Welcome!
Research shows that children are more successful in school and beyond when they feel their identity is respected and when they experience a variety of people and cultures unlike their own. As a librarian, being responsible for providing an environment that celebrates diversity is undoubtedly a daunting task. This page seeks to explore ways to help create a place that allows students to feel safe, welcomed, and valued. It also strives to be a place where open dialogue happens. I invite you to be yourself and share in this safe space. As we learn from others, we can explore ways to establish a brave space that empowers all who rely on us for help.
Elizabeth Barrera Rush
District Library Specialist, Texas
Elizabeth Barrera Rush
District Library Specialist, Texas
The Role Model Effect
by Elizabeth Barrera RushIf students have the opportunity to interact with a positive and professional adult who shares similar culture, color, or beliefs, then scholarship or professionalism seems more attainable. When students see a person of color or an openly LGBTQIA+ individual as an educator, they may see themselves as having the potential to become a professional, highly educated person, as well. They may work harder in school, be more apt to take college admission exams, or seek higher levels of education to obtain their goals. In education, where the majority of the workforce is white and female, how can we advocate for diversity in librarianship, to champion and support librarians and teachers on the full spectrum of differences? Read More >>
Web Link
This article, excerpted from Better Allies: Everyday Actions to Create Inclusive, Engaging Workplaces, provides concrete actions to amplify the voice and success of your colleagues from underrepresented groups. Opens The Muse website.
Video
![Why Teachers of Color Matter for Students of Color to Succeed [4:00]](https://schoollibraryconnection.com/assets/mediaserver/SLC/2269/2269971s.jpg)
This video from Edutopia discusses the lack of teachers of color in U.S. schools and the positive impact that having more teachers of color can have on student learning.
Selected Reading
In this working paper for the National Bureau of Economic Research, the authors examined the long-term impact for Black students of having a Black teacher.
Selected Reading
In this excerpt from Political Speech as a Weapon: Microaggression in a Changing Racial and Ethnic Environment by Sylvia Gonzalez-Gorman, we learn about microaggressions and their use in educational settings.
Column
Rebecca Morris interviews Dr. Rita Reinsel Soulen, assistant professor of library science at East Carolina State University. Soulen's latest research study is, "School Librarian Interventions for New Teacher Resilience: A CLASS II Field Study," published in the March 2020 issue of School Library Research.
Column
Earlier this year, the ALA Code of Ethics was amended to address racial and social justice. Chad Heck shares his story here to show the work that we still have to do. A lot of librarians, including Heck, have believed that our profession is the exception to the issues of systemic bias that have been getting attention lately.
Feature
When we talk about social and emotional learning, as educators we automatically put the needs of our students first—how are they learning and coping in this environment? As school librarians, we should broaden that concern to include the adults we also serve. How are teachers, support staff, paraprofessionals, and administrators working and coping?
Article
Media specialists are in a strong position to strengthen at-risk students through mentoring, making connections with them and helping them connect to others in the school, and supporting their learning in creative and motivating ways.