Kefira Philippe – Librarian Amy Wharton – Assistant Principal

Tips for Creating a Successful Strategic Plan Get buy in – departmental and administrative Create a realistic timeline Do your research Take a look at your surrounding communities Be pragmatic about your library and school community Survey all your stakeholders Listen to all feedback Create achievable goals Make sure implementation timeline is feasible Talk to your administrators

Goal #1 To provide a collection of resources in all formats, with the necessary equipment, to support the requirements of the Illinois Curriculum Frameworks, the district curriculum, common core, and the varied interests and literacy needs of our students. Strategy Timeline Measurement

Goal #2 To strengthen the collaboration between classroom teachers and librarians. Strategy Timeline Measurement

Goal #3 To raise awareness of the services and programming provided by the District 65 Libraries Strategy Timeline Measurement

Goal #4 To review and update K-8 Information Literacy Curriculum and assessments to align with the Common Core Curriculum. Strategy Timeframe Measurement

School Librarians Must Be Assertive Leaders Librarians need to create and promote the library as a vibrant, learning environment. It should be the center of the school. Librarians have to be instructional leaders in their buildings. They have to sit on the leadership teams and work with the campus improvement plans. Librarians must be assertive. Castro says, “We have to encourage all school librarians to get in the room with seats at the right tables.” Make your worth known to the principal as a school leader and as a 21st century librarian. Let the staff and administrators know how librarians are impacting instruction in positive ways. Be transparent in the work, share the outcomes with the teachers you worked with, and the students impacted by the instruction. Librarians should provide evidence of their work with students using 21st century skills via blogs, wikis, and blackboards. Principals need to touch, feel, and see students interacting with the resources from the library. Librarians have to be technology experts. The administrators have to see librarians working with students with technology, databases, and other tools. Show how librarians are valuable assets to the building in assisting teachers with integrating technology effectively in their curriculum. Document how others value what the librarian does for the school. How many classes has the librarian collaborated with? Do others speak about the library’s value? Is the librarian so valuable that they would be the first person an administrator of a new school would hire? Show administrators how librarians positively impact student achievement.

Contact Information Kefira Philippe Nichols Middle School – Librarian Amy Wharton Dewey Elementary School – Assistant Principal