There’s allot of things that I’ve been reflecting on since school ended on Friday. My greatest challenge this school year so far has been to rebuild my school’s library program. This involved me physically organizing/re-shelving books for my school’s new library. This rebuilding also included moving towards a change in view that the library is more than a ‘meeting’ space or activity area for large groups of students/adults. This re-building also meant that I had to say, ‘No,’ to teachers/staff because we all need to work towards utilizing the ‘program’ to its maximum potential instead of falling back into ‘old habits.’ By no means is my library program ‘perfect,’ growth in mindset of the program and my role is still on the agenda as we head into 2020.
This brings me to a New York Times article that was written by Erica L. Green and Dana Goldstein back in October of 2019. The article, ‘Reading Scores On National Exam Declines In Half The States.’ I can remember how I initially cringed when I read the title of the article that was widely circulated on social media. Now months later I’ve processed it and have a deeper view.
The authors highlighted two standouts of all of the 50 states and Washington D.C. Mississippi’s fourth grade reading scores improved and caught up to the national average. Washington D.C.’s 8th grade scores jumped three points but were still below the national average. Now I learned a valuable lesson while working at Phillips High School: celebrate all academic gains, this means whatever you are doing right, continue the practice. So, I’m celebrating those three points.
I can’t comment on what Mississippi is doing right, but I have a little insight on my district that was highlighted in the article. This is my third urban school district I’ve worked for and my third year working for the District of Columbia Public Schools System. Though the authors did not articulate this in the article, school libraries and school librarians were a part of the success of the improvement in reading scores for 8th grade. So essentially I’m viewing this with ‘fresh eyes, and of all of the districts I’ve worked for, DCPS is on point. Here’s how I see it:
8th Grade Improvement in Reading Scores: Washington D.C.
1.) Strong school library programming in all schools.
2.) Certified/university degree school librarians
3.) Dedicated school library budget for new books.
4.) Leadership at the district level (Assigned Manager and Director of Libraries)
5.) Targeted professional development for school librarians and encouraged use of PLN’s (personal learning networks).
6.) Access and use of various platforms of technology by school librarians to support and help drive classroom instruction.
7.) District supported school librarian leadership opportunities within and outside the district.
8.) Classroom libraries that further encourage students to seek expanded and additional resources from the school library collection.
9.) Use of middle school or young adult bibliotherapy/social emotional themed books for leisure or book club reading.
10.) Ongoing partnerships with library programming with the District of Columbia Public Library System.
Some of my district colleagues may argue some of the above ten items still need some sizable improvement. Others may argue all ten items on my list are not present in their school, guess what? All ten items are not present in my school either but collectively as a district, there is evidence that they are there and working. I agree 100%, there’s always room for improvement, and I’m looking at this critically. In my opinion, what should be noted is the staffing, funding, support and programming that is in place and how it has had an impact on reading. What also should be noted is there are other districts across this country that have all of the above ten components of a strong library program in place but were not highlighted because the article focused on states and not so much on districts.
I want to be crystal clear about this: school librarians are not looking for the fanfare ‘public accolades,’ for their work. More so, just a simple acknowledgment that the work that we do everyday to support academic achievement in our schools/districts is a part of the success equation and is noted and appreciated. 
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