Download - 2011 Pennsylvania School Library Study
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The 2011 Pennsylvania School Library Study
Mary K. Biagini
Associate Professor
Director, School Library Certification Program
School of Information Sciences
University of Pittsburgh
House Resolution 987 of 2010
On October 5, 2010, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
unanimously adopted House Resolution 987, which encouraged the State
Board of Education to undertake a quantitative study of the state of
school libraries in Pennsylvania. The resolution charged the State
Board to conduct a study of school library resources and services for
students in kindergarten through grade 12, measuring and comparing
funding, facilities, access to print and electronic resources,
professional support and instruction in the use of information and
research among the Commonwealth’s public school districts and
evaluating how funding and resources are allocated for school library
services in relation to student and community circumstances.
House Resolution 987 also urged the State Board to conduct at least
three public roundtables to receive input on a draft of the study and
its recommendations. To solicit comments about the draft study, the
State Board of Education’s Ad Hoc Committee on School Libraries
conducted three roundtable meetings that were open to the public:
September 13 at Parkland High School in Allentown, September 15 at
Susquehanna Township High School in Harrisburg, and September 20 at
Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy in Erie. A copy of the
draft report and feedback from the three public roundtable meetings
also was presented to the full State Board at its meeting on September
21. The Board approved the draft report and the recommendations and
will forward the document to the Education Committee of the House.
The Pennsylvania School Librarians Association received a commendation
from the American Association of School Librarians for the successful
passage of this resolution and completion of the study.
The University of Pittsburgh came into the study in the second act.
Mary Kay Biagini was awarded the research contract from the PA State
Board of Education to analyze the results of the survey and make draft
recommendations based on the analysis and on comments from the
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roundtable meetings. Patrick Hickey, Sally Myers and D’nis Lynch
assisted in the analysis of the survey results and the report.
PA publicly funded schools by the numbers:
500 school districts
3,125 schools in 500 PA school districts
142 charter schools, including 12 cyber charter schools
14 Comprehensive career and technical centers
Note: These numbers do not include parochial or independent schools
A Benchmark: First comprehensive study of PA school libraries:
389 of 500 school districts across PA participated: 78%
2,180 of 3,125 schools across PA participated: 73%
In Allegheny County, 32 of 42 districts participated: 76%
In Westmoreland County, 14 of 17 districts participated: 82%
There were very few responses from charter schools or CTCs
Philadelphia is a world unto itself:
o Largest number and % of schools with no libraries and
largest number of schools with libraries but no librarians
in PA
o Of 185 Philadelphia schools in survey, 103 did not have
libraries
o For 2011-12, only there are only 48 librarians for 248
schools
There was accurate proportional representational of elementary
(2/3), middle and high schools (1/3)
90% of surveys completed by librarians
The problem of dirty data: 20% of total submissions could not be
used; there were also incorrect codes, incomplete entries, duplication
entries, unusable answers, data that could not be compared
The mission of the school library program
To ensure that students and staff are effective users of ideas and
information. The school librarian empowers students to be critical
thinkers, enthusiastic readers, skillful researchers and ethical users
of information. (AASL. Empowering Learners, 2009, p. 8.)
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What makes a difference in student achievement?
Pennsylvania school library programs can make a difference supporting
the efforts of schools to measure up to standards. Pennsylvania System
of School Assessment (PSSA) reading scores increase with increases in
the following characteristics of school library programs: staffing,
information technology and integration of information literacy into the
curriculum. In addition, as library staffing, information resources
and information technology rise, so too does the involvement of school
librarians in teaching students and teachers how to find and assess
information. The relationship between staffing and test scores is not
explained by other school or community conditions. (PA Lance Study,
2000, pp. 6 and 9.)
The results of the survey:
Having a library is a given:
128 schools in PA have no libraries; 103 of these schools are in
the School District of Philadelphia.
In Allegheny County:
Pittsburgh Public Schools: 10 schools with no libraries
Propel charter schools: 2 schools with no libraries
Montour School District: 2 schools under renovation
Why no libraries? Most common reasons are space needed for other
purposes and staffing and budget cuts.
