Transcript Slide 1

Keith Curry Lance
Marcia J. Rodney
Christine Hamilton-Pennell
RSL Research Group
History / Recent Milestones
• 1993 & 2000 Colorado studies
• 2000-present: successor studies in more than a
dozen states
• $250 million Reed Amendment to
Elementary/Secondary Education Act, 2001
• White House Conference on School Libraries, 2002
• Powering Achievement: School Library Media
Programs Make a Difference: The Evidence Mounts,
2002
• ScholasticLibrary’s “School Libraries Work!” brochure,
2004
• AASL “Your School Library Media Program and No
Child Left Behind” brochure, 2004
Why an Illinois Study?
• Need to speak about impact of school
libraries on Illinois students’ test scores
• Need to show that findings of studies from
other states also apply to Illinois
• Concern about status of school libraries
and librarians in Illinois
• Lack of understanding of the importance of
teaching information literacy
Building Blocks of the Study
• Literature Review
• School Library Survey
• Data
– Test scores
• ISAT Reading & Writing, 5th & 8th
• PSAE Reading & ACT, 11th
– Other school data
– Community data
– Success stories
Types of Analyses
• Bivariate correlation
– Library predictors & test scores
• Comparison of means
– Differences in average scores for schools
with stronger and weaker library programs
• Partial correlation
– Taking into account other school &
community conditions
Library Predictors of
Test Scores
•
•
•
•
Flexible scheduling
Staffing
• Educational
technology
Staff activities
• Expenditures
Collection
• Usage
% increase in achievement
Chart 1. Higher Achievement Associated with More Hours of
Flexible Scheduling in Illinois School Libraries, 2003
15.0%
10.3%
Reading
Writing/ACT *
11.4%
10.0%
5.3%
5.0%
6.2%
4.6%
0.0%
Elementary
Middle
High
Grade Level
* % meeting or exceeding writing standards for elementary and middle school, ACT scores for high school
(narrowly fails statistical significance test at middle & high school levels)
School
Level
Flexible
Hours
Elementary
16
Middle
30
High
35
More flexibly
scheduled hours
→ higher test scores
% increase in achievement
Chart 2. Higher Achievement Associated with Higher Staffing
Levels in Illinois School Libraries, 2003
25.0%
20.0%
15.0%
18.4%
17.3%
Reading
Writing/ACT *
12.7%
10.0%
8.2%
7.4%
4.6%
5.0%
0.0%
Elementary
Middle
High
Grade Level
* % meeting or exceeding writing standards for elementary and middle school, ACT scores for
high school
School
Level
Staff
Hours
Elementary
42
Middle
49
High
70
More library staff
→ higher test scores
% increase in achievement
Chart 3. Higher Achievement Associated with More Weekly
Hours of Librarian Staffing in Illinois Elementary and High
Schools, 2003
10.0%
8.7%
5.0%
4.1%
0.0%
Elementary - Writing
High - ACT*
Grade Level - Test
* % meeting or exceeding writing standards for elementary school,
ACT scores for high school
School
Level
Librarian
Hours
Elementary
30
High
40
More librarians
→ higher test scores
Trained School Librarian &
Flexible Scheduling
During our design process back in 2000-01,
Kathie Rigby, our Learning Center director, was
working on her masters' degree and used
[previous school library research] as the basis for
designing our approach to a learning/media
center at Landmark. We use a flexible delivery
model and have found our LC to be the literacy
hub of our building.
Denise Welter, Principal
Landmark School, McHenry
% increase in
students
meeting/exceeding
standards
Chart 4. Higher ISAT Scores Associated with Illinois
Elementary & Middle School Library Staff Spending More Time
Identifying Materials for Teachers, 2003
15.0%
10.0%
9.5%
13.0%
Reading
Writing
7.6%
6.6%
5.0%
0.0%
Elementary
Middle
Grade Level
School
Level
I.D.
Hours
Elementary
2
Middle
3
More time identifying
materials for teachers
→ higher test scores
Chart 5. Higher ACT Scores Associated with Illinois High
School Library Staff Spending More Time on Selected
Activities, 2003
4.1%
Activity
Motivating students to read
Teaching with teachers
3.6%
Planning with teachers
3.6%
Meeting with library staff from elsewhere
3.1%
Identifying materials for teachers
3.1%
2.5%
Serving on school committees
0.0%
Staff
Activity
Weekly
Hours
ID materials
3
Plan
2
Teach
1
Motivate
1
Committees
1
Library mtgs
1/2
1.0%
2.0%
3.0%
4.0%
% increase in ACT scores
More collaborating &
teaching librarians
→ higher test scores
5.0%
Collaboration in Teaching
Information Literacy
Last year I partnered with 7th grade social studies
teacher Debbie Broadwell and developed an
action research project on the Lewis and Clark
expedition. Along with reinforcing the research
process using the Big6, we developed a one-page
web evaluation checklist and introduced the visible
versus the invisible web. We demonstrated the
