Raising Reading Scores

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Raising Reading Scores Starts in the
Library Media Center
OEMA Oceans of Literacy 2001
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Good Schools Have School Librarians
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The Oregon Educational Media Association
Study funded by a grant from the Oregon State
Library under the Library Services and Technology
Act, Stated Administered Program, P.L. 104-208
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The Oregon Study2001
A Research Study By Keith Curry Lance
Marcia J. Rodney Christine
Hamilton-Pennell
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Reading Scores Predictors

• First Colorado Study - 1993
• Size of media center staff
• Size of collection

• Elley - 1994, 1996
• Access to print and size of school library

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Reading More Reading Better

• Stephen Krashen - 1993, 1998
• Rich print environment more reading higher
  reading comprehension

• McQuillen - 1997, 1998
• Most significant determinant of reading
  achievement gt amount of reading gt Access to
  reading materials

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• Digiovanna - 1994
• The amount of recreational reading is positively
  correlated with higher academic achievement
  levels at grades three, five and seven.

• Froese - 1997
• Students who have the opportunity to borrow books
  from libraries have a considerable achievement
  advantage over those who cannot

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• Library Research Service - 1998
• Relationship between library media program and
  the public library

• Lipscomb - 1993
• Total number of words read is a significant
  predictor of overall reading achievement and word
  recognition

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Equity Issues

• McQuillen - 1997, 1998
• School libraries increase access to print for
  low income communities

• Baughman - 2000
• Low SES students with a school library program
  have higher mean test scores

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• Halle, Kurtz-Costes and Mahoney - 1997
• Number of books in home is related to
  children's reading scores at the end of the
  school year

• McQuillen - 1998
• Both public and school libraries must make
  concerted efforts to reach out to ELL and LEP
  parents and their children

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Information Access Delivery

• Krashen - 1995
• Significant predictor of NAEP reading
  comprehension test scores the number of books
  per student in school library media centers.

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• Alexander - 1992
• Warm inviting center of learning with support for
  all ability levels and curriculum areas

• Baughman - 2000
• Students at each grade level score higher when
  there is increased use of the LMC and more open
  hours at the library.

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Role of Technology

• Bohannon - 1998
• High frequency computer use higher mean scores
  on reading achievement tests

• Wenglinsky - 1998 DeFrieze - 1998
• Technology must be used meaningfully and in
  context

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• Library Research Service report - 141, 1998
• Higher reading scores LMCs with
• a district-wide catalog
• access to online databases, resources available
  through a local-area network
• access to the World Wide Web and the statewide
  library network.

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Role of the Principal

• Farwell - 1998
• Principal as advocate for collaborative planning
  and information literacy
• Financial, time and staffing support

• vanDeusen - 1996
• Fiscal and organizational support

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Staffing Collaboration
Lance, Welborn and Hamilton-Pennell -1993

• State-certified media specialists with support
  staff
• Serve on curriculum and standards committees
• Provider of in-service training

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Funding

• Hedges - 1994
• Positive relationship between resources and
  educational outcomes

• Hanushek - 1997
• No clear relationship between general
  expenditures and student achievement after family
  variations

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• Lance -2000
• Increasing expenditures for school library media
  does correlate to student achievement

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Methodologies

• 513 Oregon Public Schools surveyed
• Elementary 32 218/681
• Middle 49 148/301
• High 63 147/233

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Key components of LMC program surveyed

• LMC hours
• LMC staff
• LMC activities
• LMC technology
• LMC usage
• LM resources and collections
• LMC budget

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Indicators of Academic Achievement The test
scores on the 2000 Oregon State Reading
Assessment administered in 1999 to all 5th, 8th
and 10th graders were used as indicators of
students academic achievement.
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Teen Angst and the LMC
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Oregon Study Findings
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Oregon Study Findings
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Oregon Study Findings
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Conclusions

• Oregon Reading Test Scores rise with LMC
  increases in
• Total staff hours per 100 students (professional
  and support staff)
• Print volumes per student
• Periodical subscriptions per 100 students
• Library media expenditures per student

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Impact of Library Media Program 3-5 variation
in Oregon reading scores
School Differences School district expenditures
per pupil Teacher/pupil ratio Average years of
teacher experience Average salaries
Community Differences Adult Educational
Attainment Children in Poverty Racial/Ethnic
Demographics
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A strong Library Media Program is one that

• That is adequately staffed, stocked and funded
• Whose staff are actively involved leaders in the
  school environment
• Whose staff have collegial, collaborative
  relationships with classroom teachers
• That embraces networked information technology

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Recommendations for Action

• Funding for adequate professional support
  staff, information resources and information
  technology
• LMS must assert themselves as school leaders

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Recommendations for Action

• Principals support, encourage and have high
  expectations for collaboration
• Information Technology accessible to students and
  teachers where they may be in school
• Access to high-quality licensed databases with
  LMC providing the necessary training for students
  and staff

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So, if you want to raise your reading scores,
always remember that Good schools have school
librarians!