School librarians key to reading
I applaud the passion and sense of commitment expressed by Willie L. Hines Jr. in his recent op-ed on Wisconsin's African-American fourth-graders scoring the lowest in the country in reading achievement. There's certainly no single solution to this issue, but I believe there is one enormous error being made by Milwaukee Public Schools in this regard.
Over the past several years, and in particular in the upcoming school year, MPS has chosen to eliminate certified school library media specialists in many elementary schools or to cut them to working in the schools just a few days per week.
Numerous comprehensive studies completed in 20 states and provinces confirm a strong correlation between a well-staffed and funded school library media program and student academic achievement.
A study completed here in 2006 reached this conclusion: "The Wisconsin Study demonstrated higher WKCE reading and language arts performance across all grade/school levels in schools with higher levels of library media program staffing. Performance was higher in schools with certified library media specialists than in schools without certified library media specialists. It was higher in schools with full-time library media specialists than in schools with less than full-time media library specialists."
Librarians in schools have the skill, knowledge and commitment needed to connect children and books - books that they will enjoy. Children are intrinsically motivated to decode text that they want to read, and the more often they engage in this type of reading for pleasure, the better readers they become.
Here's a recent observation that might better illustrate the value of full-time professional librarians in elementary schools. I recently visited a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student working with an experienced library media specialist in an elementary school in the Kenosha Unified School District. She was able to meet a class of third-graders for 45 minutes of instruction.
They were engaged in a lesson on alphabetizing, plus enjoyed the librarian reading them an alphabet picture book that was rich in vocabulary and print motivation.
The final 15 minutes of the class, they were allowed to find two or three books to check out, and students rushed to the shelves. The staff was available to guide them in their selections, and students eagerly lost themselves in reading either silently or to each other.
Some students found books of tongue-twisters they enjoyed reading aloud. Others were engaged in joke books, graphic novels, non-fiction on topics that interested them, series fiction that challenged them. It was a joy to observe this diverse class so engaged in reading in an environment in which reading is seen as fun, exciting, entertaining and free.
Kenosha has made a commitment to keep library media specialists at the elementary level, and the district is therefore able to offer this kind of positive reading and learning environment.
Milwaukee has chosen to eliminate this type of experience for many elementary school children.
In Kenosha, the fourth-grade scores on the 2008 Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination test results show that 78% of all children were proficient or advanced in reading; 67% of the African-American children in the district were proficient or advanced. In Milwaukee that same year, 59% of all fourth-graders scored proficient or advanced in reading; only 52% of African-American children scored at this level.
The positive reading environment provided by a school's library media specialist is not the only factor contributing to higher achievement in Kenosha than in Milwaukee. But I contend that old-fashioned notions about school librarians of yore (checking out series books and shushing people) are preventing decision-makers from understanding the critical role these professionals play in a child's academic achievement today.
School librarians in Wisconsin, indeed in most states, are dually certified as classroom teachers and as professional librarians. They are uniquely qualified to help children want to read and to connect them with the materials that will keep them reading, not because it's required but because it's interesting, informative and even fun.
MPS needs to reverse the trend of eliminating this important educator from its schools. A full-time library media specialist in every elementary school is one step that could have a huge impact for children and for our future.
Mary Wepking is the school library media coordinator at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Information Studies.