TheStar.com - Better grades? Thank a librarian

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TheStar.com - Better grades? Thank a librarian: "The first Canadian study linking school libraries to student achievement indicates that better libraries improve student test scores and add to kids' reading enjoyment.

The Ontario School Library Association says the research, released yesterday, is the evidence it needs to make a case for more trained school librarians and better-stocked shelves.

'There's such a clear link between libraries and student achievement I don't know how the minister (of education) can ignore it,' said association president Michael Rosettis.

The study by Queen's University professor Don Klinger was based on provincial test scores and attitudinal information collected by the province's Education Quality and Accountability Office. That information was married with data on the state of elementary school libraries gathered by the provincial parent group, People for Education.

Klinger's study of 800 elementary schools and about 50,000 students showed that schools without trained teacher-librarians were more likely to score lower on grades 3 and 6 reading tests. Schools with teacher-librarians had proportionally more students who scored the highest levels on Grade 6 tests.

The study found the biggest difference teacher-librarians made appeared to be in how much students enjoyed reading, said Klinger. The research showed that the presence of a teacher-librarian accounted for a small shift in students' attitude to reading. It was a tiny variable, but given that researchers haven't been able to identify most of the factors affecting student achievement, it is significant, he said.

"If all school libraries were adequately staffed and sufficiently funded, just imagine the impact on student achievement," said Rosettis, a teacher-librarian at St. Augustine Catholic High School in Markham.

Teacher-librarians are qualified teachers who've taken more courses to become librarians. They focus on integrating information technology with the curriculum, and work with teachers to design research units."