From the MSLA Conference Session Participants:

Meeting stakeholder concerns and meeting thoseneeds:


Administrator concerns

  • Evaluation/supervision of staff to foster improvement
  • Teacher turn-over/brain drain
  • Drop-out rates
  • Community relations/involvement
  • Professional development
  • Certification
  • Recruiting and keeping good teachers
  • Parent demands
  • Parents
  • PR
  • Facts vs. “soccer field talk”
  • Bad press
  • Safety
  • Physical safety
  • Teacher-parent communication (both ways)
  • MCAS
  • Good test scores
  • Money
  • Budgets
  • Fuel costs
  • Transportation costs
  • Money issues on ballot/school funding
  • SPED-PAC groups
  • NCLB
  • NEASC
  • AYP
  • Personal professional track
  • Avoid headaches – smooth operation
  • Misuse of technology
  • Technology implementation
  • Technology support
  • Literacy support- all levels
  • Academic support
  • Staff development
  • School committees
  • Team players/joiners
  • Look good
  • Behavioral issues
  • Time
  • State and federal mandates
  • Teacher contract
  • School centered committee work
  • Formal program
  • Budget
  • School board
  • Accreditation/reaccredidation
  • Safe environment
  • Sharing the space

Strategies for addressing administrators' concerns

  • Lead professional development on databases, Web 2.0, Internet safety, etc.
  • Have MCAS prep programs
  • Involve parents in LRP process- teachers, admin, parents and kids also
  • Professional development on trackstar or Webquests
  • One school one book- build community relations
  • Teach 21st Century Skills
  • How to on ILL
  • Teach tech skills
  • Team teach
  • Teach Internet safety & AUP
  • Write grants
  • Professional development on trackstar, Webquests, Internet, misc, technology,
    doing research locating resources for curriculum/standards, 2.0 and other
    technologies, MLA, misc. software, - possibly free, low cost, & regularly
    scheduled
  • Team teach/collaborate to teach content from standards/curriculum
  • Use specific MCAS data to inform instruction
  • Positive school stories in the newspapers
  • Set up RSS feeds for professional staff to assist with PD
  • Make space available

Teacher concerns

  • Professional development
  • Collaboration tools
  • Parents
  • Students
  • Classroom management
  • Personal life
  • Retirement
  • Lack of time/time management
  • Lack of funds
  • Personal finances/salary
  • Money issues on ballot/school funding
  • Ballot #1 question
  • Job security
  • Economy
  • Lack of materials
  • Supplies
  • Resources
  • Union
  • Contract issues
  • School board
  • Administrative pressure
  • Accreditation/reaccredidation
  • Grading
  • Discipline
  • Disruptive students
  • Student issues
  • Range of abilities in classroom
  • Gifted students
  • SPED
  • Reaching ELL students
  • Kid(s) not getting it
  • Kids not doing homework
  • Quality of student work
  • Plagiarism
  • Teaching fads
  • Class size
  • Facilities
  • Changes in technology
  • Facility issues
  • Competition with other teachers
  • Budget
  • Lesson planning
  • Grading
  • Meeting standards
  • Covering curriculum/too much curriculum
  • Changing curriculum
  • Time
  • Test scores
  • MCAS
  • Working technology
  • Using technology
  • Access to technology
  • Time to explore tools and resources
  • Evaluations/professional status
  • Kids

Strategies for addressing teachers' concerns

  • Team teach/collaborate to teach content from standards/curriculum
  • Collaboration to assist with classroom management, gifted, ELL, & differentiation
  • Collaborative projects to meet standards through Web quests
  • Assist with establishing class wikis & bloss
  • Teach tech skills
  • Teach other relevant skills (i.e. how to avoid plagiarism)
  • Share responsibility for covering part of the curriculum/standards
  • Parent meetings
  • Newsletters about what is going on in the library
  • How to on ILL
  • Provide a variety of reading level strategies materials
  • Professional development on trackstar, Webquests, Internet, misc, technology, doing research locating resources for curriculum/standards, 2.0 and other technologies, MLA, misc. software, - possibly free, low cost, & regularly scheduled
  • Involve parents in LRP process- teachers
  • Provide extra hours (before or after school or before announcements) for students to complete work, print work, or do research.
  • Set up RSS feeds for teachers to assist with PD
  • Set up monthly “social hour.”
  • Make space available

Students' Concerns

  • Opinions of peers
  • Lack of English
  • Scared of the other kids
  • Bullying
  • Peer pressure
  • Home stress
  • Homework
  • Need to pass
  • Abilities or lack of ability
  • Can’t read
  • Grades
  • Stress
  • Tests
  • Friends
  • Social
  • Being valued for themselves
  • Being liked
  • Belonging
  • Self-esteem
  • Hormones
  • Sexuality
  • relationships
  • Place to live
  • Hunger
  • Food
  • Family problems
  • Fear of failure anywhere
  • Feeling stupid
  • MCAS
  • Safety
  • SATs
  • Getting into college/admissions
  • College
  • Future
  • Money worries
  • Time
  • Having time to get things done
  • Jobs
  • Independence
  • Stress
  • Boredom
  • Fun
  • Sports
  • Fashion
  • Looks
  • Media (iTunes, video, computer games, etc.)
  • Gadgets
  • Social networking (Web)
  • Homework

