Student Achievement and the Media Specialist

1. Student Achievement and the Media Specialist Is there a link between the two?

2. Student Achievement and the Media Center What a school thinks about its library is a measure of what it thinks about education." --Harold Howe, former U.S. Commissioner of Education

3. Student Achievement and the Media Center Take a moment to consider this research. “A substantial body of research since 1990 shows a positive relationship between school libraries and student achievement” (NCLS, 2008).

4. Student Achievement and the Media Center Two long term studies researching student achievement and a quality school media center. • Lance study • Simmons study

5. Student Achievement and the Media Center 1. Lance Study Since 1993, Dr. Keith Lance has been researching whether or not school library media programs were impacting academic achievement in schools.

6. Student Achievement and the Media Center Lance’s studies determined if three things were happening in schools, students’ academic achievement would increase. 1. There is a certified library media specialist in the school.

7. Student Achievement and the Media Center 2. The library media specialist collaborateswith teachers to create exciting learning experiences using the library media resources. 3. The library media collection containeslarge amounts of quality print and multimedia materials.

8. Student Achievement and the Media Center Lance completed his studies in Colorado at three different times over 20 years. But what about other states? Would the same results be found throughout the country?

9. Student Achievement and the Media Center Between 2000 and 2009, Lance and others have since studied 17 additional states which proved to further validated his findings.

10. Student Achievement and the Media Center What did Lance learn about leadership and the school? In order to play an instructional role successfully, school librarians must exercise leadership to create the sort of working environment they need to help students and teachers succeed.

11. Student Achievement and the Media Center Lance’s suggested activities for the SLMS to build leadership: • Meeting frequently with the principal • Attending and participating in faculty meetings • Serving on standards and curriculum committees • Meeting with library colleagues at building, district and higher levels.

12. Student Achievement and the Media Center 2. Simmons Study James C Baughman conducted a study with Mary Eldrignhoff. The study was called the Simmons Study. It concerned Massachusetts schools that were lacking school libraries and how that affected standardized test scores.

13. Student Achievement and the Media Center Using the MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System), the Simmons Study looked at the relation of test scores to data on asurvey instrument. What were the results? The results show a strong, consistent, positive relationship between mean MCAS scores and the presence of a school library program. The results make the vital connection between student achievements in school library programs in Massachusetts

14. Student Achievement and the Media Center School librarians are among the few faculty members to work with every learner in the school and over the several years as students grow and mature. (Stephens, 2011)

15. Student Achievement and the Media Center The Principal’s Role Across grade levels, better-performing schools also tended to be those whose principals valued: • collaboration between librarians and classroom teachers in the design and delivery of instruction • flexible scheduling of library access • regular meetings between themselves and their librarians • having their librarians serve on key school committees

16. The Media Specialist as a Leader • Creating greater opportunities for learners • Collaborating and sharing instruction with teachers • Serving as a coordinator and advocate for students • Being a part of the school leadership team • Mentoring new teachers • Being a technology leader

17. Student Achievement and the Media Center Baron, D., (1995). May the force be with you. School Library Media Activities Monthly, May95, Vol. 11 Issue 9, p48, 3p Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=c78d28ad-57f4-4739-a76b-ae92ae8e66d6%40sessionmgr112&vid=8&hid=110 Baughman, James. (2002). School Libraries and MCAS Scores: A Paper Presented at a Symposium Sponsored by the Graduate School of Library and Information Science, Simmons College. Boston, MA. Francis, B.H., Lance, K. C., Lietzau, Z. (2010). School librarians continue to help students achieve standards: The third Colorado study (2010). (Closer Look Report). Denver, CO: Colorado State Library, Library Research Service. Stephens, W. (2011). Out of the middle, into the foreground. Knowledge Quest, 39(5), 18-21. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=c78d28ad-57f4-4739-a76b-ae92ae8e66d6%40sessionmgr112&vid=8&hid=110 Wetteland, A. (2011). Quotes about librarians, libraries and books and reading. Iowa Library Services. Retrieved from http://www.statelibraryofiowa.org/ld/t-z/tell-library-story/scpt/quotes-about-libraries Zmuda, A., & Harada, V. H. (2008). Librarians as learning specialists: moving from the margins to the mainstream of school leadership. Teacher Librarian, 36(1), 15-20. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=7&hid=110&sid=c78d28ad-57f4-4739-a76b-ae92ae8e66d6%40sessionmgr112&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=43699042