How School Librarians Help Kids Achieve Standards: The Second Colorado Study.

In 1993, the Colorado State Library published "The Impact of School Library Media Centers on Academic Achievement." This follow-up study focuses attention on the library media specialist and the services she or he provides throughout the building, rather than just the library media center as a specific place, and emphasizes the fact that better library media services lead to better student performance on standards-based tests. In addition to confirming and updating the findings of the first Colorado study, this project expands on the original study's results by measuring the impact on academic achievement of specific leadership and collaboration activities of library media specialists; principal and teacher engagement in library media programs; and information technology, particularly networked computers offering licensed databases and the Internet/World Wide Web. On all three counts, this study showed a positive impact. This study is put into perspective with past research as well as the American Association of School Librarians' new standards, "Information Power." It contains reports of the findings in a variety of readily usable formats, including: an executive summary, a brochure, and a brief report that includes similar studies completed recently for Alaska and Pennsylvania. Appendices include a bibliography; list of participants; sample survey form; the brochure; and a section of "Fast Facts" and PowerPoint slides. Includes 40 tables and 2 figures. (AEF)