Study: Higher Test Scores Linked to Certified Media Specialists
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Debra Lau Whelan -- School Library Journal, 2/11/2008 2:00:00 PM
Here’s some more evidence that school librarians are essential to student learning: researchers at Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies (iSchool) have found that students who attend New York schools with certified media specialists have higher scores on their fourth grade English Language Arts (ELA) test.
Specifically, preliminary findings by Professor Ruth Small and graduate students in the Center for Digital Literacy (CDL) show an almost 10-point difference in the ELA test scores of fourth graders whose schools had certified librarians.
“We believe these findings are important to consider, not only because of the higher ELA test scores,” says Small, who directs the school library media program at the iSchool. “Although we’re still analyzing the data, our preliminary results show that certified librarians are also more likely to provide students with materials that present more diverse points of view and that better support the curriculum than noncertified librarians.”
New York currently doesn’t mandate certified media specialists at the elementary school level, but they are required in grades seven to 12. There are currently 568,924 K-12 students in the state without access to a certified librarian.
The researchers are currently analyzing more in-depth information gathered from surveys and focus groups involving school librarians, students, principals, and teachers from 48 elementary, middle, and high schools across New York State. They will analyze these various groups’ perceptions of school library specialists and their effect on education.
Small hopes to better understand the impact of certified librarians on motivating students to learn, influencing the adoption and use of technology, and servicing students with disabilities and special needs.
“This study confirms the direct impact of certified school librarians on the educational success of our children. That is why I am sponsoring legislation (S.1686) to ensure that every school in the state has a library and a school librarian,” says State Senator HughT. Farley, Chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Libraries.
New York Governor Elliott Spitzer, in his proposed 2008-09 Executive Budget, left out $5 million in funding for libraries and held School Library Materials Aid at $6.25 per pupil despite proposing a $1.4 billion increase in school aid.
The research, which is being funded by the Institute for Museum and Library Studies, included survey responses from 1,612 schools in New York City and other cities such as Syracuse, Buffalo, and Rochester. A copy of the preliminary report can be found online.
