Transcript Dear Mr. Principal

Media Specialists…
Leading the way to better
student achievement!
There are a variety of studies
that have been conducted on
how strong library programs
improve student academic
achievement.
I would like to present research conducted by Keith C. Lance and Dr. James C
Baughman, Ph.D. on the benefits of a strong media program in schools. I think
you will find the research speaks for itself and I consider myself a leader in
implementing research based effective programs in our school media center!
Baughman’s Research Findings
based on the Education System of
Massachusetts
The following study done by Baughman shows a direct link
between MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive
Assessment System) scores and the continuation (or value)
of school libraries. A strong body of evidence shows that
at all educational level school libraries directly influence
student achievement.
Strong School Libraries EQUAL Strong
Student Achievement
 The Simmons Study of school libraries, based on a
statewide survey, confirm the value of school libraries.
 Schools with library programs have higher MCAS
(Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System)
scores.
 Students score higher on MCAS tests when there is a higher
per pupil book count.
 School libraries with more open hours score higher on the
MCAS tests.
 Average MCAS scores are higher in schools with larger per
pupil expenditures for school library materials.
 Students who are served by a full- time school librarian
have higher MCAS scores than those in schools without a
full-time librarian.
 Students score higher on the MCAS tests when the library is
aligned with the state curriculum frameworks. (This fact is
especially true in schools that have a high percentage of
free school lunches.)
A 1987 news column in American
Libraries reported this
conclusion:
“Of all the expenditures that influence a
school’s effectiveness— including those for
facilities, teachers, guidance services, and
others—the level of expenditures for library and
media services has the highest correlation with
student achievement” (Baughman, 2000).
Lance Studies Provide
Proof that School Media
Centers Improve Student
Achievement
Lance’s research involving the
Colorado School System found
that with an increase in
•Library Media programs
•Program development
•Information technology
•Teacher/media specialist
collaboration
•Individual visits to the
media center
•The results were reading
skills and scores on state
required tests improve.
 Colorado Student Assessment
Program (CSAP) reading test
scores increased when library
media specialists spent more
time:
•planning cooperatively with
teachers
•identifying materials for teachers
•teaching information literacy
skills to students
•providing in-service training to
teachers
•managing a computer network
through which the library media
program reaches beyond its own
walls to classrooms, labs, and
offices
Anything else?
 Lance’s results also found
 Allowing students to visit the media center as an individual,
not with the whole class, is also a strong indicator of higher
test scores.
 The Middle Schools that report a high number of students
visiting on an individual basis also produce high test scores.
 When Library Media predictors are maximized (e.g.,
staffing, expenditures, and information resources and
technology), CSAP reading scores tend to run 18 percent
higher in fourth grade and 10 to 15 percent higher in
seventh.
Students Will Achieve when
Given the Tools
 More full-time media staff
 Larger collections of periodicals and
instructional videos
 Better-networked online resources made
accessible via computers in the library as
well as in classrooms, labs, and offices
 Higher total library expenditures
 Heavier use, as indicated by both library
visits and circulation
All children benefit from a school
media program
 Children from schools with high free/reduced lunch
program can learn effectively when we make a serious
effort to provide them with school library resources and
services.
 When students from a lower socioeconomic community
have a library media program they perform better than a
similar school with no library program.
The evidence shows an unmistakable added advantage for
lower socioeconomic children who attend schools with
good school library programs. As Jonathan Kozol wrote
in School Library Journal [in 2000],
“Few forms of theft are quite as
damaging to inner-city children as
the denial of a well-endowed school
library.”
Policies and Procedures in the Media
Center at High Achieving Schools
•Flexibly scheduled access to the library
•Collaboration between the school librarian and classroom
teachers in the design and delivery of instruction
•Provision of in-service professional development
opportunities to teachers by the librarian
•Appointment of the librarian to key school committees
•Regular meetings between librarian and principal
•Addressing the instructional role of the librarian during
teacher hiring interviews
PRINCIPLES OF INFORMATION
POWER
Leadership
Collaboration
•LMS meets regularly
with principal
•LMS identifies materials
for teachers
Library Media
Program
Development
•Total staff per 100 students
•LMS serves on
standards committee
•LMS serves on
curriculum committee
•LM staff meet at
building level
•LMS teaches
information literacy to
students
•LMS provides in-service
training to teachers
•Volumes per student
Periodical subscriptions per
100 students
•Library media expenditures
per student
Last words…
Schools with well-developed library media programs
average 10-15%/18% higher reading scores.
When library media staff collaborate with classroom
teachers, reading scores average increases of 8%/1821%.
When schools have computer networks that extend the
library media program’s reach into classrooms and labs,
reading scores rise 6-13%/18-25%.
When access to library media centers is scheduled
flexibly, reading scores improve 13-22%.
Collaboration activities are more likely to occur where
the library media specialist is a school leader.
References

(2012). Library research service. Retrieved October 10, 2012, from
http://www.lrs.org/impact.php#colo

Achterman, Douglas L. (2008, December). Haves, halves, and havenots: School libraries and student achievement in California. Retrieved
October 10, 2012, from
http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc9800/.

Lance, K. C., Hofschire, L. (2012, January). Change in school librarian
staffing linked with change in CSAP reading performance, 2005 to 2011.
Retrieved October 10, 2012, from
http://www.lrs.org/documents/closer_look/CO4_2012_Closer_Look_Rep
ort.pdf

Lance, K. C., Rodney, M. J., Hamilton-Pennell, C. (2000, April). How
school librarians help kids achieve standards: The second Colorado
study. Retrieved October 10, 2012, from
http://www.lrs.org/documents/lmcstudies/CO/execsumm.pdf

Lance, K. C., Rodney, M. J., Russell, B. (2007, February). How students,
teachers, & principals benefit from strong school libraries: The Indiana
study. Retrieved October 10, 2012, from
http://www.ilfonline.org/clientuploads/AIME/2007MSArticle.pdf

MCAS and school libraries:
Making the connection. Retrieved October 10, 2012, from
http://web.simmons.edu/~baughman/mcas-school-libraries/

Tilley, C. L. (2011, May-June). The true value of the work we do.
Retrieved October 10, 2012, from
http://www.schoollibrarymonthly.com/articles/Tilley2011-v27n8p45.html