Presentation to the School Board of the Hickman Mills C-1 School District Created by Lea Rothmier, Santa Fe LMS & Cindy Welsh, Ingels LMS March 22, 2011

Our media specialists improve student achievement through…

 Information skills  Library skills  Research skills  Internet safety  Evaluation of sources  Love of literature  Introduction to books  Care of resources  LMS is a certified teacher w/additional specialty degree

In elementary schools with a certified (vs. non-certified) library media specialist, students have significantly higher achievement scores on the 4th grade ELA test. Source: Small, Ruth V., Jaime Snyder, and Katie Parker. New York State’s School Libraries and Library Media Specialists: An Impact Study. Preliminary Report. Syracuse, NY: Center for Digital Literacy, Syracuse University, user_1/Preliminary_Report_Small.pdf. user_1/Preliminary_Report_Small.pdf.

 Evaluate and select materials to support curriculum  Catalog and prepare books for the shelves  Manage and maintain (including weeding) the collection to keep it updated for students and staff  Arrange collection to meet the needs of the students  Design, promote, and manage reading programs  Create partnerships with schools and organizations for learning opportunities and donations  Apply for & awarded grants:  Hickman Mills Ed. Foundation  “We the People” Bookshelf  We the People “Picturing America”  First Book/Target

School library media centers and services account for 10.6 percent of the variation in student achievement as measured by the MAP. More specifically, library usage, summer reading programs, and library access have the most effect on student achievement. Implementing the three components requires the human “touch” of the school library media specialist. Source: Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Missouri State Library. Show Me Connection: How School Library Media Center Services Affect Student Achievement. DESE, pdf pdf

 Building-wide programs including summer reading packets for students  District Programs (ReadtoSucceed)  RIF (Reading Is Fundamental)  Book Fairs  Book Clubs, Read Across America, Read For the Record, and Book It!  Support of Mid-Continent Public Library Summer & RAFT programs  Use of Web 2.0 tools to encourage the development of reading and writing skills of students with each other and their teachers  Participation in local & state reading programs: Show-Me, Mark Twain, KC3, Building Block, Truman, and Gateway

The presence of a teacher-librarian was the single strongest predictor of reading enjoyment for both grades 3 and 6 students. Larger schools tended to have higher average reading enjoyment scores, and are also more likely to have teacher- librarians. Schools with teacher-librarians could be expected to have reading enjoyment scores that were 8 percentile points higher than average. Source: Ontario Library Association, Queen’s University, and People for Education. School Libraries & Student Achievement in Ontario. Toronto: Ontario Library Association, rec_docs/137_eqao_pfe_study_2006.pdf. rec_docs/137_eqao_pfe_study_2006.pdf.

 Building  Teach staff new technology, skills, and use of print and electronic resources  In-service training  Serve on key school committees  District  Serve on curriculum and textbook committees  Collaboration of new and innovative resources  Sharing of successful reading strategies and programs  Local/State  Professional organizations – IRA, MASL, GKCASL  Active members & presenters

Occurrence of various activities on at least a weekly or monthly basis: Teachers asking the library media specialist for instructional design resources (78%). Teachers asking for help in learning new information- seeking skills (57%). About half of library media specialists reported that, on a weekly or monthly basis, they provide in-service learning opportunities to teachers (48%). Across grade levels, better-performing schools tended to be those whose principals placed a higher value on having their library media specialist provide in-service opportunities to classroom teachers (65.57% passing for essential or desirable vs % passing for acceptable or unnecessary—a proportional increase of 29.5%). Source: Keith Curry Lance, Marcia J. Rodney, and Becky Russell. How Students, Teachers, and Principals Benefit from Strong School Libraries: The Indiana Study

 Collaborate with classroom teachers to teach and integrate literature and information skills into the curriculum  Collaborate with teachers in the design and delivery of instruction  Partner with classroom teachers on projects to assist students with a variety of resources, conduct research and present their findings  Collaborate with building principals, reading specialists, reading coaches, and teachers to align library program with building goals, district curriculum, and state & national standards  Science Fair Club that supports the science curriculum by focusing on the scientific process and culminating in a finished product that competes in the Greater KC Science & Engineering Fair

Students whose library media specialists played an instructional role— either by identifying materials to be used with teacher-planned instructional units or by collaborating with teachers in planning instructional units—tend to achieve higher average test scores. Source: Lance, Keith Curry, Marcia J. Rodney, and Christine Hamilton-Pennell. How School Librarians Help Kids Achieve Standards: The Second Colorado Study. Colorado State Library and Colorado Department of Education, April ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/ b/80/16/84/2f.pdf ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/ b/80/16/84/2f.pdf

 LMSs promote the library program through:  Newsletters  Wikis  Building Websites  Family Literacy Nights  Local newspapers, district quarterly report, fliers to families  National library journals  Presentations

One of the cornerstones of No Child Left Behind is teaching children how to read. School libraries play a critical role by providing children with books and resources so that they can improve their reading skills and achieve at high levels. —Margaret Spelling, Secretary of Education. Improving Achievement through School Libraries. July

Managing Staff  LMS trains and supervises media center personnel to perform duties efficiently Source: Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Missouri State Library. Guidelines for Performance-Based Library Media Specialist Evaluation. DESE, 2000.

School library media specialists should have clerical help to allow the professional to work directly with students and teachers, as this factor affects library usage, which affects student achievement. Source: Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Missouri State Library. Show Me Connection: How School Library Media Center Services Affect Student Achievement. DESE, h.pdf h.pdf

 Access to quality collections in a variety of formats (print, electronic, audiovisual, etc.)  Access to computers for individual students and classrooms for research, testing, presentations, and learning  Space for students to work individually or in small/large groups on research and collaborative projects  Meeting space before and after school for clubs, LINC, and student tutoring

Library media specialists have an important role to play regarding the use of technology to support teaching and learning in their schools. Seventy-four percent of respondents provide guidance to students in the use of digital resources at least once a week. Source: Small, Ruth V., Jaime Snyder, and Katie Parker. New York State’s School Libraries and Library Media Specialists: An Impact Study. Preliminary Report. Syracuse, NY: Center for Digital Literacy, Syracuse University, user_1/Preliminary_Report_Small.pdf. user_1/Preliminary_Report_Small.pdf.

Libraries are the heart of our schools...

Credentialed school library media professionals promote, inspire, and guide students toward a love of reading, a quest for knowledge, and a thirst for lifelong learning. —“In Support of Credentialed Library Media Professionals in School Library Media Centers.” A Summary of a Board Resolution of the International Reading Association. May 2000.