Article Presentation: School Librarian Staffing Linked with Gains in Student Achievement (by Lance & Hofschire)

1. LIS 534 Article Presentation
School Librarian Staffing
Linked with Gains in
Student
Achievement, 2005-2011
by Keith Curry Lance and Linda Hofschire
Prepared by Amanda McCormick
UB MLS Program, Summer 2013 session

2. This study was originally published in Teacher
Librarian, a bi-monthly independent library journal
dedicated to “identifying and responding to the exciting
challenges encountered by school library professional.”
www.teacherlibrarian.com
Articles are blindly-reviewed by at least two members
of the journal’s advisory board.
MLA citation:
Lance, Keith Curry, and Linda Hofschire. “School Librarian Staffing Linked with
Gains in Student Achievement, 2005-2011.” Teacher Librarian 39.6 (2012): 15-
19. Print.

3. AUTHORS
The authors of the study have extensive experience in
the research field.
Mr. Curry was the founding director of the Library
Research Group at the Colorado State Library in 1987.
He is currently working as a consultant with libraries
and related organizations.
Ms. Hofschire is a research analyst with Library
Research Service (LRS), a unit of the Colorado State
Library. She holds a PhD and a MLIS.
LRS is a unit of the Colorado State Library, which is an office of the Colorado
Department of Education. Additionally, LRS works in partnership with the
University of Denver Library, Morgridge College of Education, Library and
Information Science Program to offer research fellowships to current MLIS
students.

4. The authors of the study have conducted numerous studies which link
school libraries and student achievement, which is illustrated here.
Full PDF available: http://www.teacherlibrarian.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/tl-poster.pdf

5. PURPOSE
Previous research studies correlate student
achievement with various aspects of school libraries
(e.g., staffing, collection size, information literacy
instruction).
The purpose of this study was to build upon those
studies and to examine the impact of school librarian
staffing on student achievement, focusing on two
important factors:
(1) TIME
(2) POVERTY LEVELS

6. BACKGROUND
The authors cite to the American Association of School
Librarians’ Standards for the 21st Century Learner:
“Reading is a window to the world. 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, etc.) and all contexts is a key indicator of success in
school and life. As a lifelong learning skill, reading goes beyond
decoding and comprehension to interpretation and development of
new understandings.”
These standards, the authors argue, are not just “lip
service.” School librarians consider the standards to be
among their “basic responsibilities.”
Additionally, the standards are aligned with Common
Core standards, which are now the basis of state
testing.

7. METHODOLOGY: TIME STUDY
The authors analyzed Colorado Student Assessment
Program reading scores and staffing data from the years
2005 and 2011. Students were in grades 3-10.
Two types of scores: advanced and unsatisfactory.
Information was obtained from the Colorado Department
of Education.

8. RESULTS: TIME STUDY
Students at schools that gained or maintained an
endorsed librarian to managed the library program
averaged higher reading scores and higher increases in
those scores over time than students at schools whose
library programs were run by either nonendorsed
librarians or library assistants.
Definitions
Endorsed librarian = Colorado designation of a librarian endorsed by the Colorado Department of
Education as a school librarian or a teacher librarian/media specialist
Non-endorsed librarian = Colorado designation of an employee having neither type of endorsed
status.
Library assistant = Colorado designation of an employee having neither type of endorsed status.

12. METHODOLOGY: POVERTY IMPACT STUDY
The authors collected data regarding the percentage of
students in a school who were eligible for free and
reduced-cost meals (the generally accepted indicator of
poverty in education research).
Next, the authors correlated library staffing level with
advanced and unsatisfactory reading levels and this time
controlled for poverty.

13. RESULTS: POVERTY IMPACT STUDY
When controlling for poverty, both endorsed and
nonendorsed librarians had positive and statistically
significant correlations with reading scores.
However, relationships were stronger with endorsed
librarians.
Library assistants working without supervision were not
found to have an impact on reading scores (advanced
or unsatisfactory).

15. CONCLUSION
School librarians play a vital role in increasing student
achievement.
“Regardless of how rich or poor a
community is, students tend to
perform better on reading tests where,
and when, their library programs are in
the hands of endorsed librarians.”

16. Strengths of the Article
This article seeks to add to a
body of literature which
supports the retention and
hiring of school librarians.
The article is clearly written
and well-supported by the
authors’ analysis.
Weaknesses of the Article
The article does not have a
literature review
section, which would have
provided a helpful
background.
The article does not address
how learning in the classroom
and school libraries intertwine
when it comes to reading test
results.

17. Pertinent Points
In a Colorado study, a statistically significant
relationship was found between student reading
achievement and the presence of professional
school librarians.
The research indicates that students tend to
perform better on reading tests when a
professional school librarian is present, whether
the district is considered to be affluent or less
affluent.

18. Further Reading
* www.teacherlibrarian.com
* www.lrs.com
The Library Research Service generates library statistics
and research for library and education professionals, public
officials, and the media. LRS reports and analyzes statistics
on school, public, and academic libraries, and conducts
studies on major library issues that are reported in the Fast
Facts and Closer Look series. Topics of continuing interest
to the LRS and its clients are the impact of school librarians
on student achievement, public libraries and the use of web
technologies, and the changing library workforce.