[Susan notes: As always, Stephen Krashen makes a whole lot of sense. The sad truth of the matter is very few people, including educators, actually believe in the power of libraries.]
Submitted to Los Angeles Times but not published
03/15/2007
Re: No quick, cheap fix for state’s schools (March 15)
We are told that 22 academic studies conclude that
California needs an additional 1.5 trillion to raise
test scores in reading and math. The researchers
missed some important data. We can take a huge step
toward improving reading for a tiny fraction of this
amount: Study after study shows that the best
predictor of reading scores is access to books and how
much children read. California, without question, has
the worst book access problem in the nation, with the
worst school libraries, fewest school librarians per
child, the worst public libraries, and a large
percentage of children in poverty, which means fewer
books in the home. Last year, the State of California
spent about 3% of the national average on school
libraries, and less than half of the national average
on public libraries.
To bring California up to the national average, it
would require a budget increase of about 250 million
per year, only about one fifth of a percent of the 150
billion dollar state budget. The money should be
targeted for libraries in low-income neighborhoods:
Children of poverty are nearly completely dependent on
school and public libraries for reading material.
A modest increase in funding, directed at supporting
libraries and librarians, may not be sufficient to
insure all children become excellent readers, but it
is necessary.
— Stephen Krashen
