Sara,

 

I would also suggest that people who plan to reply read the second evaluation of Improving Literacy Through School Libraries.  Wurman reports correctly that the evaluations found no significant differences in check-out rates; HOWEVER, check out rates is but one measure that Lance used in his studies.  The second evaluation found significant changes in practices correlated to student achievement and IN FACT did find a gain of 2.7 % in student reading scores on state assessments; HOWEVER, due to flawed methodology in the evaluation, the researchers concluded that a CAUSAL relationship could not be made.

 

Full report is here:  http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/other/libraries/libraries09.pdf

 

There is an Executive Summary at the beginning and a chapter (6) on conclusions for those who do not want to wade through the whole thing. 

 

Some highlights of factors --- other than book circulation --- that have been found to increase student achievement.

 

Summary of Findings: What Is the Relationship Between Participation in This Program and Staff

Collaboration and Coordination?

 

Grantees were more likely than nongrantees to (a) establish new programs or expand existing

programs to have library media staff members assist teachers in designing, implementing and evaluating

research projects for students (42 percent versus 24 percent, respectively); (b) work with the principal

and/or teachers on curriculum issues (40 percent versus 23 percent); (c) participate in team meetings (36

percent versus 23 percent); and (d) coordinate training programs about integrating educational technology

into the curriculum for teachers and other staff members (42 percent versus 24 percent).

 

Summary of Findings: How Do Reading Achievement Scores Vary in Schools That Received

Grants for 1, 2 or 3 Years Compared With Matched Comparison Schools That Have Not Received

Grants?

The percentage of students who met or exceeded the proficiency requirements on state reading

assessments increased by an extra 2.7 percentage points among grantees, a statistically significant

increase. Some or all of this increase, however, may be associated with other school reform efforts or

preexisting differences in achievement between LSL and non-LSL schools rather than with LSL

participation. In addition, increasing the number of books was associated with significant increases in test

scores. Because of the lack of a true experimental design, these findings cannot support causal inferences

that attribute observed differences in student reading achievement between LSL and non-LSL schools to

the LSL program.

 

As I understand it, Improving Literacy Through School Libraries --- despite the flawed evaluation design --- was the only program under this suite of funding to show gains in reading achievement at all.  Someone would need to check my facts on this.  I just don’t have time to do it this morning.

 

From: Sara Kelly Johns [mailto:skjohns@gmail.com]
Sent: Friday, December 16, 2011 7:44 AM
To: aaslforum@ala.org; yalsa-bk@ala.org

Subject: [aaslforum] Fwd: Please help refute Wurman's claims about the future of school libraries

 

Please go to this article and respond with the research and the evidence to make it obvious that school librarians matter...This needs to be an overwhelming response.

Thanks, Sara

Calling out the troops!!! Please read Ze’ev Wurman’s reply to my comment below. I know many of you have done research to refute his reply. This could be an important moment for School Librarians to step out of the shadows and take on the kind of establishment views this man espouses. Pass this around. Include public librarians, because the national conversation about cutting library services is related to the conversation about cutting school librarians. Let’s hear you!
Melissa

This is the sequence of comments - Please respond to Wurman

In reponse to this article:
http://californiawatch.org/dailyreport/fewer-schools-keeping-librarians-staff-13857

Particularly this paragraph:
“You have to make choices sometimes, and the importance of librarians is a bit less than it used to be,” said Ze’ev Wurman, a Silicon Valley executive who participated in the development of California education standards and served as a policy adviser for the U.S. Department of Education. “In the elementary grades especially, librarians are essentially teachers' aides, doing a variety of things that have little to do with books or literacy, per se.”

Melissa Heckler, NY school librarian replied:

Melissa.Heckler@CHUFSD.Org
Message
Mr. Wurman,
How sad that you should be allowed, without any library background or experience, to pass judgment on our work as school librarians. I teach six classes a day. My library curriculum includes (a partial list) research skills, elements of fiction and nonfiction, library skills and is closely aligned with Common Core State Standards as well as College and Career Readiness Standards. In fact, the 28 state study by Keith Curry Lance found that the single most important factor in student achievment when all other variables are considered, is having a fully qualified School Library Media Specialist with an up to date library collection. I hold two Masters degrees and am not any teacher's "aide". Teachers, administrators, students and parents come to me as a resource. Librarians are one of the cornerstones of democracy (free and open access to information)and ensure, more than any institution, that all students have equal access to information. Please take the time to do your reseach before passing such harsh, rash, and inaccurate judgment.
Sincerely,
Melissa Heckler
Librarian, Croton-Harmon Schools, Croton, New York


And Wurman responded:

Dear Melissa,
I hope you understand the difference between passing judgment on an overall characteristics of a group versus individual characteristics. While I don't doubt your (or anyone else's) qualifications, it has little bearings on what the majority of elementary librarians actually spend their time.
Keith Curry Lance's research is interesting, but not very robust. For example, while he tried to disentangle general measures of wealth from library/librarian activity, he did not consider generalized indicators of effective school operation. It is reasonable to assume that generally effective school operation -- that may be independent of wealth -- positively affects both the availability of library services and academic achievement. Further, his sampling selection is not necessary the best -- this can reflect, to a degree, the nature of his research sponsors. To illustrate this, he finds positive correlation between checking out of library materials and academic achievement (as well as between spending on libraries and academic achievement). Yet nationwide study (mentioned in that article) did not find increased checkout of library material despite multiple-fold increase in spending on libraries and increase in availability of library materials.
In other words, being a practitioner may provide one with unique bottom-up insight into the daily practice but does not necessarily translate into an increased understanding of the broader picture.
Finally, please note that I do not doubt the importance of school libraries. Yet when one must make a budget cutting decisions one is often forced to choose between the important and the very important. In my judgement professional librarian services at the elementary level fall into the former, while availability of qualified teachers into the latter. I'd rather not be forced to make such choices, and I can certainly understand your unhappiness with my position, yet you should not assume it is necessarily based on ignorance or ill will.
Regards,
Ze'ev Wurman



--
Ze'ev Wurman
zeev@MonolithIC3D.com
www.MonolithIC3D.com
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--
Sara Kelly Johns, School Librarian
Lake Placid Middle/High School Library
Instructor, Mansfield University School Library & Information Technology Program
AASL Division Councilor. ALA Council
AASL Legislative Committee
67 Canaras Ave.
Saranac Lake, NY 12983
johns@northnet.org
skjohns@gmail.com





"All knowledge is spendable currency, depending on the market"--Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings