[CALIBK12] Lack of librarians, low reading scores

[Simons Karen]

Thank you, Mr. Krashen for your untiring efforts to promote excellence in education in California. I have followed the stories of California school library programs being threatened, cut, and rescued for the past 8 or 10 years; and although I am gladdened when I hear of one being saved, it seems like the victory is mostly local. I know that advocates like CSLA have worked hard to implement State standards and recommendations for school library programs; but without tougher state mandates, the program implementers -- ie library staff, both credentialed and classified, will be reduced to mere caretakers, and then perhaps let go in even more "efficient" cost saving schemes that favor reducing reading to only that essential for taking standardized tests.

In case anyone is interested in reading the article Mr. Krashen has responded to which appeared in the San Diego UT, I believe this might be a link:
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jul/07/retired-school-librarian-fears-unhappy-ending-prof/?dsq=12256267#comment-12256267

It is by one of us, who really focused his career on his school. I don't know if he would have chosen to retire if a) SDUSD had not offered a "Golden Handshake" program as an incentive to reduce highly paid* (and highly qualified) teachers in the district, and b)the district had not implemented a (good news/bad news) staffing formula for school libraries** (for the first time in years) which could have reduced his position to half time.

*(of course we use the term "highly paid" in education to mean those at the top of the salary schedule -- not CEO pay)
**(while having a staffing formula, in my opinion, is a step in the right direction -- there have been secondary schools w/o certificated staff for over 6 years in SDUSD, there are so few credentialed librarians left in the district that implementing even half time librarians will be a struggle.)

Karen Simons, SDUSD Retired Librarian



-----Original Message-----
From: calibk12-bounces at lists.sjsu.edu on behalf of Stephen Krashen
Sent: Wed 7/8/2009 2:28 AM
To: calibk12 at listproc.sjsu.edu
Subject: [CALIBK12] Lack of librarians, low reading scores
 


Sent to the San Diego Union-Tribune, July 8, 2009

Missing from "Retired school librarian fears unhappy ending for profession," (July 7) is the fact that research consistently shows that better school libraries are related to better reading achievement. The crucial factors: book collections, amount of staffing, and the presence of a credentialed librarian. 

California's libraries are among the most under-financed in the nation, and even before the recent flurry of budget cuts, California had the worst ratio of school librarians to students among all the states in the nation, about one librarian for every 4500 students, compared to the national average of one for every one thousand.  It is no surprise that California's reading scores are among the lowest in the nation.

The state continues to finance budget items that don't help anybody, such as standardized testing far beyond what is required or necessary. They are apparently more interested in measuring the problem than solving it.

Stephen Krashen



      

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