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Study highlights libraries’ important role in education

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2012 16:21 PM



As schools across the country take steps toward aligning their current curricula with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), their focus is ultimately on providing K-12 students with an education that will better prepare them for college and the workforce.

However, as schools implement the CCSS, officials from the New Jersey Association of School Librarians (NJASL) and Rutgers University’s Center for International Scholarship in School Libraries (CISSL) hope that these institutions will not lose sight of the important role libraries play in students’ intellectual development.

The NJASL recently released the findings of a three-year CISSL study, which analyzed the educational impact of quality school libraries. Based on survey responses from more than 700 librarians, researchers found that libraries can improve students’ test scores and foster an interest in reading.

"As states and school boards across New Jersey and the country consider new measures to implement the new Common Core Standards, we must ensure that school library programs continue to be funded and staffed by certified school library media specialists," said Fran King, NJASL president. "Our students’ futures depend on it."


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