[Librarians]=Higher Test Scores

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.

Preliminary findings by Professor Ruth Small (above left) 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.”

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.

The research, funded by the Institute for Museum and Library Studies, included responses from 1,612 schools in New York City and other cities in the state such as Syracuse, Buffalo, and Rochester.