School administrators face a plenitude of issues throughout the course of a career, many of which necessitate some working knowledge of school law. Administrators are not lawyers, after all, and do not possess anywhere near their level of expertise. Parental and community concerns are often a source of frustration and make for problematic…

This report presents selected findings from the Public School Library Media Center Data File of the 2011-12 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). SASS is a nationally representative sample survey of public and private K-12 schools, principals, and teachers in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. School districts associated with public schools…

The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation has partnered with Baltimore Education Research Consortium (BERC) to complete a series of reports examining the implementation and impact of the Baltimore Elementary and Middle School Library Project (Library Project). This report on the first year of the project examines the experiences of the…

There is abundant evidence that schools with strong reading programs have successful students. But building strong reading skills is a complex task, particularly by the time students reach the middle grades. A survey was conducted that involved all Indiana middle grades schools in May 2009. Two types of data analysis were utilized in preparing the…

This report summarises Year 6 pupils' attainment in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) survey of 2016 in Northern Ireland and explores the context of that attainment. PIRLS is an international comparison study of reading at ages 9-10. PIRLS has a five-yearly cycle. Northern Ireland took part in PIRLS for the second time…

The Library Power program is a school improvement initiative of the DeWitt-Wallace Reader's Digest Fund that began in 1988, designed to promote the full integration of the school library media program into the school curriculum in public elementary and junior high/middle schools. With a total investment exceeding $45 million, Library Power is the…

A national survey of 1,000 principals and 1,000 school media specialists indicates that principals have very little knowledge about what really happens in the school library media center. Ten statements are presented to enable readers to test their own knowledge about library media centers. The responses make it clear that principals have had…

Although the research in teacher-librarianship provides evidence for decision-making in the design of appropriate education programs for teacher-librarians and effective school resource centers, the research base is not necessarily reflected in programs of education for teacher-librarians. This paper provides a definition of the terms…

Principals are the key factor in developing an effective, integrated school library program. Effective principals develop the knowledge base linking collaborative program planning and team teaching to school- and district-wide restructuring efforts. They integrate the library into instructional programs, encourage student use, and establish…

A survey of 77 Missouri high school principals revealed a traditional view of the school librarian as one who purchases, processes, and circulates books and provides occasional reference services. Skills indicating involvement with the instructional process rated average in importance. Principals did not view library media specialists as teachers.…

In a foreword introducing a book edited by Carson and Smith (1993), the position is taken that a viable partnership in school renewal should be considered by the principal and the library media specialist. Key elements are discussed in the foreword, and developed further in the book, that must be considered in developing such a team approach. The…

Describes an assessment instrument developed by Norman (Oklahoma) Public Schools based on "Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning", published by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT). Emphasis on partnerships encourages assessment by…

Provides and explains an instrument developed for evaluation of the teacher-librarian by the principal. Discusses the need to separate evaluation of the library program from the evaluation of the librarian; includes guidelines for principals regarding necessary professional and personal competencies for teacher-librarians; and discusses the…

Discusses findings from research literature on the importance of the relationship between the teacher-librarian and the principal. Highlights include the principal's understanding of the value of information literacy, the quality of communication between the teacher-librarian and principal, principal's support and the importance of credibility,…

"A Brief Profile of America's Public Schools" summarizes important findings from the 1999-2000 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). This document looks at differences between public and private schools and also examines public schools, and how they differ by community type (urban, suburban, and rural), and by school level (elementary,…