Hi ...................,
Please find below responses to your questions prepared by our education spokesman, Dr John Kaye, who is also running for the Legislative Council.
Thanks for your interest in our policies,
Theo Jongen

Response to questions on Teacher-Librarians
The Greens NSW
16 March 2007
For more information: John Kaye 0407 195 455 john@nsw.greens.org.au


Q1. Do you believe the learning needs of students are best met by professionally trained teacher-librarians being deployed as relief teachers? Or do you support the restoration of the second hour of Release from face-to-face (RFF) staffing allocation which was cut in 1989?

Greens Answer: The use of teacher-librarians for RFF is wasteful and damaging to educational outcomes. The learning needs of students will be best met by professionally trained teacher-librarians being employed as teacher-librarians and working collaboratively with classroom teachers rather than as relief teachers. The Greens support the restoration of a second hour of RFF, the provision of a greater opportunity for teachers to access professional development and the relief needed to ensure their best functioning in their classrooms.

Q2. Are you aware of research which concludes that professionally trained teacher librarians working collaboratively with teachers on the teaching of information literacy skills in context, instead of in isolation, leads to a marked increase on student learning outcomes? Would you like more information on this?

Greens Answer: The Greens are aware of some of this research (e.g. the 2003Lonsdale Report). While we would be interested in accessing further information, we are convinced of the value of these collaborative relationships by anecdotal evidence and by other research on teachers working collaboratively and on the most productive contexts for improving student learning outcomes.



Currently support staff can be removed from the library and placed elsewhere in the school. There needs to be a guaranteed staffing allocation.
Q3. Do you support adequate school library support staffing, so that professionally trained teacher librarians are free to collaboratively plan and teach?

Greens Answer: The Greens oppose the removal of support staff from libraries as it is disruptive and damaging to educational outcomes. We support increased numbers of support staff in libraries to free teacher-librarians to concentrate on their educational functions.

The Greens support:

Secondary: A minimum of two full time school assistants where the school population is 800 or more. That there be a minimum one full time school assistant where the school population is fewer than 800.

Primary: That school assistants be employed to match teacher-librarian allocation on a 1:1 basis, that is, 4 hours teacher-librarian = 4 hours school assistant; 6 days teacher-librarian = 6 days clerical.

Q4. Do you support teacher-librarian staffing for support classes?

Greens answer: Yes. Students in support classes are entitled to the learning opportunities that a teacher-librarian can provide and this service should be recognised in teacher-librarian staffing allocations.

There is an anomaly in the staffing formula for support classes e.g. hearing support, IM. For the purposes of RFF, support classes are counted as classes. However for library allocation, student numbers are counted and because they are small, they do not impact the schedule, and are therefore not catered for.It would cost very little to address, as only a dozen schools are affected, but this equity issue is being ignored.

Greens response: This is an anomaly that discriminates against children with special needs and we are committed to rectifying it.

Q5. Do you support a policy for a proportion of the school global budget to be designated for the school library, in order to guarantee a minimum funding base?

Greens response: Yes. Libraries are a vital part of life long learning and adequate provision must be made for their continued maintenance. Funding for both print and non-print resources needs to be increased.

Q6. Do you support the restoration of an adequately staffed school library consultancy, to supplement the excellent services of SCIS and Scan?

Greens response: Yes. If libraries are to continue to support learning in an increasingly complex environment, adequate consultancy and support services are essential. The cutting of consultancy services has damaged public education and has placed additional stress on teacher librarians.

Q7. Do you support the preservice teacher training of information literacy, the role of the teacher-librarian, and cooperative planning & teaching?

Greens response: Yes. Information literacy is an essential skill for all students. The Greens believe that all teachers should have an understanding and appreciation of the role of libraries and key components of information literacy. We support the integration of information literacy throughout the curriculum and we see qualified teacher-librarians as playing a central role in each school. The 1990 Ross report found that Cooperative Teaching and Planning (CPT) and the roles that a teacher librarian can play receives little or no attention in pre-service training. The Greens will work to ensure that both preservice and inservice training focuses on these important issues.

CONCLUSION

Thank you for the opportunity to respond on behalf of The Greens. Further details of our commitment to public education can be found in our policy at

http://www.nsw.greens.org.au/policies/education
and
http://www.nsw.greens.org.au/campaigns/putting-public-education-first




The Clarence Valley Greens
PO Box 1324
Grafton NSW 2460