Keith Curry Lance

Marcia J. Rodney

Christine Hamilton-Pennell

RSL Research Group

History / Recent Milestones

• 1993 & 2000 Colorado studies• 2000-present: successor studies in more than a

dozen states• $250 million Reed Amendment to

Elementary/Secondary Education Act, 2001• White House Conference on School Libraries, 2002• Powering Achievement: School Library Media

Programs Make a Difference: The Evidence Mounts, 2002

• ScholasticLibrary’s “School Libraries Work!” brochure, 2004

• AASL “Your School Library Media Program and No Child Left Behind” brochure, 2004

Why an Illinois Study?

• Need to speak about impact of school libraries on Illinois students’ test scores

• Need to show that findings of studies from other states also apply to Illinois

• Concern about status of school libraries and librarians in Illinois

• Lack of understanding of the importance of teaching information literacy

Building Blocks of the Study

• Literature Review• School Library Survey • Data

– Test scores• ISAT Reading & Writing, 5th & 8th• PSAE Reading & ACT, 11th

– Other school data– Community data– Success stories

Types of Analyses

• Bivariate correlation– Library predictors & test scores

• Comparison of means– Differences in average scores for schools

with stronger and weaker library programs

• Partial correlation– Taking into account other school &

community conditions

Library Predictors of Test Scores

• Flexible scheduling

• Staffing

• Staff activities

• Collection

• Educational technology

• Expenditures

• Usage

School Level

Flexible Hours

Elementary 16

Middle 30

High 35

More flexibly scheduled hours

→ higher test scores

More flexibly scheduled hours

→ higher test scores

Chart 1. Higher Achievement Associated with More Hours of Flexible Scheduling in Illinois School Libraries, 2003

10.3%

5.3%6.2%

11.4%

4.6%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

Elementary Middle HighGrade Level

% i

ncr

ease

in

ach

ieve

men

t

ReadingW riting/ACT *

* % meeting or exceeding writing standards for elementary and middle school, ACT scores for high school (narrowly fails statistical significance test at middle & high school levels)

School Level

Staff Hours

Elementary 42

Middle 49

High 70

More library staff→ higher test scores

More library staff→ higher test scores

Chart 2. Higher Achievement Associated with Higher Staffing Levels in Illinois School Libraries, 2003

12.7%

8.2% 7.4%

17.3%18.4%

4.6%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

Elementary Middle High

Grade Level

% i

nc

rea

se

in

ac

hie

ve

me

nt

ReadingW riting/ACT *

* % meeting or exceeding writing standards for elementary and middle school, ACT scores for high school

More librarians → higher test scores

More librarians → higher test scores

School Level

Librarian Hours

Elementary 30

High 40

Chart 3. Higher Achievement Associated with More Weekly Hours of Librarian Staffing in Illinois Elementary and High

Schools, 2003

8.7%

4.1%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

Elementary - Writing High - ACT*

Grade Level - Test

% i

nc

rea

se

in

ac

hie

ve

me

nt

* % meeting or exceeding writing standards for elementary school,ACT scores for high school

Trained School Librarian & Flexible Scheduling

During our design process back in 2000-01, Kathie Rigby, our Learning Center director, was working on her masters' degree and used [previous school library research] as the basis for designing our approach to a learning/media center at Landmark. We use a flexible delivery model and have found our LC to be the literacy hub of our building.

Denise Welter, PrincipalLandmark School, McHenry

School Level

I.D. Hours

Elementary 2

Middle 3

More time identifying materials for teachers → higher test scores

More time identifying materials for teachers → higher test scores

Chart 4. Higher ISAT Scores Associated with Illinois Elementary & Middle School Library Staff Spending More Time

Identifying Materials for Teachers, 2003

7.6%6.6%

9.5%

13.0%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

Elementary Middle

Grade Level

% i

nc

rea

se

in

s

tud

en

ts

me

eti

ng

/ex

ce

ed

ing

s

tan

da

rds

ReadingW riting

More collaborating & teaching librarians

→ higher test scores

More collaborating & teaching librarians

→ higher test scores

Staff

Activity

Weekly Hours

ID materials 3

Plan 2

Teach 1

Motivate 1

Committees 1

Library mtgs 1/2

Chart 5. Higher ACT Scores Associated with Illinois High School Library Staff Spending More Time on Selected

Activities, 2003

2.5%

3.1%

3.1%

3.6%

3.6%

4.1%

0.0% 1.0% 2.0% 3.0% 4.0% 5.0%

Serving on school committees

Identifying materials for teachers

Meeting with library staff from elsewhere

Planning with teachers

Teaching with teachers

Motivating students to read

Ac

tiv

ity

% increase in ACT scores

Collaboration in Teaching Information Literacy

Last year I partnered with 7th grade social studies teacher Debbie Broadwell and developed an action research project on the Lewis and Clark expedition. Along with reinforcing the research process using the Big6, we developed a one-page web evaluation checklist and introduced the visible versus the invisible web. We demonstrated the importance of evaluating web sites, and provided an easy tool to use in the process.

