VDOE Technology, Leverage Your Library Program and Leave No Child Behind! Audrey P. Church Coordinator, School Library Media Program, Longwood University

Educational Technology Leadership Leave No Child Behind Technology Integration— Charting the Course Leverage Your Library Program!

Academic Achievement? TEST SCORES! Newspaper Accounts Virginia Department of Education Web site—Virginia School Report Card

“Evidence of the positive impact of school librarians on students’ academic achievement abounds. Over the past 40 years, dozens of studies conducted throughout the United States and abroad have produced conclusive evidence that this relationship exists.” Dr. Keith Curry Lance, Director, Colorado-based Library Research Service

TEN Recent Statewide Studies 1.The Impact of School Library Media Centers on Academic Achievement, Colorado, Information Empowered: The School Librarian as an Agent of Academic Achievement, Alaska, Measuring Up to Standards: The Impact of School Library Programs & Information Literacy in Pennsylvania Schools, How School Librarians Help Kids Achieve Standards: The Second Colorado Study, 2000

5.School Libraries and MCAS Scores, Massachusetts, Baughman, Good Schools Have School Librarians: Oregon School Librarians Collaborate to Improve Academic Achievement, Texas School Libraries: Standards, Resources, Services, and Students’ Performance, Smith, 2001

8.Make the Connection: Quality School Library Media Programs Impact Academic Achievement in Iowa, How School Librarians Improve Outcomes for Children: The New Mexico Study, An Essential Connection: How Quality School Library Media Programs Improve Student Achievement in North Carolina, Robert Burgin and Pauletta Brown Bracy, 2003

Four Key Findings from the Studies

1. Test scores rise… with the level of development of school libraries (staff, collection, program and activities).

2. Test scores rise… as the library media specialist becomes more involved in leadership and collaboration to foster information literacy skills instruction.

What is information literacy? “the ability to access information, evaluate what you find, and use it” Access—from using indexes to appropriate search tools to Boolean logic Evaluate—from forming focusing questions to taking notes effectively to evaluating Web sites Use—responsibly, ethically using information to create a meaningful product

3. Test scores rise… with the extent to which information technology is utilized beyond the reach of the library walls.

What is involved in information technology? Efficient and effective use of information resources such as The online catalog The Internet Subscription databases

Online Catalogs

The Internet

Subscription Databases

Subscription Database--Infotrac 

Subscription Database--InfoTrac  Kid’s Edition

Subscription Database--SIRS Knowledge Source 

Subscription Database--SIRS Discoverer 

4. Test scores rise… as the library media specialist takes an active role in instructional activities in the school.

Collaboration Leadership Technology

Jamie McKenzie states… IT (Information Technology) does not transform schools by ITself. It is time we replace the term IT with IL (Information Literacy). IT is about flow—the movement of information through networks of various kinds. IL is about developing understanding and insight. From Beyond Technology: Questioning, Research and the Information Literate School, 2000

Nine Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning Information Literacy—Students are able to 1. Access information efficiently and effectively 2. Evaluate information critically and competently 3. Use information accurately and creatively

Nine Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning Independent Learning—Students are information literate and are able to 4. Pursue information for their own personal interests 5. Appreciate literature and other creative expressions of information 6. Strive for excellence in information seeking and knowledge generation

Nine Information Literacy Standards for Student Learning Social Responsibility—Students who contribute positively to the learning community and society are information literate and 7. Recognize the importance of information in a democratic society 8. Practice ethical behavior in regard to information technology 9. Participate effectively in groups to pursue and generate information

Commonalities to Content Areas NCTE/IRA NCSS NSTA NCTM ACTFL Etc.

Element of INFORMATION LITERACY Recognizing the need for information Constructing key questions to focus research/information need Accessing/finding information Evaluating the information that is found Using that information creatively, responsibly, and ethically

Integrating Information Literacy and Information Technology into the Curriculum…

Understanding/Proper Use of INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Science 4.5: The student will investigate and understand how plants and animals in an ecosystem interact with one another and the nonliving environment. Key concepts include…habitats and niches.

Sample Internet Search

Sample Database Search

Sample Subject Search Results from SIRS Discoverer™ Search for Animals Habitats

Sample Database Search

Sample Search Results from SIRS Researcher 

Key Questions… How much do test scores go up? What difference does a strong library media program make? Can using your library impact student achievement? Can you leverage your library program to leave no child behind?

The second Colorado study reports that “CSAP [Colorado Student Assessment Program] reading scores tend to run 18 percent higher in fourth grade and 10 to 15 percent higher in seventh” when library media predictors are maximized.

The Pennsylvania study reports that “PSSA [Pennsylvania System of School Assessment] reading scores tend to run 10 to 15 points higher” when library media predictors are maximized.

For Academic Achievement… Utilize the library media specialist as MORE than a resource person…as an instructional partner who specializes in information

“The nation’s future depends on the next generation’s ability to compete in a new world that places information, critical thinking, and problem solving at a premium.

The research is mounting that young people and teachers are at risk if they lack the types of information technology a strong library media program can deliver.” Powering Achievement, p. v.

Strong school library media programs make a significant difference in academic achievement!

Use the library to boost your test scores and student learning! Fully utilize library information resources—collection and person—to positively impact student learning!

Leverage Your Library Program and Leave No Child Behind! Use your library media specialist as the active instructional partner that he/she is! Maximize the potential that is there!

“A healthy, dynamic library will do more for the academic success of a school and community than any stand-alone curricular program can buy.” Edward Gonzalez, Principal, Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, Madera, CA, AASL’s Administrator of the Year, 2003

Every Student your library! School library media programs are critical to the learning experience. School library media specialists are crucial to the teaching and learning process. School library media centers are places of opportunity. American Association of School Librarians

Audrey P. Church Coordinator, School Library Media Program, Longwood University