Library Media Centers: Making a Difference in Student Achievement

1
Library Media CentersMaking a Differencein
Student Achievement

• By Karol Hartley,
• Amanda Hinterman,
• and Angie Johnson

2004
2
Quality Library Quality Results

• According to Champlin and Loertscher, Quality
  school library media programs make a difference
  in academic achievement (2003, p. 67).
• Their conclusion is based on research from 33,000
  schools across 10 states.

3
Quality Library Quality Results

• The size of the library in terms of staff and
  collection is a direct predictor of reading
  scores, said Keith Curry Lance at a 2002 White
  House conference on libraries (Patten, 2003, p.
  60).

4
What This Means for Our Schools

• Studies in several states over the last decade
  point to key areas that lead to student success
• More Funding
• More Qualified Staff
• More Developed Programming
• More Collaborative Teaching
• More Sophisticated Computer Technology

5
Funding

• In Texas, guidelines recommend that schools spend
  at least one to three percent of their
  instructional budget to support the LMC for
  acquisitions of library necessities (Texas State
  Library and Archives Commission, 2001).

Libraries with larger operating budgets have
larger and more current collections and more
staffing resources to support student needs
(Texas State Library and Archives Commission,
2001, ch. 1, pt. 1).
6
Funding

• Reading Scores rise with factors related to LMC
  funding

• Higher numbers of hours worked by media
  specialist and library staff.
• Larger collections of print volumes and video
  materials.
• Access to more library and Internet connected
  school computers.
• Increased general spending on library operations
  (Lance, 2002a).

7
Funding

• Students at schools with better-funded library
  media centers tend to achieve higher average
  reading scores whether their schools and
  communities are rich or poor and whether adults
  in their community are well or poorly educated
  (Lance, 1994, p. 11).

8
Funding

• Q How do library media center expenditures
  directly influence student achievement?
• A According to Keith Lance, Funding is
  important because its specific purpose is to
  ensure both adequate levels of staffing in
  relation to the schools enrollment and a local
  collection that offers students a large number of
  materials in a variety of formats (Lance, 1994,
  p. 11).

9
Qualified Staff

• The executive summary of Michigans 2002 impact
  study states MEAP reading test scores rise with
  the extent to which the states school library
  programs are headed by qualified school
  librarians (Rodney, Lance, Hamilton-Pennel,
  2002, p. ix).
• In Texas, studies demonstrated that on average,
  minimum TAAS expectations were met by 89.3
  percent of students (schools with librarians) vs.
  78.4 percent of students (without librarians).
  (Texas State Library and Archives Commission,
  2001).

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Qualified Staff

• The presence of a qualified school librarian can
  make a tremendous difference in the reading
  achievement of a schools students (Rodney et
  al., 2003, p. ix).

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Qualified Staff

• Students reading scores tend to be higher for
  Michigan schools whose libraries report
• higher numbers of weekly hours and total library
  staff
• highly qualified librarians with
• - masters degree
• - teaching certification
• - library endorsement (Rodney et al., 2003).
• librarians who are familiar with the principles
  in Information Power (Patten, 2003).

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Why Highly Qualified Staff?

• Provide instruction in acquiring, evaluating, and
  using information and ideas
• Stimulate interest in reading and appreciation of
  literature
• Provide intellectual and physical access to
  materials in multiple formats
• Work with other educators to design and carry out
  learning experiences

13
Developed Programs

• A developed program requires that the LMS play a
  number of roles. Test scores increase as the LMS
  spends time . . .
• teaching cooperatively with staff.
• providing in-services for staff.
• teaching information literacy skills.
• serving on curriculum committees.
• managing information technology.
• (Hamilton-Pennel, Lance, Rodney Hanier, 2000)

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Developed Programs

• Developed programs are correlated with higher
  reading scores.
• This is true even when factors such as
  socioeconomic makeup of community and per pupil
  spending are controlled. (Hamilton-Pennel et.
  al., 2000)

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Developed Programming

• One way to ensure student achievement is to make
  sure programming is not based on a rigid
  schedule.

