Teenagers who say they most often read paper books scored higher on reading tests than their peers who rarely or never read, according to a study of students in about 30 countries by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Findings showed that students who read physical books also outpaced students who read digital books.
OECD. (2022). Does the digital world open up an increasing divide in access to print books? (2022). OECD. https://doi.org/10.1787/22260919
A two year long study difficult working conditions urban library workers experienced pre-pandemic and the increasing demands and disruptions because of the pandemic, resulting in extensive trauma, stress, and burnout for urban library workers. The study included four stages including a comprehensive review of current literature on the topic, a survey of urban library workers, a series of virtual focus groups, and a forum of urban library workers to go over the research and create plans for the future. Trauma largely started externally but impacted library interaction. The report also noted secondary trauma experiences and how regular interaction with patrons who are struggling with homelessness, poverty, mental illness, or addiction has a profound affect on library workers who are often not trained or have the resources or support for this work. The report encourages more recognition of how secondary stress leads to burnout and recommends that libraries look to the fields of social work and medicine for concrete solutions to support library workers. The report made the following recommendations:
A study of 53 high school teachers who taught at a school with a one-to-one laptop program found that one-to-one devices are essential to lessen the impact of the digital divide but distribution should be well planned with adequate stakeholder preparation. Leaders need to understand other stakeholders, such as teachers, are in Rogers’s five adopter categories. The findings indicate a positive association between participants’ self-perception levels of technology adoption and their belief that students’ academic performance improved with the use of laptops. Furthermore, school librarians, assuming the role of an Innovator as defined by Rogers, can establish themselves as invaluable resources that can bridge the gap between administrators’ expectations and teachers’ utilization of technology in the classroom.
Smith, D. et al. (2022). Teacher Perceptions of One-to-One Laptop Implementation: Suggestions for the Role of School Librarians. School Library Research, 25.
https://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/smith-milburn-esener-colby.pdf
This study reviewed research on the outcomes of diverse reading programs on the achievement of struggling readers in elementary schools. Sixty-five studies of 51 different programs met rigorous standards. Eighty-three percent were randomized experiments and 17% quasi-experiments. Outcomes were positive for one-to-one tutoring and were positive but not as large for one-to-small group tutoring. There were no differences in outcomes between teachers and teaching assistants as tutors. Whole-class approaches (mostly cooperative learning) and whole-class/whole-school approaches incorporating tutoring for struggling readers obtained outcomes for struggling readers as large as those found for all forms of tutoring, on average, and benefited many more students.
Neitzel, A. J., Lake, C., Pellegrini, M., & Slavin, R. E. (2022). A synthesis of quantitative research on programs for struggling readers in elementary schools. Reading Research Quarterly, 57(1), 149-179.
Students who believe their schools are responsive to their needs earn higher grades, according to a study by researchers. The findings, based on data from 12,000 ninth-grade students in Chicago, come as school districts consider ways to better integrate students' feedback.New research has confirmed a link between acting on students’ feedback and their academic success, strengthening arguments for incorporating student voice into school improvement efforts.For students, a belief that schools are responsive to their ideas correlates with a higher grade-point average and better attendance.
Kahne, J., Bowyer, B., Marshall, J., & Hodgin, E. (2022). Is Responsiveness to Student Voice Related to Academic Outcomes? Strengthening the Rationale for Student Voice in School Reform. American Journal of Education, 128(3), 389-415.
https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdf/10.1086/719121?download=true
A recent three-year study examined how school librarians and classroom teachers co-teach to facilitate learner-centered instruction, including inquiry and maker learning. The research team found that that co-teaching occurred through co-planning prior to and throughout the units. School librarians reported to have used various instructional methods such as scaffolding, modeling, mentoring, and coaching. Classroom teachers reported to have brought differing expertise as the content-area experts. The co-teaching relationships evolved over time, and the findings suggest school librarian-classroom teacher co-teaching significantly facilitates learner-centered instruction in schools.
Koh, K., Ge, X., & Prytrlls, J. (2022). Librarian-Teacher Co-Teaching and the Role of School Librarians in Facilitating Inquiry and Maker Learning. School Library Research. www.ala.org/aasl/slr
