What School Principals Need to Know about Libraries - Implications for Practice and Preparation

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by ahduag

The manuscript examines what K-12 school administrators must know to direct effective school library programs under complex accountability pressures. Using a Delphi study with three expert profile groups and 23 panelists across three rounds, the work seeks knowledge, skills, and dispositions for practice. High consensus produced 44 application statements, with four top-ranked items emphasizing dispositions about the library program. Implications are provided for preparation and in-service professional development.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

Background: Libraries and Evidence-Based Leadership

Accountability and Evidence-Based Decision Making

Effects of Library Programs on Student Learning

Delphi Study Method and Findings

Purpose and Research Design

Expert Consensus and Application Statements

Highest-Ranked Dispositions and Implications

Research at the Nexus: Libraries and Administrator Preparation

Converging Trends Since the 1980s

Unawareness of Library Potential

What School Principals Need to Know about Libraries: Implications for Practice and Preparation This manuscript has been peer-reviewed, accepted, and endorsed by the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration as a significant contribution to the scholarship and practice of school administration and K-12 education. Janie Pickett and Julie P. Combs Sam Houston State University Principals in K-12 education face increasingly complex responsibilities and must maximize student learning within the boundaries of available funding and staffing. Effective library programs have been correlated to higher test scores and can be a resource for principals to meet improvement goals. The purpose of this Delphi study was to describe the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed by K-12 administrators to direct effective school library programs. Across three expert profile groups, 23 panelists participated in three rounds of the Delphi process. A high level of consensus led to 44 statements of application for aspiring and practicing administrators. The four highest ranked items were statements of dispositions about the library program. Implications for administrators in preparation and practice are noted. NCPEA Education Leadership Review, Vol. 17, No. 2– December, 2016 ISSN: 1532-0723 © 2016 National Council of Professors of Educational Administration School principals face increasingly complex and overwhelming responsibilities (Wise, 2015) . For example, the current trend of accountability through high-stakes testing drives public school administrative decisions about programs, facilities, and resources (Ravitch, 2010) . National educational leadership standards (the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium or ISLLC) report that school leaders are “increasingly accountable for raising student achievement among students from all population subgroups”(Council of Chief State School Officers [CCSSO], 2008, p. 3) . In best practice, administrator decisions for student learning are evidence-based. One example of a campus resource that is evidence-based and tied to increased student learning is the effective school library (e.g., Haycock, 2011; Kachel, 2013; Todd, 2007) . As the “biggest classroom in the building”(Kuon, Flores, & Pickett, 2014, p. 65), the library can be positioned to serve as the “silver bullet for boosting literacy and academic achievement”(Kachel, 2012, p. 33) . In contrast to those research findings supporting the implementation of effective library programs, however, K-12 administrators and boards of education are frequently seen cutting, reducing, or removing the library from the campus educational plan (Ballard, 2012; Hartzell, 2012b; Lance, 2010) . Yet, because of the library’s potential to increase student learning (Kachel, 2013), school leaders and those who prepare them must ensure they are aware of the research base for the library and in particular, aware of those identified attributes that correlate to student achievement (Francis, Lance, & Lietzau, 2010) . Not using a school asset correlated with increased student achievement has been called “benign neglect” at best (Kaplan, 2006, p. xi) and programmatic “inequity” at worst (Achterman, 2008, p. 191) . Why might the misuse of a resource that supports student learning happen? The phenomenon may be explained by the K-12 administrative literature and principal preparation programs. Studies have documented the lack of information about effective library programs in the curricula of school leadership preparation programs (e.g., Hartzell, 2012a; Pickett, 2013; Roberson, Schweinle, & Applin, 2003) . Additionally, professional reading for school leaders largely lacks data from the most recent library impact studies, which now point to libraries supporting gains in student reading and writing, narrowing the achievement gap, and improving graduation rates (Coker, 2015; Haycock, 2011; Kachel, 2013; Lance & Schwarz, 2012) . This lack of expos

FAQs

What does the Delphi study aim to determine about K-12 administrators?

It describes the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed by K-12 administrators to direct effective school library programs, especially those embedded in school improvement goals.

How many experts participated, and how many Delphi rounds were conducted?

Twenty-three panelists participated across three expert profile groups, and the Delphi process ran for three rounds.

What were the key outcomes of the consensus statements?

The process produced 44 application statements, and the four highest-ranked items were statements focused on dispositions regarding the library program, with implications for preparation and practice.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by ahduag