In her September 24, 2019, Information Today column–titled The Decline and Potential Regrowth of the School Library–Carilee Christou cited Debra Kachel’s and my March 2018 Phi Delta Kappan article, Why school librarians matter: what years of research tell us:

“Since 1992, a growing body of research known as the school library impact studies has consistently shown positive correlations between high-quality library programs and student achievement. … Data from more than 34 statewide studies suggest that students tend to earn better standardized test scores in schools that have strong library programs.” Additionally, “when administrators, teachers, and librarians themselves rated the importance and frequency of various library practices associated with student learning, their ratings correlated with student test scores, further substantiating claims of libraries’ benefits.” Kachel and Lance wrote that more recent studies show that strong school libraries are linked to other student success indicators, such as graduation rates.

Concern about the decline and evolution of school librarianship has received more attention than ever since publication of Kachel’s and my March 2018 articles in School Library Journal’s School Librarian State of the Union series.