From Syracuse a new video (and compelling research)

Ruth Small, Dave Lankes, and Barbara Stripling appear in this brief and effective video, presenting the value of school libraries and school librarians to learners. 

New York Schools Need School Libraries presents these (slightly paraphrased) arguments:

Ruth: Even when controlling for poverty level, elementary students in schools with full-time certified librarians had significantly higher ELA scores than those in schools without certified school librarians.  School librarians add value to the educational mission of any school by introducing students to new technologies and important information literacy skills and by supporting the development of reading skills.  In short, no school should be without them.

Dave: School librarians are facilitators of conversations, not just people who tell students which books to check out and how to put them on the shelves, but people who help you learn.  Teacher librarians provide impact. They provide an idea of how navigate the world and research skills. In an iPad generation, when every new television comes with Facebook, it’s school librarians who have the obligation and the opportunity to work with students at all ages, across the curriculum, without the restriction of a testing regime at the end.  To truly unlock the potential and the dreams of students.

Barbara: School librarians may be one of the most valuable assets in our schools for implementation of the Common Core. The skills that are embedded in the Common Core are the same critical thinking, literacy, use of resources, and inquiry skills being taught by your school librarian.  What you will find is that the cross curricular connections and the  ability to integrate the teaching of these skills into all content areas will serve you well as you try to integrate the Common Core in your schools.

Results of the University of Syracuse iSchool two-year, three phase study appear in The Impact of New York’s School Libraries on Student Achievement and Motivation: Phase III.

BTW, I’ve been trying to curate the evidence I discover in a Library Reseach LibGuide.  Here’s one on advocacy too.  Please share additional reports and please let me know if you’d like to be an editor.

Filed under: advocacy, research, school libraries, video