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Factors that have a positive effect on student
achievement: Staffing
Having certified school librarians and aides emerged as the most critical
component of the library program at all school levels to increase student
academic performance. (Smith, Wisconsin Study, 2006, School Libraries Work!,
2008, p. 15.)
1,972 schools have a certified librarian.
School librarians are “solo” librarians for the most part:
Few schools have 2 librarians (6%), not necessarily full-time
Only North Penn High School in 2010-11 had three full-time
librarians, but in 2011-12 has only 2 librarians
5% of schools have no librarian
10% of schools had a decrease in librarian staffing in 2010-11;
3% of schools had an increase in librarian staffing. (See the new
PSLA study of 2011-2012 staffing changes.)
How many hours per week do PA librarians work?
Not every librarian is a full-time librarian
About 44% work 35+ hours per week; 23% work 30-35 hours; 23% work
fewer than 19 hours per week
Mystery of certification could not be solved:
How many “Praxis-test” librarians are there?
How many librarians have more than one area of certification?
Why paid support staff? The presence of support staff allows the
school librarian to focus on the critical responsibilities of
collaborating with teachers and motivating students to read. Library
aides carry out the many routine, daily tasks in a busy school
library: circulation, attendance, processing resources, and record
keeping.
60% of school libraries have support staff; 9% of these libraries
have more than 1 staff person
31% have no support staff
55% of support staff work between 20-39 hours per week
23% of support staff work 10-19 hours per week
Volunteers:
74% of libraries have no adult volunteers
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24% have 1-10 volunteers—most are elementary schools; of these,
72% work an average of 1-9 hours per week
Key Responsibilities of School Librarians
Collaboration with teachers:
62% of librarians had no time allocated in their schedules for
collaborating with teachers.
Number of hours librarians spent planning with teachers:
61% spend less than one hour
28% spend 1-2 hours
Elementary school students with the most collaborative librarians scored
21% higher on Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) reading scores than
students with the least collaborative librarians. (Colorado Lance Study,
2000, School Libraries Work!, 2008, p. 10.)
How much time per week do librarians instruct? 58% of librarians
instruct 6-20 hours per week
The more often students receive information literacy instruction from
librarians, the higher the test scores. (Alaska Lance Study, 2000, School
Libraries Work!, 2008, p. 10.)
The information literacy curriculum should be sequenced K-12, board-
approved and revised in past five years:
52% of librarians have such a curriculum
17 % have a sequenced curriculum but it is more than 5 years old
13% have no curriculum
12% do not have a sequenced K-12 curriculum
The ‘keystone’ finding is the importance of an integrated approach to
information literacy teaching. For school library programs to be
successful agents of academic achievement, information literacy must be an
integral part of the schools’ approach to both standards and curriculum. (PA
Lance Study, 2000, p. 6.)
Number of student group visits to library per week (i.e., classes or
small groups):
32%: 11-20 groups per week
32%: 21-30 groups per week
Flexible scheduling continues to exert a positive effect on test scores
regardless of per pupil spending, teacher-pupil rations or student
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race/ethnicity. Fifth graders in Illinois elementary schools with flexibly
scheduled libraries performed 10% better in reading and 11% better in writing
School Libraries Work!, 2008, p. 20.)
Type of scheduling for library:
55%: Fixed
28%: Flex
18%: Combo
Reading is a foundational skill for learning, personal growth, and
enjoyment. The degree to which students can read and understand text in all
formats (e.g., picture, video, print) and all contexts is a key indicator of
success in school and in life. (Standards for the 21st
-Century Learner, p. 2.)
How much time do librarians spend engaging and motivating students to
read?
32% spend 1-5 hours per week
27% spend 5-10 hours per week
How many hours per week are librarians assigned non-library duties?
