Dear Principal, Take a look at what the library can do for your school!

1. Dear Principal,Take a look at what the library can do for your school! Layla Mayfield MEDT 6466 Fall 2012

2. Every school needs a great library!! • School libraries are a powerful force in the lives of America’s children. • It has be documented empirically that the school library contributes to student academic achievement. The results of school library contributions cannot be explained away by other influences on student performances. Based on the study by Keith Curry Lance, PH.D.

3. Libraries have a positive Effect on test scores! James C. Baughman performed a study in Massachusetts concerning how libraries effect schools. A survey was sent out and based on study results, it was found that schools with libraries had higher test scores that schools without libraries. Based on a study by James C. Baughman, Ph. D. 2000

4. School libraries work for students! “Across the United States, research has shown that students in schools with good school libraries learn more, get better grades, and score higher on standardized test scores than their peers in schools without libraries. From Alaska to North Carolina, more than 60 studies have shown clear evidence of this connection between student achievement and the presence of school libraries with qualified school library media specialists.”(2008) Based on Scholastic Research and Results, 2008 U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science

5. Students, teachers, and principals can benefit from strong school libraries! Keith Curry Lance, Marcia J. Rodney, Becky Russell, and the RSL Research Group conducted a study of student achievement due to libraries in Indiana. The findings from this study were that “students tended to perform better on the ISTEP+ tests where there were better-staffed, better- stocked, and better-funded school library programs.” (Lance, 2010)

6. Check out these other studies: • Colorado: A study conducted in 2000 showed that students in elementary schools with highly collaborative relationships between teachers and school librarians scored 21% higher than students with less collaborative relationships on the Colorado Student Assessment Program, or CSAP (Lance, Rodney, & Hamilton-­‐Pennell, 2000). • Indiana: A 2006 study showed that when principals put an emphasis on in-­‐ service opportunities for collaboration between teachers and school librarians, there was an increase in test scores of 29.5% compared to those who placed a lower emphasis on such activities. Additionally, collaboration in curriculum design and delivery of instruction resulted in a 7.8% increase in test results. It should be noted that these relationships were evident in both the elementary and high school grade levels (Scholastic , 2008). • Illinois: A 2005 study involving high schools showed that American College Testing (ACT) scores were highest for 11th graders when there was a high degree of collaboration between school librarians and teachers across a range of activities such as identifying materials, planning lessons, and motivating students to read. • Oregon: A study indicated that schools with the best Oregon Statewide Assessment reading and language scores had teachers who were twice as likely to collaborate with school librarians. Furthermore, students in such classes were over 3 times more likely to visit the school library (Scholastic , 2008). All information from the New York Comprehensive Center’s study, “Informational Brief: Impact of Student Libraries on Student Achievement” (2011)

7. Did you know….. • Incremental increases in the following have be proven to have an impact in the enhancement of student learning: • Access to the library for both the class visits and the individual visits should be increased; • Current technology with connectivity to databases and automated collections; • Collaboration time for teachers and library media specialists; • Librarians providing professional development for teachers and being involved in school matters. Based on research by Debra E. Kachel, Instructor at Mansfield University, 2011

8. Well-funded and staffed libraries are essential to student achievement! • According to a study in Colorado, it was found that “for elementary schools that have at least one full-time endorsed librarian, the percentage of third, fourth, and fifth grade students scoring proficient or advanced in reading is consistently higher than for schools with lower staffing levels.” (Lance, 2008) • The same study found that “elementary schools with larger expenditures tend to have a higher percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced in reading.” (Lance, 2008) Based on study by Keith Curry Lance, 2008

9. What your library media specialist does for the school…. • An LMS should see teaching as their main function resulting in their coworkers seeing them as a vital part of the instructional process. The LMS role can be beneficial in student academic growth. • LMS plays a crucial role in successful collaboration. They should be knowledgeable about the curriculum, information literacy instruction, and the maintenance of the school library collections. LMS are also instrumental in the transition of the CCGPS • The LMS should have good people skills and be the principal’s support system as agents of change. Information based on “The Impact of Michigan School Librarians on Academic Achievement: Kids Who Have Libraries Succeed.”

10. Being Knowledgeable in Technology is a must in today’s schools and the library can offer technology skills for students!! • When it comes to technology, the LMS is a leader in the school. • The LMS is critical in designing student experiences that support technology. • “Information Power” stresses the importance of collaboration, , technology, and leadership when it comes to the library. The LMS should be proficient in all of these. Based on “Information Power: Building a Partnership for Learning

11. Libraries create a sense of community in a school.

12. References American Association of School Librarians. (1998). Information power building partnerships for learning. Chicago: American Library Association. Baughman, J. (October, 2000 26). School libraries and mcas scores. Retrieved from http://web.simmons.edu/~baughman/mcas-school-libraries/Baughman Paper.pdf Francis , B., Lance, K., & Lietzau, Z. (November, 2010). School librarians continue to help students achieve standards: The third colorado study. Retrieved from http://www.lrs.org/documents/closer_look/CO3_2010_Closer_Look_Report.pdf Hamilton-Pennel, C., Lance, K., & Rodney, M. (n.d.). The impact of michigan school libraries on student achievement: Kids who have libraries succeed. Retrieved from http://www.michigan.gov/documents/hal_lm_schllibstudy03_76626_7.pdf Katchel, D. (2011). School library research summarized: A graduate class project. Informally published manuscript, School Library and Information Technologies, Mansfield University, Mansfield, PA, Retrieved from http://libweb.mansfield.edu/upload/kachel/ImpactStudy.pdf Lance, K., Rodney, M., & Russel, B. (2007). How students, teachers,and principles benefit from strong school libraries. New York Comprehensive Center. (October, 2011). Informational brief: Impact of school libraries on school achievement . Retrieved from http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/nyla/nycc_school_library_brief.pdf