Strong School Library Media Programs Make a Difference in Academic Achievement

1. Strong School Library Media Programs Make a Difference in Academic Achievement

2. Gaver Study, 1963: • Academic achievement is higher when: • There is a centralized library in the school. • The library collection is large and easily accessible.

3. Lance Study Finding,1993: • Academic Achievement was higher in Colorado schools when: • There was a professional library media specialist • The library media specialist collaborated with teachers to build exciting units of instruction • The library collection was very large

4. Three Major Studies:933 Schools, published 2000 • Alaska - 211 schools, Grades 4, 8, 11 • Pennsylvania - 435 schools, grades 5, 8, 11 • Colorado - 200 schools, grades 4, 7

5. The 21st Century Library Media Center • Consists of a quality information-rich environment: • Books • Multimedia resources • Databases • Electronic periodical collections • Quality Internet sites

6. The New Library Media Center: • Is available in the LMC, • In the classroom, and • On beyond into the Home. • Is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

7. Library Media Center Programs: • Build capable and avid readers • Teach every learner to become effective users of ideas and information • Partner with teachers to create exciting learning experiences • Prepare learners to compete in the information age

8. Strong Library Media Programs • A competent library media professional • The human interface • Paraprofessional staff • Organization/service functions • Technical staff • Technology support for the school

9. Strong Library Media Specialists: • Collaborate with teachers to build quality learning experiences • Teach information literacy (finding, using, and communicating information effectively) • Promote reading

10. Lance Findings in Two States • Pennsylvania (2000) 435 schools • Colorado (2000) 200 schools

11. Comparison of Top 25 Scoring Schools with Lowest 25 Scoring • Staffing in Pennsylvania • Professional staff hours/week • 5h grade 34.31 vs. 29.36 17% difference • 8th grade 38.40 vs. 37.63 2% difference • 11th grade 45.06 vs. 43.25 4% difference • Support staff hours/week • 5th grade 25.92 vs. 12.48 108% difference • 8th grade 30.30 vs. 15.80 92% difference • 11th grade 49.57 vs. 19.28 157% difference

12. Conclusion in Pennsylvania • Support staff was the key difference between strong and weak library media programs. • That is, professionals alone cannot make a major difference because of the load of clerical and technical work.

13. Finding in Colorado • Total library media staff hours/100 students • 4th grade 14.57 vs. 9.38 56% difference • 7th grade 13.00 vs. 10.72 21% difference

14. Conclusion for Colorado: • The total LMC staff size contributes to academic achievement.

15. Second, Invest in Materials and Technology • Create a quality information-rich and technology-rich environment easily accessible by students and teachers.

16. Two Other Study Findings: • Done by Krashen (1993), McQuillan (1998) • Strong library media programs make a difference in academic achievement. • An impact was made on learners who read more from large library media center collections.

17. Research Findings: • Rich curriculum-centered collections boost learning. • Information technology delivering information to the desktop of the learner enhances learning.

18. Today’s LMC Collections include: • Quality Internet sites • Electronic periodicals • Databases • Attractive information books • Multimedia collections • Materials meeting special needs • Materials of high quality

19. Conclusion: • Quality collections are expensive, but they earn their way by boosting achievement.

20. Results of the total investment: • Scores can be expected to be 10-20% higher than in schools without this emphasis.

21. Results are not explained by: • Teacher/pupil ratio • Teacher characteristics (education, experience, salaries) • Student characteristics (poverty, race/ethnicity) • Community demographics (educational attainment, poverty, ethnicity)