Karen Daugherty, Media Center DirectorGrissom Middle School, Tinley Park

School Level Books

Periodi-cals

Copy-right

Elementary 9,000 12 1990

Middle 8,700 18 1989

High 11,500 39 1983

Larger, newer collections

→ higher test scores

Larger, newer collections

→ higher test scores

Chart 6. Higher Achievement Associated with Larger & More Current Illinois School Library Collections, 2003

7.6%

6.8%

7.1%8.

1%

6.8%

10.7

%13.8

%

10.7

% 12.7

%

3.6%

5.7%

2.5%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

Print volumes Periodical subscriptions Average copyright year (astronomy)

Collection variable

Pe

rce

nt

inc

rea

se

in

ac

hie

ve

me

nt

Elementary - Reading Elementary - W riting

Middle - W riting High - ACT*

* % meeting/exceeding reading/writing standards for elementary and middle school, ACT scores for high school

More library-connected computers → higher

test scores

More library-connected computers → higher

test scores

School Level

Library

PCs

Other

PCs

Elementary 9 45

Middle 13 60

High 26 125

Chart 7. Higher Achievement Associated with Illinois School Libraries Being More Accessible Via Educational Technology,

2003

7.6%

6.4%

5.8%

10.7

%

8.4%

7.6% 8.3%

6.6%

5.1% 6.

2%

3.5%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

Library computers Other library-connected computers Other library-connected Internetcomputers per 100 students

Educational Technology variable

Per

cen

t in

crea

se in

ac

hie

vem

ent

Elementary - Reading Middle - W riting

High - Reading High - ACT*

* % meeting/exceeding reading/writing standards for elementary and middle school, ACT scores for high school

School Level

Library Expenditures

Elementary $4,500

Middle $6,250

High $10,255

More spent on libraries → higher test scoresMore spent on libraries → higher test scores

Chart 8. Higher Achievement Associated with Illinois Schools Spending More on Libraries, 2003

5.2%

9.1%

11.6%9.9%

12.9%

6.7%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

Elementary Middle HighGrade Level

Pe

rce

nt

inc

rea

se

in

a

ch

iev

em

en

t

ReadingW riting/ACT *

* % meeting/exceeding writing standards for elementary and middle school, ACT scores for high school

Library Collection & Expenditures

Our administration decided that investing in the Learning Resource Center saves money. The LRC has several different sets of dictionaries [as well as encyclopedias, thesauri, almanacs, atlases, and globes] to meet the needs of students from kindergarten to grade eight. Teachers have materials when they need them. The books do not collect dust when not being used; they are used by other students.

Randee Hudson, Library Media SpecialistMillburn Community CSD 24, Wadsworth

School Level

Group visits

Group info lit visits

Middle 18 8

High 16 10

More group visits—especially for Info Lit → higher test scores

More group visits—especially for Info Lit → higher test scores

Chart 9. Higher Achievement Associated with Higher Usage of Illinois Middle & High School Libraries, 2003

10.3%

8.5%

3.1%

4.6%3.6%

0.0%

4.0%

8.0%

12.0%

Individual visits Group visits Group visits for info literacyinstruction

Library Usage variable

Per

cen

t in

crea

se in

ach

ieve

men

t

Middle - W ritingHigh - ACT*

* % meeting/exceeding writing standards for middle school, ACT scores for high school

After-School Hours & Library Usage

At Niles West High School, we began staying open on Monday-Thursday nights from 3:00 to 7:00 about five years ago.

Extended hours [are] a phenomenal success: We keep [popular] materials on reserve so that they will

be available [to] all students. Access to computers and the Internet is extremely

important for those students who do not have Internet access at home.

The IRC is an effective place for students to meet to complete their group projects. It is a central location with all of the resources needed.

Penny Swartz, Information Resource Center CoordinatorNiles West High School, Skokie

Other School & Community Conditions

• Household income• Per pupil expenditures• Teacher-pupil ratio• Students’ race/ethnicity

Relationship regardless of each of 4 control variables

Relationship in spite of all control variables except household income

X Relationship despite at least two control variables

Elementary Middle High

Library Predictor

ISAT Read-

ing

ISAT Writ-ing

ISAT Read-

ing

ISAT Writ-ing

PSAE Read-

ing ACT

Hours Flexible scheduling X X

StaffNumber of librarians X

Weekly librarian hours

Number of library staff X

Weekly library staff hours X

CollectionPrint volumes

Periodical subscriptions

Average copyright year (astronomy)

Educational TechnologyLibrary computers X X

Other library-connected computers X X

Elementary Middle High

Library Predictor

ISAT Read-

ing

ISAT Writ-ing

ISAT Read-

ing

ISAT Writ-ing

PSAE Read-

ing ACT

Elementary Middle High

Library Predictor

ISAT Read-

ing

ISAT Writ-ing

ISAT Read-

ing

ISAT Writ-ing

PSAE Read-

ing ACT

ExpendituresTotal library expenditures X

UsageCirculation

Individual visits

Group visits

--for info literacy instruction