Libraries and Student Success
By Sara Rodriguez
Throughout the years libraries have been a big part of student successes. It seems that they don't get enough recognition for the success they provide to students. The Washington Library Media Association conducted a study using 1,486 K-12 public schools, the results demonstrated that students who attended schools that had a certified librarian as well as a quality library performed better on standardized test by almost 8%. The results are due to the fact that these certified librarians have the resources to assist children in a productive way. For instance, in my years in high school our school library was a very helpful place for me. The librarian always had resources in hand to help me when i lacked understanding, and if they didn't have the specific information i was looking for they would direct me to help outside of the library. This was a major component of my success in high school, without this help i would have been lost and not known where to acquire this information. It seems though that schools don't put enough emphasis on the library, they believe that these students receive all the education they need in the classrooms. Studies challenge this way of thinking, as they have been proven that libraries can have an impact on a student's educational skills.
Libraries have technology and resources available to aid students in their education. These technologies can be of great help for students living in poverty. In m y opinion this is one of the biggest ways libraries can help because many people believe that students who are poorer are set to have poor grades in school. Studies have proven this to be wrong though as a study conducted by the PSLA showed that the five year graduation rate is 78.8 percent in schools that have certified librarians, while it is 43.2 percent at schools without. This study was conducted on high schools that have a high percentage of poverty students. This clearly demonstrates that students with a lack of resources and money benefit immensely for this type of help. As Kachel and Lance state “Consistently, reading and writing scores are better for students who have a full-time certified librarian than those who don't. Students who are economically disadvantaged, black, Hispanic, and have IEPs benefit proportionally more than students generally”. These results further prove that libraries can help with the student achievement in school and help close learning gaps due to poverty.
Sun, C. (2015, May 26). Washington Study Further Ties Quality Library Programs to Student Success. Retrieved April 27, 2017, from http://www.slj.com/2015/05/research/washington-study-further-ties-quality-library-programs-to-student-success/
Kachel, Debra E. and Keith Curry Lance. "Librarian Required." School Library Journal, vol. 59, no. 3, Mar. 2013, p. 28. EBSCOhost, Kachel, D. E., & Lance, K. C. (2013). Librarian Required. School Library Journal, 59(3), 28.
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