Kindergarten–Middle School 6–12

Talking Points for
School Libraries

9. Students can get a head start on early reading success, if they are given opportunities to use public libraries. Students who are exposed to print-rich environments are more successful in school. And, they can go on to be successful lifelong learners, if that early boost is built upon by school library media programs.

Quick Stats Supporting This Talking Point

The presence of a teacher-librarian was the single strongest predictor of reading enjoyment for both grades 3 and 6 students. Larger schools tended to have higher average reading enjoyment scores, and are also more likely to have teacher-librarians. Schools with teacher-librarians could be expected to have reading enjoyment scores that were 8 percentile points higher than average. | SOURCE

There is a positive and statistically significant relationship between children's services in public libraries and early reading success at school. Storytimes, lap-sit programs, and other services for young children are a major part of improving early reading skills. New state data from across the country confirms these services play a significant role in preparing children for success as readers. | SOURCE

In nearly half the classrooms (46%), at least one out of five kids was inadequately prepared for kindergarten when they started schools.
A 2004 poll conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc. was the first national survey in more than a decade to solicit kindergarten teachers’ opinions on the value of pre-kindergarten. Nine out of ten teachers agreed that “substantially more” children would succeed in school if all families had access to quality pre-kindergarten programs. The agreement rate rose to nearly 100% among teachers with mostly poor, minority children in their classes. | SOURCE