AASL Advocacy Toolkit

The Key to Student Achievement

Research has shown a direct correlation between high quality school library media programs and student achievement. Some recent findings:

• Spending for school library media programs is the single most important variable related to better student achievement.¹

• Students in schools with well-equiped library media centers staffed by professional library media specialists perform better on assessments of reading comprehension and basic research skills.²

• In studies in 14 states where library media programs are better staffed, better stocked and better funded, academic achievement tends to be higher.³

• Research by Keith Curry Lance shows a direct link between higher reading scores and collaboration between school library media specialists and teachers. Collaboration activities in which library media specialists should participate include identifying useful materials and information for teachers; planning instruction cooperatively with teachers; providing in-service training to teachers; and teaching students both with classroom teachers and independently.⁴

Sources:

1. SchoolMatch.
2. Ken Haycock, What Works, 1992.
3. Scholastic Library Publishing, School Libraries Work!, 2004.
4. Keith Curry Lance, "What Research Tells Us About the Importance of School Libraries," White House Conference on School Libraries, Institute of Museum and Library Services, June 2002, <www.imls.gov/pubs/whitehouse0602/keithlance.htm>. Accessed 7 June 2002.