Week 8: Evidenced Based Practice - Response #1

Todd, R. J. (2008). A Question of evidence. Knowledge Quest. 37(2), 16-21.

Focus Quote:
"By placing emphasis on outcomes, evidence-based practice in school libraries shifts the focus from the medium to the message -- from articulating what school librarians do in their day-to-day work to articulating their effect on what students become. Placing emphasis on systematically gathered evidence moves school library advocacy from a "tell me" framework to a "show me" framework." (Todd 2008)

This week our readings dealt with assessment and communicating evidence of student learning.  One of the books that was recommended by our professor was a book by David V. Loertscher and Ross J. Todd called We Boost Achievement! Evidence-Based Practice for School Library Media Specialists.  While I was unable to obtain a copy of this book in time for this week's blog post, I did find an article by Ross Todd on evidenced based practice that discusses some of the topics within the book. (I'll have to add the book to my summer reading list so I can read it later.)

In the article, Todd argues that evidenced based practice (EBP) can help school librarians demonstrate their value within the school by giving educational stakeholders a better picture of just what their presence in a school accomplishes.  He states, "By placing emphasis on outcomes, evidence-based practice in school libraries shifts the focus from the medium to the message -- from articulating what school librarians do in their day-to-day work to articulating their effect on what students become. Placing emphasis on systematically gathered evidence moves school library advocacy from a "tell me" framework to a "show me" framework." (Todd 2008)  I agree with Todd in that this is an important part of school librarians job especially nowadays when many schools are facing budget cuts.

While I am in full support of utilizing EBP in school libraries, I admit I am still a bit unclear as to how to realistically implement them.  Perhaps the actual mechanics of these practices and examples are available in the book, but at the moment I can't picture exactly how a school librarian goes about collecting evidence for all of the different types of activities that take place in a school library.  Plus, school librarians are so overloaded with responsibilities now that many library support positions have been cut that I imagine collecting evidence is not an easy thing to do.

The article also points out some criticisms of EBP.  One of the these criticisms is the problem that, unlike the medical field where research is commonplace, many educators are not well-versed in how to conduct research.  This lack of knowledge and/or experience "creates major gaps in expertise and professional discomfort with engaging in and using such evidence." (Todd 2008)  I definitely agree with this criticism and believe school librarians will need additional support if they are going to feel comfortable implementing EBP.  Just recently I took a class on research methods, but, even with this experience, I still feel apprehensive at the thought of taking on my own research.  My hope is that, upon entering the workforce, I will be able to learn more about EBP through additional reading and professional development opportunities.  I also imagine that EBP will become easier the more you do it.