The Leadership Role of the Library Media Specialist and the Impact a Library Program has on Student Achievement Anne Abney, Sarah Ball, Jennifer Cupp, and Kindal Smith MEDT 6466

“Library Media Specialists should be the educational leaders of a building.” (Harvey, 2008)

The Library Media Specialist as a Leader in the School LMS should: 1. volunteer for leadership roles in the school. 2. articulate and communicate student-focused goals. 3. be knowledgeable about resources...seeking new and innovative resources and technology. 4. initiate collaboration that will lead to co-teaching. 5. interact with students, teachers, and administrators positively.

The Library Media Specialist as a Leader in the Classroom LMS should: 1. Monitor student-learning and adjust instruction as needed. 2. Design instruction but allow room for students to discover “the big picture.” 3. Personalize instruction tailored (if possible) to student interest. Make them care about their projects and research, and they will become engaged.

Ways for LMS to be leaders in the school 1. The LMS recognizes school restructuring and use it as a tool for a leadership role. 2. Offer teacher in-service programs to increase professional skills. 3. Identify strengths and weaknesses; conduct a needs analysis. 4. Reach out to those in charge for professional development opportunities. 5. Utilize your network of contacts for professional development...bring in outside speakers, sources, and ideas. 6. Conduct a book study for new teachers to help assert your leadership and introduce yourself and your library skills to the new teachers. 7. Conducting in-service opportunities and lessons will allow teachers to see the LMS as an integral part of teaching, not an occasional collaborator.

Library Media Specialists and how they help the Principal 1. Library media specialists have to understand the importance of school improvement plans (SIP); be involved with curriculum development; collaborate with teachers for (SIP). 2. LMS need to have a strong commitment to curriculum, instruction and assessment. They must work with people, administration and support staff. 3. A Library Media Specialist as a leader should, “make learning more meaningful to students and teaching more meaningful to teachers.” (Harvey, 2008)

Information is Power Image from: Media Centers provide Information Power

The LMS and Information Power  The library media specialist's leadership role is one of the central themes presented in Information Power.  Leadership is crucial to "guiding the effective library media specialist and for infusing all the activities, services, and functions of an effective, student-centered program." (AASL 1998)

Several studies support the importance of the librarian and library program.

The Lance Studies

Powering Achievement: School Library Media Programs Make a Difference  1993: Dr. Keith Lance and others conducted research at 220 Colorado schools and discovered academic achievement was affected when:  There was a professional media specialist on site  The LMS collaborated regularly with teachers and other staff members to create exciting learning experiences for the students  The media center contained a wide variety of print and electronic resources  1998/99: Schools in Alaska and Pennsylvania became part of Dr. Lance’s research in order to prove the results were not indigenous to Colorado. (Lance and Loertscher)

Will student achievement increase if more resources flow into the media program?  Academic achievement increases as quality information streams from the library into classrooms and homes.  Students who are “connected” to the media program regularly interact with a pool of high quality information easily available at school and home. (Lance and Loertscher)

YES!  Higher achievement on tests:  In Pennsylvania, 5 th grade students who were “connected” to the media program scored 385% higher than those who were not:  8 th grade: 51%  11 th grade: 47% (Lance and Loertscher)

Something to Shout About…  In another study conducted by Dr. Lance and Linda Hofschire in 2011, reading scores of 4 th graders from decreased with the layoffs of media specialists.  Using data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), fewer librarians=lower student reading performance/scores.  The scores were only affected by cuts in the media program, not in other staffing areas. (Lance and Hofschire)

Barbara Stripling, director of library services, New York City Department of Education  “Principals don’t understand what a librarian brings to the position that an aide or parent volunteer cannot. If libraries are kept open by volunteers, then they become little more than warehouses. The negative impact on student achievement may not be immediately evident, but it will be substantial.” (Lance and Hofschire)

The Facts  19/26 states that gained librarians saw an average of 2.2% increase in NAEP scores  9/24 states who lost librarians saw an average of 1% decrease in NAEP scores  Achievement is double in schools that do not cut media programs. (Lance and Hofschire)

ELL Students  Overall, the average reading score decreased for ELL students; however, for schools that gained librarians, there was no decline.  An LMS can provide:  Targeted individual tutoring  Reading motivation programs  A diverse collection (Lance and Hofschire)

Connie Williams, teacher-librarian  “The greatest impact we’ll see on students as their libraries disappear is the disappearance of the community that a school library creates—not just as a learning environment, but as a place for students to come to meet up with each other, to create together, to find something good to read and have someone there to talk to them about it, a place to be inspired—and then motivated.” (Lance and Hofschire)

What will the media program do with the extra funding to ensure an increase in student achievement?  Dr. Lance’s study proves that student academic achievement increases as sustaining budgets keep the information rich and the environment current and of high quality.  In other words, higher achieving schools have higher media program budgets:  5 th grade: 47% difference in budget  8 th grade: 73% difference in budget  11 th grade: 67% difference in budget (Lance and Loertscher)

Continued…  Those extra dollars will translate into:  a richer and more current print collection  a wider variety of periodicals  an electronic collection full of the latest up-to-date information (Lance and Loertscher)

Not just a monetary investment…  According to Dr. Lance’s studies, achievement scores are likely to rise 10%-20% if a library media program is given the means to provide students with current information on a regular basis.  The LMS must be allowed to do his/her job as a professional in the field of education.  The leadership and vision as well as hard work and dedication to the students will also contribute to an increase in student achievement. (Lance and Loertscher)

Academic achievement increases as easy access is the norm.

