Research Finding: A certain level of investment in the LMC program is necessary to expect improved achievement. What level of investment is required to make a significant difference?

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

Comparison of 25 Top Scoring vs. 25 Lowest Scoring Schools Staffing in Pennsylvania Professional staff hours/week 5th 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

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.

Finding in Colorado Total library media staff hours/100 students 4th grade 14.67 vs. 9.38 56% difference 7th grade 13.00 vs. 10.72 21% difference

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

Budget investment for five states Pennsylvania Colorado Texas Iowa New Mexico

25 Highest Scoring vs. 25 Lowest Scoring Schools Pennsylvania budget for LMC materials 5th grade $7,240 vs. $4,928 47% difference in scores 8th grade $14,506 vs. $8,386 73% difference in scores 11th grade $23,730 vs. 14,197 67% difference in scores

LMC Materials Expenditures per Student Selected States & Grade Levels State/Level Highest Scoring Lowest Scoring Percent Difference CO Elem $21.60 $14.00 54% CO Middle $22.33 $13.44 66% TX Elem $36.02 $16.52 118% TX Middle $30.30 $20.60 47% TX High $57.47 $23.92 140% IA Elem $16.85 $14.67 15% IA Middle $25.55 $21.98 16% IA High $23.38 $22.20 5% NM High $25.49 $22.08

Conclusion In all states studied, higher achieving schools spend more on materials for their library media programs.

Materials available in the LMC in six states Pennsylvania Colorado Texas Oregon Iowa New Mexico

25 Highest Scoring vs. 25 Lowest Scoring Schools Pennsylvania print volumes 5th grade 10,857 vs. 8,876 22% difference in scores 8th grade 13,507 vs. 10,744 26% difference in scores 11th grade 15,474 vs. 14,499 7% difference in scores

Volumes Per Capita Highest & Lowest Scoring Schools in CO, TX, OR, IA & NM School Level Highest Scoring Lowest Scoring Percent Difference Elementary 29 24 21% Middle 28 22 27% High 26 11%

Conclusion Stronger LMCs have richer print collections and this contributes to academic achievement. They also have stronger periodical and electronic collections