Advocacy Plan

TE 875
Jamie Gruntorad

TARGET AUDIENCE

According to AASL, “advocacy is a slow but steady course of action largely

determined by the quality of the relationships you create with students, teachers,

administrators, parents, and community members” ( AASL, 2015, p. 11). The

audience that I have chosen for this advocacy plan are the current teachers at

Sandoz Elementary School. This school campus employs eight teachers

respectively in grades two and three. There are no new teachers at the building this

school year and they are varied in their numbers of years of teaching experience.

As a former classroom teacher, I never had the opportunity to collaborate with the

school library, so this helped make my decision for the audience of this plan. I

also feel that my everyday interactions are with this group of people, therefore

making the teachers the foundation of my advocacy plan.

After visiting with my school principal, Barry McFarland, and looking at

information from a recent school survey, we decided together that collaborating

with teachers is a strong need at our school. In prior years, the library was

primarily operated by para-professionals, and there was no classroom or teacher

relationship. I want to build my reputation as an instructional partner with my

teachers and make the library a welcoming and inviting place!

 Teachers have a great amount of interest in student achievement and

success. By targeting the teachers, I can gain a greater understanding of their

curricular needs and how the school library can improve a students’ academic life.

In fact, “teacher-librarians need to become a part of the school learning

conversation. They need to speak the same language as the teachers and focus on

student achievement” (Kramer, 2010, p. 27). This plan will help me show the

teachers how this can happen at Sandoz Elementary.

GOALS OF THE ADVOCACY

Goal 1: The Sandoz Library will reach out individually to every teacher in the
school at least once every semester throughout the school year based upon
expressed curriculum needs.

By collaborating with the school librarian at least one time each semester, the
teachers will benefit in the following ways:

 Student achievement will increase with the collaboration between teachers

and school librarian; “When schools have high-quality library programs and
librarians who share their expertise with the entire school community,
student achievement gets a boost.” (Lance, 2018, p. 15).
 Teachers will have the navigation of the school librarian to help them with
researching or technology concerns.
 Teachers will gain another perspective on the information they have been
teaching by collaborating with the school librarian.
By collaborating with the school librarian at least one time each semester, the
school library will benefit in the following ways:
 Teachers and students will consider the library as a resource for various
needs and value the usefulness of the library.
 21st century skills will be taught and integrated across the curriculum.
 Co-teaching and flexible scheduling will become more valuable to the
administration after seeing the impact of the school librarian.

Goal 2: The Sandoz Library will provide opportunities for teachers to learn
about the services available to them through the library.

By providing teachers with opportunities to learn about the services available in

the library, the teachers will benefit in the following ways:
 Teachers will become more acquainted with the roles of the school librarian.
 With knowledge of the services available, they will be able to help their
students with needed resources.
 Teachers will strengthen their relationship with the school librarian and be
able to better define their classroom needs.

The school library will benefit by providing teachers with opportunities to learn
about the services available in the library in the following ways:
 The school librarian will strengthen interactions with teachers.
 Teachers will begin to think of the library as a needed resource and direct
students into the library, resulting in increased library usage.
 The school library image will change by allowing teachers to understand
the roles of the school librarian.

Goal 3: The Sandoz Library will provide a well-selected collection to support

grade-level curriculums.

By providing a well-selected collection to support grade-level curriculums, the

teachers will benefit in the following ways:
 The collection will satisfy the curricular needs of the teachers in the
classrooms.
 The collection will enrich the curriculum and students’ personal interests
and learning.
  The collection will help teachers feel comfortable using a range of formats
that support the curriculum.

The school library will benefit by providing a well-selected collection to support

grade-level curriculums in the following ways:
 The school library’s collection will be relevant to the curriculum and
learning needs of the students and teachers.
 The school library’s presence will be integrated across all the areas of the
curriculum.
 The school library’s collection will become more valuable to the students
and teachers.

ACTIVITES FOR THE ADVOCACY

PERSON(S)
GOAL MATERIALS
ACTIVITIES RESONSIB
S NEEDED
LE
Back to School Open House #1 School Library ready for
 Tour of library #2 Librarian tour
 Update of new resources #3
 Projects for the year Handouts of new
 Ideas for the new year resources
 Snacks/Refreshments Chart for ideas

Snacks/
Refreshments
Monthly “What’s Happening in #1 School Newsletter template
the Library” Newsletter Librarian
 Top 10 books Copies of the
 Project highlights newsletter or emails
 Important dates
Destiny reports
 New books
Attend all staff development #1 School Curriculum maps
days each quarter and meet #3 Librarian from grade levels
with grade levels at weekly
meetings Teachers
 Discussion of curriculum
needs
Project Calendar #1 School Large school year
  Teachers will record #2 Librarian calendar
their projects on a school #3
year calendar Teachers Markers
 Hang calendar in library
to help with preparation Space to hang in
of resources library

Curriculum Mapping #1 School Laptop

 Create a curriculum map #3 Librarian
of Reading and Science Reading/Science
subjects Teachers scope and sequence
 Focus on scope and
sequence Curriculum map
template
 Add skills taught so
school librarian can
assist in teaching skills
 Map will aid school
librarian in purchasing
books to enhance the
curriculum
Display areas for curriculum #3 School Books that support
resources in the school library Librarian the curriculum
 Create areas in the
library to showcase Signage for display
books that enrich the
curriculum in the areas
of Reading and Science
MARKETING

MAKETING IDEAS GOALS CONTACTS

Create signage to hang for display #2 Administration
throughout the school building to Teachers
highlight activities Staff
 Change monthly or more Students
frequently if there are new
happenings
Create teacher space in the school #1 Administration
library #3 Teachers
 Encourage idea-sharing and Staff
collaboration
 Display the curriculum map in
this area
Update the library website #1 Administration
 Websites to be used in #2 Teachers
classrooms or at home to #3 Staff
supplement curriculum Students
 Feature projects that are Parents
currently being done with
students
 Provide on-line reading
resources for teachers and
students
 Technology tips for students
and teachers
Create a school library Instagram #1 Administration
account Teachers
 Showcase events, projects and Staff
success stories happening in Students
the library Parents
 Include quotes from students Community
and teachers that have worked
with the school librarian

School wide literacy theme #1 Administration

 Using the current curriculum as #2 Teachers
a guide, select a school wide #3 Staff
theme Students
 Each class picks a book to go Community
with the theme from the school
library
 Each class creates a project to
go with the book and theme
 Display the projects around the
school
 Create on online gallery
featuring the project
Highlight library success stories in #1 Administration
the local newspaper Teachers
 Contact local newspaper when Staff
activities occur in the school Students
library Parents
Community
 References

American Association of School Librarians. (2018).  National school library standards for

learners, school librarians, and school libraries.  Chicago, IL: ALA Editions.

Kramer, P. (2010). Evidence=Assessment=Advocacy. Teacher Librarian, 37(3), 27-30.

Lance, K.C. & Kachel, D.E. (2018).  Why school librarians matter: What years of research tell

us. Phi Delta Kappan, 99 (7), 15-20.

Toolkit for Promoting School Library Programs. (2015, June 8). American Library Association.

Retrieved September 24, 2020, from

http://www.ala.org/aasl/advocacy/tools/toolkits/promoting