Strong School Library Media Programs Make a Difference in Academic Achievement

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

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

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

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

Step One: Create a quality information-rich and technology-rich environment easily accessible by students and teachers.

Step Two: Employ professional and support personnel in the library media center who provide leadership and tireless partnering.

Results: Learners and teachers who take advantage of the strong library media center can expect: Capable and avid readers Learners who are information literate Teachers who are partnering to create high-quality learning experiences

Impact: Scores can be expected to be 10-20% higher than in schools without this emphasis.

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