A flexible schedule brings students and
information together so that information is
meaningful and can become knowledge (Patten,
2003, p. 2).
16
More Collaborative Teaching
Better performing schools in Michigan have
library staff who spend more time engaged in
activities that contribute to collaborative
teaching and learning (Rodney et al., 2003, p.
vii).
17
Collaborative Teaching
Better performing schools in Michigan also have
librarians spending more time and teaching
cooperatively with classroom teachers and
providing in-service training to teachers
(Rodney et al., 2003, p. 48).
18
Sophisticated Technology

• Studies in Pennsylvania, Colorado, Iowa, New
  Mexico, Alaska, Michigan and Oregon indicate
• . . . achievement levels increased with the
  availability of networked computers both in the
  LMC and elsewhere in the school that provided
  access to catalogs, licensed databases, and the
  Internet (Lance, 2002b, p. 31, Patten, 2003).

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Sophisticated Technology

• Online resources help keep information current.
• The Texas study states currency and size of the
  library collection are factors in student
  achievement (Texas State Library and Archives
  Commission, 2001, ch. 1, pt. 2).

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Overall Impact of LMC

• Percent of Test Score Variation Explained by
  Library Media Variables Alone by School Level and
  State 1998/9 (Lance 2002b, p. 33).

21
Recommended Actions

• Adequate funding for professional and support
  staff, information resources, and technology.
• Library Media Specialists act as educational
  leaders in their schools.
• The LMC program must stretch beyond the physical
  library and into the classrooms of a school
  (Lance, 1999).

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Recommended Actions Cont.

• In addition to Internet access, high quality
  electronic databases of information should be
  made available in schools.
• The LMC must retain a schedule flexible enough to
  allow for on-demand use of library facilities and
  resources.
• (Lance, 1999).

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Conclusion

• Administrators, teachers and the learning
  community need to think of the library as an
  academic investment rather than a cost
  (Hartzell, 2002, p.1).
• The LMC is the core of every learning community,
  and should be considered a part ofthe
  classroom (Hartzell, 2002, p. 1).

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References

• Champlin, C. Loertscher, D. (2003). Reinvent
  your schools library and watch student academic
  achievement increase. Principal Leadership, 3
  (7), 67-70. Retrieved January 25 from Wilson
  Select Plus.
• Hamilton-Pennel, C., Lance, K., Rodney, M.
  Hanier, E. (2000). Dick and Jane go to the head
  of the class. School Library Journal, 46 (4),
  44-7.
• Hartzell, G. (2002). Capitalizing on the school
  librarys potential to positively affect student
  achievement A sampling of resources for
  administrators. Knowledge Quest, 31 (Suppl. 1),
  65-93. Retrieved January 25 from Wilson Select
  Plus.
• Lance, K. (1994). The impact of school library
  media programs on academic achievement. School
  Library Media Quarterly, 22 (3). Retrieved
  January 28, 2004, from http//ala.org/aasl/aaslpub
  sandjournals/slmrb/editorschoiceb/
• Lance, K. (1999). Proof of the power a first
  look at the results of the Colorado study . . .
  And more! Fast Facts, ED 3 (164).

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References

• Lance, K. (2002). How school librarians leave no
  child behind The impact of school library media
  programs on academic achievement of U.S. public
  school students. School Achievement, 22 (2), 3-6.
• Lance, K. (2002). Impact of school library media
  programs on academic achievement. Teacher
  Librarian, 29 (3), 29-34.
• Patten, K. (2003). A source for better scores?
  The school library. School Administrator, 60 (1).
• Rodney, M., Lance, K., Hamilton-Pennell, C.
  (2003). The impact of Michigan school librarians
  on academic achievement Kids who have libraries
  succeed. Library of Michigan. Retrieved January
  18, 2004 from http//www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7
  -160-18835_18894_25587---,00.html
• Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
  (2001). Texas school libraries Standard,
  resources, services, and students performances.
  Retrieved January 18, 2004 from
  http//www.tsl.state.tx/ld/pubs/schlibsurvey/chIse
  c2.html