The Baughman Studies

What is the Baughman study?  In this study, the schools of Massachusetts are targeted because this state falls near the bottom of every list of in terms of library access and instructional materials from a library provided to students.  This study shows the correlation of student achievement and an adequate school library program.  Only 92% of Massachusetts schools have school libraries.

The studies indicated:  Schools with library programs showed to score higher on standardized tests than schools that had no library program.  Higher standardized test scores are found in schools with higher book to student ratios.  Student use of the library and hours the library is available also showed impact on standardized test scores.  Schools that spent more per student on library materials also showed higher standardized test scores.

Additionally…  At the elementary level, higher test scores resulted when the school library program was aligned with state standards.

What needs to happen to make a library foster student achievement?  At all levels (elementary, middle, and high school) the following areas were cited as areas of needed improvement in order to help student achievement: The hours of the library need to be expanded (i.e.being open before and after school). The student to book ratio should be higher.

The following were found to need improvement in at least two levels of schools: Full time staffing of the library is imperative. Expenditures should be increased per student for library materials.

Other key comments from this study  A school library is imperative for resource based instructional programs that follow frameworks.  It is also shown that students from an economically disadvantaged school without a library score lower on standardized tests than those economically disadvantaged schools with libraries.

Additional Studies

Studies across the states show: School library programs lead to higher scores on standardized tests  Iowa  reading test scores rose with the development of school library programs  North Carolina  School library programs have a significant impact on student achievement as measured by scores on standardized tests  New Mexico  Achievement test scores rise with the development of school library programs  Massachusetts  Schools with library programs have higher state assessment (MCAS) scores

Staffing and Test Scores  In Florida where library programs are staffed 60 hours or more a week:  Elementary Schools: test scores showed an overall improvement of 9%  Middle Schools: test scores showed an overall improvement of 3.3%  High Schools: test scores showed an overall improvement of 22.2%! …over the scores of schools staffed less than 60 hours a week.

Staffing and Test Scores  Studies in Alaska show:  Students in schools with full time teacher-librarians were almost twice as likely as those without teacher-librarians to score average or above average on achievement tests (Lance, Hamilton-Pennell, and Rodney, 2000)

Staffing and Test Scores  Minnesota  Schools with above-average scores on grades 3, 5, & 8 reading tests were those where the library media specialists worked full time.  Improvement in student reading achievement in all grade levels is linked to increased spending in the school library media program. (Baxter and Smalley, 2003)

Staffing and Test Scores  Oregon  Increased reading scores are linked to increased improvement in staffing, collection, and budget in the library media program.  Pennsylvania  The relationship between adequate staffing in the library media center (at least one full-time certified media specialist and one full-time support staff member) and state reading scores “is both positive and statistically significant”.

Materials and Higher Test Scores  Studies conducted in 2002 by Rodney, Lance, and Hamilton- Pennell showed Students in elementary schools that had the highest ITBS reading scores were found to use more than two and a half times more books and materials during library visits than students at schools with lower scores.

Collaboration and Test Scores  When library media specialists collaborate with teachers they “enrich curriculum content [and] help create more authentic learning experiences” (School Libraries Work!, 2008).  Studies in Colorado showed:  Elementary school students with librarians who collaborated with teachers in delivering instruction scored 21% higher on their state assessment

Collaboration and Test Scores  Studies in Indiana found:  Students from all grade levels, who came from schools where the principal valued teacher-library media specialist collaboration, performed higher on their state tests.  Studies in Illinois found:  11 th grade ACT scores are the higher with a greater level of collaboration between media specialists and teachers.

More Studies Show Similar Findings  “Across the United States, research has shown that students in schools with good libraries learn more, get better grades, and score higher on standardized tests scores than their peers in schools without libraries” (School Libraries Work!, 2008).  Over 60 studies show the connection between student achievement and the presence of good library media programs with certified library media specialists.

The Bottom Line  A school without an adequate school library program, or no library at all, is not allowing for student achievement to reach full potential.  Evidence shows that students that are exposed to an efficient library program score higher on standardized tests.

Schools have a responsibility  According to the standards set forth by Information Power:  “The student who is information literate accesses information efficiently and effectively.”  “The student who is information literate evaluates information critically and competently.”  “The student who is information literate uses information accurately and creatively.” FOSTERING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT BEGINS IN THE LIBRARY!

“What a school thinks about its library is a measure of what it thinks about education.” --Harold Howe former U.S. Commissioner of Education

References  American Association of School Librarians. Information Power: Building Partnerships for Learning. American Library Association, Retrieved from  Baughman, J.C. (2000). School Libraries and MCAS Scores. Retrieved from libraries/Baughman%20Paper.pdf libraries/Baughman%20Paper.pdf  Besara, R. (2007). Library media specialist leadership and national board certification. School Library Monthly, 23(5), Retrieved from  Franklin, P., & Stephens, C. G. (2009). The inner teacher-leader-the staff developer. School Library Monthly, 25(7), Retrieved from  Harvey,Carl A.,,II. (2008). Questions for an administrator. School Library Monthly, 25(2), Retrieved from

References (cont.)  Lance, Keith, & David V. Loertscher. (2000). Powering achievement: school library media programs make a difference. LMC Source. Retrieved from  Lance, Keith Curry, & Linda Hofschire. (2011). Something to shout about: new research shows that more librarians means higher reading scores. School Library Journal. Retrieved from t_about_new.html.csp t_about_new.html.csp  School libraries work! [Research Foundation Paper]. (2008). Retrieved from Scholastic Research and Results website: 008.pdf  Zmuda, A., & Harada, V. H. (2008). librarians as learning specialists: moving from the margins to the mainstream of school leadership. Teacher Librarian, 36(1),