The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) has
awarded a contract to EGS Research & Consulting of Austin
to study the effects of activities in school library media
centers on student achievement. This study will be conducted
in preparation for a review of the standards for school library
programs developed by TSLAC in 1997. It will be funded through
a grant from the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).
EGS Research and Consulting mailed a survey to a random,
stratified sample of school library media specialists in September
2000. Data gathered from the survey will be correlated with
TAAS scores at each of the schools surveyed. Community factors
that could influence the results, such as socio-economic status
and library expenditures on materials, will be controlled
through a series of statistical analyses.
Previous studies, particularly those conducted by the Library
Research Service for Alaska, Pennsylvania, and Colorado, have
demonstrated that a positive relationship exists between staffing
levels and activities performed in school library media centers
and student test scores. Preliminary results of the Texas
study are expected to be available in February 2001, with
a final report due by April 2001.
For more information contact Christine McNew at 512-463-6623
or christine.mcnew@tsl.state.tx.us.
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