School Library Coalition

Submitter information

Name

School Library Coalition

Where are you located?

Australian Capital Territory

What type of area do you live in?

Regional or rural

Are you an education professional?
(e.g. teacher, school leader, learning support assistant, teacher’s aide)

Yes

Which sector do you work in?

We represent teacher librarians and school library staff across all sectors

What is your occupation?

We represent teacher librarians and school library staff across all sectors

Elevating the profession

The actions proposed recognise the value teachers bring to students, communities and the economy.

Somewhat agree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

Our comments against the specific actions proposed are:
1. Ensure representation of teacher librarians in the targeted national campaign, showcasing the significant contributions teacher librarians make in their school communities, and the life-changing impact of school libraries.

2.Ensure a category for teacher librarians in the new Australian Teacher of the Year Awards to showcase the sometimes invisible work and contributions of teacher librarians in schools.

4. Trial a new Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers (HALT) specialisation for teacher librarians. A draft of these standards already exists in the form of the Australian Library and Information Associations AITSL Standards for teacher librarian practice (2014) https://www.alia.org.au/common/Uploaded%20files/ALIA-Docs/Communities/ALIA%20Schools/AITSL-Standards-for-teacher-librarian-practice-2014.pdf

Support schools to recognise and benefit from the unique opportunities for teacher librarians to effectively take the role of Lead Teachers with their capacity and positioning to implement whole school initiatives. Recognise their capacity to build a collection that recognises all learner's abilities and levels in line with the Australian Curriculum including students from all cultural backgrounds, socioeconomic status and religious teaching.

Improving teacher supply

The actions proposed will be effective in increasing the number of students entering ITE, number of students completing ITE and the number of teachers staying in and/or returning to the profession.

Somewhat agree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

We address comments to actions 5 & 7

5. Collect data on teacher librarian and school library staffing numbers. There is currently no uniform data collection on teacher librarians, which means that it is not possible to identify key areas of need, impact on equitable learning and future workforce needs.

Ensure sufficient allocation of Commonwealth Supported Places to courses leading to qualification as a teacher librarian to ensure replacement levels are maintained (currently there is only one accredited course, the Master of Education from Charles Sturt University).

7. Qualified librarians bring complex high level skills to the teaching profession and should be considered as a key target group for places in the High Achieving Teachers program.

Strengthening Initial Teacher Education (ITE)

The actions proposed will ensure initial teacher education supports teacher supply and quality.

Somewhat agree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

We address comments to action 11.

11. Qualified library professionals bring a vast array of transferable skills to the teaching and school support professions and should be considered as a priority within the framework being developed by the Australian Council of Deans of Education (ACDE) in consultation with Universities Australia, higher education providers and teacher registration authorities.

Teacher librarians should be included in initial teacher education to enhance students' understanding of information literacy and understand the role and support available from teacher librarians when they begin their teaching career.

Maximising the time to teach

The actions proposed will improve retention and free up teachers to focus on teaching and collaboration.

Somewhat agree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

We address our comments to actions 14 & 15, 16 and 18

14 & 15. Suggest funding a pilot to test impact of full time, qualified teacher librarians (with a flexible timetable) upon teachers’ workload. Explore collaborative teaching avenues to enhance quality teaching and learning and reporting to parent options.

It should be noted that the current initiative providing teacher librarian scholarships for teachers in ACT schools is an opportunity to gather evidence and/or run a trial.

16. Include the involvement of teacher librarians, as information and resource specialists, as a key way to develop integral supports to assist with the implementation of the national curriculum.

To reduce workload for teachers and support literacy progressions, ensure teachers are aware of and able to utilise the skills and knowledge of teacher librarians as whole of school literacy specialists.

18. School support staff with library qualifications and training provide significant value add in deployment to reduce teacher workload and improve student outcomes. Taking diverse school settings into account, staff with TAFE library qualifications bring a range of complex skills and knowledge that can benefit schools beyond the library.

There is an opportunity for the Government to support assistants and support staff already working in the school system to upgrade qualifications including a Certificate III or IV in Library and Information Services. Experience from TAFE educators in LIS has been that better outcomes, including completion rates, are achieved when people undertake subsidised places as part of their existing employmen

Better understanding future teacher workforce needs

How effective are the proposed actions in better understanding future teacher workforce needs, including the number of teachers required?

Moderately effective

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

Our comments address action 19.

19. It is essential that teacher librarians, along with other specialised positions, are included in the collection of national teacher workforce data and included in projections.

Better career pathways to support and retain teachers in the profession

The proposed actions will improve career pathways, including through streamlining the process for Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher (HALT) accreditation, and providing better professional support for teachers to retain them in the profession.

Somewhat agree

Would you like to provide feedback about these actions?

Our comments address actions 24, 25 and 26
24. Include teacher librarianship as one of the options for teachers looking to engage with a new specialist area.
In recognition of the middle leadership role also consider naming teacher librarianship as a position of added responsibility, similar to subject heads.

25. Include the role of the TL and the value they add in leadership degrees (e.g. MEd. Leadership) so future/new school leaders recognise and understand the role.

26. Ensure that high-quality First Nations’ cultural competency resources are centrally located and accessible in schools via school libraries.