35% are assigned less than one hour
19% are assigned between 1-1.75 hours
19% are not assigned other duties
Across grade levels, better-performing schools tended to be those whose
principals placed a higher value on having their school librarian serve on
key school committees. (Indiana Lance Study, 2006, School Libraries Work!,
2008, p. 17.)
Are librarians serving on building and/or district leadership
committees?
40% serve on grade level/departmental committees
29% serve on a variety of “Other” committees, such as anti-
bullying
26% serve on technology committees
23% serve on curriculum committees
Are Librarians given annual opportunities to participate in
professional development?
77% of librarians have opportunities
23% of librarians do not have opportunities
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Factors that have a positive effect on student
achievement: Access
How many hours are libraries open per week and staffed by certified
librarians?
55% of libraries are open and staffed 35+ hours per week
17% of libraries are open and staffed between 10 and 29 hours per
week
23% of libraries are open 1-9 hours and not staffed by a
librarian
50% of school libraries are not open before or after the student
school day
How many libraries have an automated online catalog that faculty
and staff can access throughout the building and remotely?
91% have access to catalog throughout the school building
70% have access remotely from home
Factors that have a positive effect on student
achievement: Collection of Resources
The extent to which books are borrowed from school libraries shows a strong
relationship with reading achievement. (School Libraries Work!, 2008, p.
12.)
Resolved, that the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information
Science (NCLIS), respectfully advises Congress that: Schools be provided
with adequate resources to provide up-to-date print and non-print materials
in all school libraries. (NCLIS, 2007, School Libraries Work!, 2008, p. 3.)
How large are book collections?
36% are between 10,000 and 15,000 volumes
27% are between 5,000 and 10,000 volumes
20% are between 15,000 and 20,000 volumes
How many volumes per student?
20% are between 16-20 books per student
18% are between 21-25 books per student
16% are between 26-30 books per student
Guidelines for Pennsylvania School Libraries (2011, p. 32.) recommends
20 volumes per elementary school student as a minimum, 25 volumes as a
standard and 30 volumes as exemplary. For secondary school students,
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the recommendation is 15 volumes as a minimum, 20 volumes a standard
and 25 volumes as exemplary.
How about electronic resources?
76% of libraries reported having no eBooks
47% of libraries reported 1-5 databases in addition to POWER
Library
28% of libraries reported no additional databases
Magazines are underrepresented in collections:
33% of libraries have 10 or fewer subscriptions
27% of libraries have between 11-20 subscriptions
14% of libraries have no subscriptions
What is the currency of the collections?
34% of libraries collections have an average age between 1990-94
26% of library collections have an average age between 1995-99
24% of library collections have an average age between 1985-89
Factors that have a positive effect on student
achievement: Funding
How much are districts spending on school libraries (not counting
salaries and benefits)?
39% of districts spend between $1-$10 per pupil
21% of districts spend between $11-15 per pupil
16% of districts spend between $16-$20 per pupil
In Guidelines for Pennsylvania School Library Programs (2011, p. 30),
a quantitative benchmark for funding is established that represents a
dollar amount per pupil rather than a fixed dollar amount:
$41 per pupil for elementary schools
$45 per pupil for middle schools
$50 per pupil for high schools
Factors that have a positive effect on student
achievement: Technology Infrastructure
The most important components are currency of equipment and networking
access from school and home
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Recommendations from the Study
Every decision maker and stakeholder can build on the empirical
evidence amassed in research studies conducted since 1992 in
Pennsylvania and in 21 other states across the country (Alaska,
California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana,
Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New
Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, and Wisconsin)
concluding that
. . . students in schools with good school libraries learn more, get
better grades, and score higher on standardized test scores than their
peers in schools in schools without libraries. (School Libraries
Work!, 2008, p. 4.)
The results of this survey of Pennsylvania school libraries in the
2010-2011 school year show that not every student in a publicly-funded
school has access to a quality library program in their school that
is:
Staffed by both a full-time certified school librarian to
collaborate with teachers and an aide;
Open throughout the school day and beyond the student school day;
Supported by an adequate collection of current and useful print
and electronic resources; and
Provisioned with needed technology networking infrastructure,
current computing equipment and software to access information
electronically.
