other!

24. 6 Weeks Update forms for LMS Items that may be included on the update form: • Circulation Statistics • Research Statistics (database use, databases taught) • Library Use (grade levels, subjects, drop ins, etc) • Collaborations (types, how many, etc) • Evidence of contributing to campus goals • Other possible info: Meetings attended, library closures, librarian leadership demonstrated

25. Six Weeks Update for Stakeholders

26. More sites to visit for communication formats • The Unquiet Library (print and Animotoformats)http://www.theunquietlibrary.libguides.com/cat.php?cid=19980 • Library Girlhttp://lib-girl.blogspot.com/2011/06/its-bird-its-plan-its-our-annual-report.html  • Springfield Township HShttp://issuu.com/joycevalenza/docs/annualreport11 

27. Possible Issues in Implementing Evidence-Based Practice • Time consuming • “Bad” evidence • Change can be slow

28. Concluding Remarks and Questions Maria Cahill, Ph.D Assistant Professor School of Library and Information Studies Texas Woman’s University Denton,TXMcahill1@twu.edu Mary Virginia Meeks Librarian Thomas C. Marsh Middle School Dallas ISD Dallas,TXmmeeks@dallasisd.org