Opinion
Curriculum Letter to the Editor

Missing ‘Quality’ Factor: Impact of Libraries

January 23, 2007 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

Your Quality Counts issue included a lot of interesting and useful information about education from early childhood through adulthood.

I was disappointed, however, that the effect of school library programs was not mentioned.

According to the 2006 edition of Scholastic Inc.’s research foundation paper “School Libraries Work!,” 16 different states have determined that, aside from parental socioeconomic status (over which we have little to no control), the biggest indicator of academic success is the availability of a quality library program staffed by certified librarian-teachers.

Funding libraries is one thing we can do to help our students achieve.

Lois Markiewicz

West Chester, Pa.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the January 24, 2007 edition of Education Week as Missing ‘Quality’ Factor: Impact of Libraries

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Special Education Webinar
Integrating and Interpreting MTSS Data: How Districts Are Designing Systems That Identify Student Needs
Discover practical ways to organize MTSS data that enable timely, confident MTSS decisions, ensuring every student is seen and supported.
Content provided by Panorama Education
Artificial Intelligence Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: AI Could Be Your Thought Partner
How can educators prepare young people for an AI-powered workplace? Join our discussion on using AI as a cognitive companion.
Student Well-Being & Movement K-12 Essentials Forum How Schools Are Teaching Students Life Skills
Join this free virtual event to explore creative ways schools have found to seamlessly integrate teaching life skills into the school day.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Curriculum Opinion This State Is Achieving Impressive Reading Gains. Why?
How content-rich curricula is fueling a rise in reading scores.
7 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
Curriculum Teaching Personal Finance to Teens in the Age of Online Gambling
Teenagers have more spending power than ever before. States are pushing schools to teach them how to be responsible with their spending.
5 min read
boy likely a teenager, sitting in a dimly lit room, holding a credit card and looking at a tablet screen
Nadzeya Haroshka/iStock
Curriculum How to Teach Tariffs: 8 Resources and Lessons
Wondering how to broach tariffs with your students? Check out these resources and lesson plans we've gathered.
2 min read
Image of shipping boxes from different countries.
iStock/Getty
Curriculum What Makes Curriculum 'High-Quality'?
Only 1 in 4 school and districts leaders say their administration has an official definition of "high-quality instructional materials."
4 min read
Blurred photo of a math formula with a vector illustration of a woman holding a clipboard and a man holding a notepad. Both appear to be examining the math equation.
iStock/Getty