Open AccessStudent Learning Through Ohio School Libraries, Introduction: Partner-Leaders in Action
Author(s) -
Ann E. Tepe,
Gayle A. Geitgey
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
school libraries worldwide
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2816-3788
pISSN - 1023-9391
DOI - 10.29173/slw6954
Subject(s) - school library , wonder , pedagogy , sociology , political science , mathematics education , library science , public relations , psychology , computer science , social psychology
tudent Learning Through Ohio School Libraries: The Ohio Research Study, published in 2004, represents one of the largest studies to date that has sought to identify how school libraries affect student learning. Reflecting on the nature and scale of this study, the reader may wonder why Ohio, a state in the central United States with 3,913 public elementary, middle, and high schools, would consider conducting a statewide survey to establish how school libraries benefit learning. This question has several answers. Until 2000, schools across Ohio were required to have a licensed school librarian. However, in 2000, changes in the operating standards for school libraries introduced by the Ohio Department of Education meant that the requirement to have a licensed school librarian became subject to the interpretation of the local school superintendent, possibly allowing for school librarians to be eliminated. This change placed greater emphasis on the need for school librarians to be able to articulate their role in relation to student learning and to demonstrate more concretely the outcomes of their school library program through the provision of evidence.