importance of evaluating web sites, and provided
an easy tool to use in the process.
Karen Daugherty, Media Center Director
Grissom Middle School, Tinley Park
Chart 6. Higher Achievement Associated with Larger & More
Current Illinois School Library Collections, 2003
12.7%
10.7%
7.1%
6.8%
2.5%
5.0%
5.7%
3.6%
6.8%
8.1%
10.0%
10.7%
13.8%
15.0%
7.6%
Percent increase in
achievement
20.0%
0.0%
Print volumes
Periodical subscriptions
Average copyright year (astronomy)
Collection variable
Elementary - Reading
Elementary - Writing
Middle - Writing
High - ACT*
School
Level
Books
Periodicals
Copyright
Elementary
9,000
12
1990
Middle
8,700
18
1989
High
11,500
39
1983
* % meeting/exceeding reading/writing standards for elementary
and middle school, ACT scores for high school
Larger, newer
collections
→ higher test
scores
3.5%
6.6%
8.4%
5.8%
6.2%
8.3%
6.4%
5.1%
5.0%
7.6%
10.0%
10.7%
15.0%
7.6%
Percent increase in
achievement
Chart 7. Higher Achievement Associated with Illinois School
Libraries Being More Accessible Via Educational Technology,
2003
0.0%
Library computers
Other library-connected computers
Other library-connected Internet
computers per 100 students
Educational Technology variable
Elementary - Reading
Middle - Writing
High - Reading
High - ACT*
School
Level
Library
PCs
Other
PCs
Elementary
9
45
Middle
13
60
High
26
125
* % meeting/exceeding reading/writing standards for elementary
and middle school, ACT scores for high school
More library-connected
computers → higher
test scores
Chart 8. Higher Achievement Associated with Illinois Schools
Spending More on Libraries, 2003
Percent increase in
achievement
15.0%
12.9%
11.6%
9.9%
10.0%
9.1%
6.7%
5.2%
5.0%
Reading
Writing/ACT *
0.0%
Elementary
Middle
Grade Level
High
* % meeting/exceeding writing standards for elementary and middle school, ACT
scores for high school
School
Level
Library
Expenditures
Elementary
$4,500
Middle
$6,250
High
$10,255
More spent on libraries
→ higher test scores
Library Collection &
Expenditures
Our administration decided that investing in the
Learning Resource Center saves money. The
LRC has several different sets of dictionaries [as
well as encyclopedias, thesauri, almanacs,
atlases, and globes] to meet the needs of
students from kindergarten to grade eight.
Teachers have materials when they need them.
The books do not collect dust when not being
used; they are used by other students.
Randee Hudson, Library Media Specialist
Millburn Community CSD 24, Wadsworth
Percent increase in achievement
Chart 9. Higher Achievement Associated with Higher Usage of
Illinois Middle & High School Libraries, 2003
12.0%
10.3%
8.5%
8.0%
Middle - Writing
High - ACT*
4.0%
4.6%
3.6%
3.1%
0.0%
Individual visits
Group visits
Group visits for info literacy
instruction
Library Usage variable
* % meeting/exceeding writing standards for middle school, ACT scores for high
school
School
Level
Group
visits
Group
info lit
visits
Middle
18
8
High
16
10
More group visits—
especially for Info Lit
→ higher test scores
After-School Hours & Library Usage
At Niles West High School, we began staying open on
Monday-Thursday nights from 3:00 to 7:00 about five
years ago.
Extended hours [are] a phenomenal success:
 We keep [popular] materials on reserve so that they will
be available [to] all students.
 Access to computers and the Internet is extremely
important for those students who do not have Internet
access at home.
 The IRC is an effective place for students to meet to
complete their group projects. It is a central location with
all of the resources needed.
Penny Swartz, Information Resource Center Coordinator
Niles West High School, Skokie
Other School & Community
Conditions
•
•
•
•
Household income
Per pupil expenditures
Teacher-pupil ratio
Students’ race/ethnicity
 Relationship regardless of each of 4 control
variables
 Relationship in spite of all control variables except
household income
X Relationship despite at least two control variables
Elementary
Library Predictor
Hours
Flexible scheduling
Middle
ISAT
Reading
ISAT
Writing
ISAT
Reading
ISAT
Writing


X
X
Staff
Number of
librarians
High
PSAE
Reading
ACT

X




Weekly librarian
hours


Number of library
staff

X



Weekly library staff
hours


X


Elementary
Middle
High
ISAT
Reading
ISAT
Writing
ISAT
Reading
ISAT
Writing
PSAE
Reading
ACT
Collection
Print volumes






Periodical
subscriptions














X
X
X
X


Library Predictor
Average copyright
year (astronomy)
Educational
Technology
Library computers

Other libraryconnected
computers

Elementary
ISAT
Writing
PSAE
Reading
ACT




Individual visits



Group visits

--for info literacy
instruction

Expenditures
Total library
expenditures
Usage
Circulation
ISAT
Writing
High
ISAT
Reading
Library Predictor
ISAT
Reading
Middle
X



