School Library Research Summarized: "Quality school library programs impact student achievement"

Study: Library funding ups student scores. (UPI News, 5/9/2011)

Excerpt:  U.S. researchers say a study of 22 U.S. states and a Canadian province shows when funding support for school libraries rises, reading and testing scores go up.

Researchers at Mansfield University in Pennsylvania say the study contradicts an article of faith among critics of public schools that there is no correlation between spending and learning outcomes, a university release reported last week.

"Quality school library programs impact student achievement," said Debra E. Kachel, a professor in the School Library and Information Technologies Department at Mansfield. "The research shows clearly that schools that support their library programs give their students a better chance to succeed."