Principals will develop understandings of:

1. Towards an information literate school community:the teacher librarian and principal as transformational leaders. An article outline by Crittle, McDonnell, Wadley & Walsh.

2. Audience and Outcomes • Principals will develop understandings of: • cultural change necessary to prepare students for the Information Age • value ofTLs within models of shared leadership • concepts ‘Lead Learning Team’ and ‘transformational leaders’ • shared decision-making’s integral role in developing an ILSC

3. Needs analysis Too many schools prepare students for an industrial society which no longer exists. Confounded by the rapid rate of technological change, schools can find themselves unsuccessful in their attempts to creatively manage quality systems for 21st Century learners.

4. What is an Information Literate School Community (ILSC)? The article describes how: A quality school functioning as an ILSC is one in which all stakeholders work cohesively and collaboratively to become empowered as lifelong learners.

5. What is an Information Literate School Community (ILSC)? • The article will explain how: • “QUALITY in education is what makes learning a pleasure and a joy.....It takes a quality experience to create an independent learner.” • (Tribus, 1993, p. 6)

6. How does the ILSC lead to improved student outcomes? The article provides conclusive evidence to show that when a school community integrates information literacy (IL) across the curriculum, student content knowledge improves, as does understanding ofstrategies for effective independent research.

7. Whole school change This sort of change requires the school to undergo a paradigm shift, changing their structure, culture and goals. Change of this magnitude can be difficult to achieve.

8. Facilitating change • It is vital that the principal helps the school community understand and embrace information literacy. • A principal who creates ‘cognitive compliance’ (Bennett, 2001, p 113) and ‘shared moral purpose’ (Fullan, 2004, p 13) will be more likely to achieve an ILSC.

9. The teacher librarian - the principal’s partner in creating an ILSC • The TL has the power to help create ‘cognitive compliance’ and ‘shared moral purpose’. • This power comes in two forms: • knowledge • the ability to empower others

10. The power to create change • Knowledge: The TL’s training in IL can be used to professionally develop the school community. • Empowerment: The TL comes into contact with all teachers and students. When combined with their expertise in collaboration, this makes them highly influential.

11. The TL and principal become ‘transformational leaders’ • Evidence shows transformational leadership positively effects student learning outcomes (Mulford, 2003, pp.109–124). • Transformational leaders: • inspire • shape the vision for creation of an ILSC • set goals for the ILSC • facilitate creation of Lead Learning Team (LLT)(Hough & Paine, 1997, pp. 109–124).

12. TL facilitates Lead Learning Teamcomprised of members representing all stakeholders in the school community. school council or board administrators administrative representative council or board representative TL & principal lead & facilitate student representative parent representative parents students wider community representative teacher representative Lead learning team Information out wider community teachers Information in

13. TL’s role in shared decision-making (SDM): • TLs have transferable skills as: • team-building mentors • consensus-building facilitators • innovators within the sphere of IL • They provide leadership within the LLT for school-wide SDM processes which are open, inclusive, culturally-affirming and supportive of the ILSC.

14. School-wide SDM Process Diagram: LEAD LEARNING TEAM CONSENSUS APPROACH SDM for EVERYDAY SITUATIONS: Use of systemic processes & procedures SDM for LEARNING SITUATIONS: Needs-based task teams are assembled SHARED VISION and BELIEFS TRUST SUPPORT OPEN COMMUNICATION SENSE OF TEAM ACHIEVEMENT OF END GOAL(S) followed by evaluation, revision & renewal

15. Professional Development • The TL will act as the primary source for ongoing professional development of all teachers, in IL . • “From an IL perspective the work of the teacher librarian must be geared towards the primary client group (teachers)…” • (Henri, 2005, p. 8)

16. Structure for delivery of professional development Teacher from LLT Group of Teachers Group of Teachers Teacher from LLT TL Teacher from LLT Group of Teachers Teacher from LLT Group of Teachers

17. Evaluation • The success of any structural or leadership change is dependant upon continual • re-evaluation. • The two key components that require evaluation and measurement are: • change in leadership/decision-making structure • integration of IL into the school community

18. Conclusion To prepare students for the 21st Century schools must change. Using the unique capabilities of the TL, the principal can combine the benefits of a program of information literacy with the power of transformational leadership, to meet this challenge.

19. References Bennett, N. (2001). Power, structure and culture: an organisational view of school effectiveness and school improvement. In A. Harris & N. Bennett (Eds.), School effectiveness and school improvement alternative perspectives (pp. 89 - 122). London: Continuum. Fullan, M. (2004). Leading in a culture of Change. San Francisco: Jossey - Bass. Henri, J. (2005). What is an information literate school community and what are the implications for teacher librarians? Unpublished book chapter. Hough, M., & Paine, J. (1997). Collaborative decision making with teams. In Creating quality learning communities. (pp. 110 - 127). South Melbourne: Macmillan. Mulford, B. (2003). Balance and Learning: Crucial Elements in Leadership for Democratic Schools. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 2(2), pp. 109–124. Tribus, M. (1993). Quality management in education. Retrieved August 15th, 2009, from http://www.langfordlearning.com/Resource%20Folder/Papers/Myron Trubus/Quality%20Mgmt%20in%20Education.htm