Strategies for addressing students' concerns

  • Interactive Web site
  • Teach 21st Century Skills
  • Put research resources & tutorials online
  • Bibliotherapy- to deal with bullying, peer pressure, self-esteem issues, etc.
  • Ensure that the library accommodates special needs – physical, emotional, reading, learning, etc.
  • Provide extra hours (before or after school or before announcements) for students to complete work, print work, or do research.
  • Job interview workshops w/ resources on resumes, interviewing, job skills, job requirements,
  • How to on ILL
  • Teach tech skills
  • Model collaborative skills to help prepare students for the world of work.
  • Homework help
  • Extend library hours for homework help
  • Promote free after school homework help sites
  • Place to meet & socialize
  • Sponsor clubs/ space for clubs to meet
  • Don’t waste students’ time; every lesson needs to connect to student learning
  • Involve parents in LRP process- teachers, admin, parents and kids too
  • Welcome the non-traditional student parked in the library by guidance, special ed, & PE
  • Provide computers to complete projects & homework
  • Resources to assist students getting into better colleges
  • Resources on making choices/decisions
  • SAT software
  • College display
  • Book club for parents & children
  • Book club for students
  • Books about bullying
  • Pop culture resources (ie fashion magazines) and other personal insterests
  • Career resources to assist students with getting jobs
  • Navigating library Web pages/portals which can assist students & parents
  • Incorporate time management strategies into the research process

Parents' Concerns

  • Children failing in some way
  • Drugs
  • Dating
  • Homework
  • Teen pregnancy
  • Emotional trauma
  • Illness or health
  • Dropping out
  • Bad teachers
  • Is my child safe at school?
  • Lockdowns (intruder)
  • Bullying
  • Kid’s happiness
  • Quality of education
  • Non-reading
  • Car safety
  • Safety
  • Peer pressure
  • Nutrition
  • Grades
  • Student success
  • Which college?
  • College admission
  • Prepared for college
  • Money
  • Enough money for home
  • Is the school using my money wisely?
  • Bang for their buck
  • Appropriateness of instructional materials
  • MCAS- will my child pass
  • Taxes

Strategies for addressing parents' concerns

  • Interactive Web site
  • Books about bullying
  • How to on ILL
  • Book club for parents & children
  • Teach 21st Century Skills & raise awareness of their being taught
  • Resources to assist students getting into better colleges
  • Ensure that the library accommodates special needs – physical, emotional, reading, learning, etc.
  • Resources to assist students with getting jobs
  • Newsletters about what is going on in the library
  • Good news through public events (i.e. community book read)
  • Involve parents in LRP process- teachers, admin, parents and kids too
  • Put research resources & tutorials online
  • Navigating library Web pages/portals which can assist students & parents
  • Provide computers to complete projects & homework
  • Safety & homework- extend library hours after school to for school work & hosting small organized groups
  • Workshop/programs on Internet safety &/or cyberbullying
  • Teach databases to parents
  • Job interview workshops w/ resources on resumes, interviewing, job skills, job requirements,
  • Collaborate w/ public library and HS to show parents how to use databases for homework & assignments (extend the late bus for this project?)

Community Concerns

  • Technology safety
  • Safety
  • Students employable
  • Unruly children
  • Employment in general
  • Maintain or increase standard of living
  • Property values
  • Avoid past mistakes
  • Reputation of community
  • Community pride
  • Budget
  • Money/cash
  • Taxes
  • Getting their money’s worth
  • Cost benefit – WIIFM
  • Meeting space

Strategies for addressing community' concerns

  • Hold forum involving stakeholders and ask them what they need.
  • Positive newsletters
  • Teach 21st Century Skills
  • Put research resources & tutorials online
  • Newsletters about what is going on in the library
  • Good news through public events (i.e. community book read)
  • Teach tech skills
  • Invite local reporter to a library activity to write about it & take pictures; show the library is more than just books.
  • Job interview workshops w/ resources on resumes, interviewing, job skills, & job requirements

Local, state and national decision makers' concerns

  • Facility issues
  • Safety
  • Health
  • Contract issues
  • MCAS scores
  • Readiness Project
  • Workforce readiness
  • 21st Century skills
  • Basic literacy skills (three Rs)
  • NCLB
  • Holding educators accountable
  • Budgets
  • Taxes
  • Money
  • Energy
  • Getting elected/re-elected
  • Getting good press
  • Pleasing constituents

Strategies for addressing local, state and national decision makers' concerns