School Libraries Work!, a new research report providing evidence of the positive impact of school librarians and libraries on student learning, was released today by Scholastic. The national- and state-level findings from more than 30 separate research studies included in the report demonstrate the integral role school libraries play in teaching and supporting student learning, while confirming that when school librarian staffing is reduced, student achievement in English Language Arts (ELA) suffers.
Key research from the report includes:
- States that gained school librarian positions between 2005 and 2009 experienced larger increases and no decreases in National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) reading scores for 4th grade, while states that lost school librarians experienced smaller increases or decreases in reading scores.
- A South Carolina study commissioned by the South Carolina Association of School Librarians revealed that students were more likely to show strengths and less likely to show weaknesses on writing standards if their school libraries were staffed with a full-time librarian plus a full or part-time assistant.
To download School Libraries Work!, visit: www.scholastic.com/SLW2016.
