Currently there are two media specialists covering the four elementary schools within Ephrata Area School District. The school board is considering reducing to one media specialist to cover all four elementary schools next year! Why does this matter?
Across the United States, research has shown that students in schools with good school libraries learn more, get better grades, and score higher on standardized test scores than their peers in schools without libraries. From Alaska to North Carolina, more than 60 studies have shown clear evidence of this connection between student achievement and the presence of school libraries with qualified school library media specialists.
No longer are school libraries just for books, they have become “school library media centers” with computer resources that enable children to engage meaningfully with a wide variety of information. These centers with trained staff support the use of electronic information resources not just in the center, but help to integrate these resources in classrooms and throughout the curriculum.
(Resource: http://www.scholastic.com/content/collateral_resources/pdf/s/slw3_2008.pdf)
Add your name to this petition to indicate your disapproval of the district proposal to staff four elementary schools with only one certified Media Specialist!