PA PTA



What Students and Parents Lose When School Libraries and Librarians are Cut?4947285991235This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NCThis Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NCAs districts struggle to balance school budgets by July 1, the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association (PSLA) is in rapid response mode to provide school librarians, school leaders, and parents with advocacy strategies and resources to preserve school library services and instruction for students. In recent months, PSLA has learned of 15 districts across the state planning severe cuts to library programs and school librarian positions. In some districts, all library positions will be cut; in others, just retiring staff will not be replaced or librarians will be reassigned to classrooms where they hold teaching certifications. In other cases, libraries will only be open limited hours as librarians travel to 2 or 3 or more schools.What do students and parents lose when libraries and librarians are cut or reduced? Parents want kids to be safe.School librarians teach digital citizenship and safety on the Internet, such as protecting yourself online, understanding your digital footprint and searching safely.School libraries impact the social and emotional health of many of our at-risk students by providing a safe, “third place” for students seeking a break from academic stresses, a place to unwind and read for pleasure, or a safe, anti-bullying haven. Parents want kids to be academically successful.Reading is the foundational skill to academic achievement. With limited or no access to libraries and school librarians to guide their reading choices, students will read less.Few homes, particularly those with the most vulnerable students, have books and magazines for students to read, and many have no access to public libraries.Providing a limited number of books in a classroom library is not a substitute for the wide range of informational and recreational books at all reading levels that a school library provides.Research suggests that the more students read their skills in reading, comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, and writing skills, improve.Research also suggests that when librarians are cut, reading scores decrease and scores are more negatively impacted among our most at-risk learners.In a statewide study, students with full-time librarians were almost three times as likely to have Advanced PSSA writing scores as students without librarians.And, school librarians help teachers differentiate and individualize instruction for students needing extra support. Parents want kids to be creative, engaged, and interested in learning.Students need open, creative spaces to explore learning outside the classroom. Updated school libraries today, sometimes called learning commons, makerspaces, or innovation centers, are learning hubs for curious and investigative young minds.School librarians teach students about appropriate websites, web tools, and apps to integrate technology in their learning. School librarians are the only educators to follow students from grade to grade, coaching and helping them grow intellectually.Parents want their kids to be socially well adjusted and be able to work and learn collaboratively.School libraries provide spaces for groups of students to work together to make, create, share, and present projects.School librarians provide special programs and opportunities for students to learn together, such as, book clubs, battle of the books competitions, science and history fair projects.Parents want kids to be responsible and make good decisions.Without certified librarians critical information skills will not be taught, such as, distinguishing among fact, opinion, and misinformation (see the recently PDE-adopted Model Library Curriculum aligned with other content academic standards that librarians teach in collaboration with classroom teachers).?5728335346710This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY00This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BYAccording to a Standford University report, high school students are unprepared to judge the credibility of information on the Internet and recommend increased digital literacy instruction in schools. Instruction that school librarians can provide.Parents want kids to be well prepared for career and college opportunities. A statewide analysis of five-year graduation rates suggests that schools with certified school librarians have higher graduation rates.School librarians teach advanced Internet search skills, enabling students to find information needed to be successful on the job and to find online career resources and databases of vetted information.Being able to navigate and use a library is a key skill needed to be a successful college freshman and an informed citizen in our communities. Parents as taxpayers want to see their investments in education produce educated, contributing citizens.Conservatively, an average small library collection is worth over $250,000 in books, technology, and other resources. No business would allow assets of that value unmanaged.Valuable, free, state-provided Power Library e-resources go unused when librarians are not available to teach students and teachers how to use them. When library doors are locked and there is no one to supervise and help students, valuable taxpayer-purchased resources go unused.Due to our broken school funding system, vast inequities in learning opportunities for students have been occurring for years in our Commonwealth, particularly in communities of color and communities in poverty. Now, due to the pandemic, it is likely these inequities will deepen and spread. In wealthier schools, students are afforded full-time certified librarians with open access to a library full of books, access to subscription e-resources, and often 1:1 devices for both school and home use where Internet access is ubiquitous. School librarians in these settings teach students how to find, evaluate, and use trustworthy information giving their students the advantage of knowing how to make good future decisions about their finances, health, and careers. In Pennsylvania, we are at a precipice where future decisions will determine if the academic and future success of students will be diminished by being deprived of the benefits that school librarians and libraries bring to education.1070610230505This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC00This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC Debra E. KachelPSLA Advocacy Co-Chair and Adjunct Faculty, Antioch University Seattle and McDaniel College (MD)Additional Resources:American Association of School Librarians. School library programs improve student learning: Parents. Lance, K. C. & Kachel, D.E. (2018, March 26). Why school librarians matter: What years of research tell us. Phi Delta Kappan. PSLA. (2020). Why certified school librarians are essential. NOTE: If you would like PSLA to help you to push back on proposed school library cuts in your district, please contact me at dkachel69@. ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download