To the Editor:
Megan McDonald adds another convincing case history showing the value of the library and librarians in schools (“How the School Library Saved My Life”).
Studies agree: Keith Curry Lance’s research in the United States consistently shows that school library quality is positively related to literacy development. Research completed by Sy-ying Lee, Jeff McQuillan, and me also suggests that access to a good school library can offset, to a large extent, the negative impact of poverty on reading achievement.
Despite this research, support for school libraries has been dwindling over the years.
We complain about the low levels of literacy in young people, but we destroy the most obvious source of reading material for students: robust and well-staffed school libraries.
Stephen Krashen
Professor Emeritus
Rossier School of Education
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, Calif.
