What does the research tell us about
​schools with fully funded libraries and certified librarians?

What does the research tell us about
​schools with fully funded libraries and certified librarians?
Research shows that schools with fully funded libraries and full-time certified librarians teaching students to love books, love reading, understand the research process, and consider critically all the information that they read have higher test scores. This research model has been replicated in 60+ studies over 50 years, with the same results every time. (Investing in School Libraries and Librarians To Improve Literacy Outcomes. Center for American Progress, April 2024) Students in schools with effective librarians and strong collections do better on state mandated tests; they also learn better in general. But graduate courses in school administration have not reminded prospective administrators that the school librarian can and should be their best friend and ally on campus. Literacy coaches and tutors teach specific skills to specific students; the librarians teach every student in the school – and support every teacher. The bang for the salary buck is much larger.  Money spent to build a library collection that effects enthusiasm and skills in every classroom has more impact than small pots of money for individual classroom libraries scattered across the campus and haphazardly managed. The library can be the heart of the school – an effective school librarian will make sure that it is.
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Too many administrators remember the stereotypic librarian from their own K-12 years – those days are gone! Too many superintendents (you, Mike Miles) have gotten hooked on phonics at the expense of the broader arsenal of literacy tools which includes school libraries.