Recommendations for the Pennsylvania Department of
Education and Updates on Actions Taken:
Consider the academic benefits that would accrue to all students and
teachers by:
Restoring the Division of School Library Media Services in the
Office of Commonwealth Libraries and appointing a director with
appropriate education and library credentials to provide leadership
and professional development for school librarians through
publications and workshops for professional development and to
provide guidance to school districts and to librarians attempting
to assess the effectiveness of their school library programs.
Approved by PDE and to be implemented in Spring 2012
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Spearheading a working committee of PDE staff, school librarians,
and officers of state professional associations to develop a model
information literacy curriculum for school library programs to help
align the 2007 Standards for the 21st
-Century Learner of the
American Association of School Librarians with the 2010 Common Core
State Standards for English Language Arts and any additional
standards that Pennsylvania may add to the Common Core. (The
former Division of School Library Media Services played a
leadership role in the early 2000s in helping librarians develop a
model information literacy curriculum for their school districts.
Now that new academic standards are being implemented and new
information literacy standards are in place the need for an updated
model information literacy curriculum is a high priority.)
Approved by Commonwealth Libraries and to be implemented in summer
2012
Encouraging district and school participation in the assessment of
school library programs on an annual basis. This can be
accomplished most easily by becoming an official state partner in
School Libraries Count!, the longitudinal survey of the status of
school libraries sponsored annually by the American Association of
School Librarians.
Work with Commonwealth Libraries to have questions about library
programs be a part of annual PIMS survey
Distributing to chief school administrators through Penn*Link the
2011 Guidelines for Pennsylvania School Library Programs published
by the Office of Commonwealth Libraries. The Guidelines provide
each administrator benchmarks to use as guidance in assessing the
effectiveness of the district’s K-12 library program.
Providing specialized guidance and assistance to school districts
in identifying, evaluating and using adaptive technologies needed
for students with visual disabilities to access library resources.
Providing specialized guidance and assistance in identifying and
evaluating resources in languages other than English for English
Language Learner students.
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Recommendations for School Entities:
Consider the academic benefits that would accrue to all students and
teachers by:
Assessing the adequacy of support provided to district and school
library programs for professional and support staffing, collections
of resources, and technology infrastructure and computing
equipment. Over a ten-year period, library budgets have decreased
in purchasing power because of the increased cost of resources and
licensing during this period.
Developing and implementing in all schools a written, K-12
sequenced information literacy curriculum that is aligned with K-12
subject area curricula and with the state’s academic standards and
that is approved by the school’s local governing board. Just as
each subject area has a sequential, vertical curriculum for grades
K-12, so to should the library program have such an information
literacy curriculum that correlates with subject area curricula and
academic standards and is integrated into subject learning
activities.
Considering a move to a flexible schedule for libraries in
elementary schools to allow for the all-important time needed for
teachers and school librarians to plan together and to teach and
assess student learning collaboratively.
Assessing the currency, usefulness and scope of the total
collection of resources, including current magazines and
newspapers, available to students, especially those who are English
Language Learners.
Making open-source eBooks available to students through open-source
access tools such as the International Children’s Digital Library.
Investigating sources of grant funding from community groups and
from outside agencies and working with librarians to apply for
applicable grants.
Planning fund-raising activities within the schools and with school
and community groups. For example, the number of school libraries
sponsoring book fairs is rising. Students benefit from having more
books to read, and the library earns funding that can be used to
purchase new resources.
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Planning school-wide activities that relate to reading motivation
throughout the school year to encourage students to have reading
success and enjoyment. Reading competitions among grades, book
clubs, author visits, book fairs and “drop everything and read”
campaigns are examples of such activities.
Considering the use of volunteers in the library to assist the
librarian by completing routine tasks and encouraging community
members to volunteer.
All stakeholders have a responsibility to work together to provide
effective school library programs for every student in every publicly-
funded school in Pennsylvania so that all students can meet academic
standards and succeed.