THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE RESOLUTION

INTRODUCED BY LONGIETTI, McCALL, SAMUELSON, ADOLPH, BEAR, BELFANTI, BOYLE, BRADFORD, BRENNAN, BROWN, BUXTON, CALTAGIRONE, CHRISTIANA, CIVERA, CLYMER, COHEN, CREIGHTON, CURRY, DeLUCA, DeWEESE, DONATUCCI, FLECK, FRANKEL, GABLER, GIBBONS, GINGRICH, GODSHALL, GOODMAN, GRUCELA, HARHAI, HARHART, HARKINS, HELM, HORNAMAN, HUTCHINSON, JOHNSON, JOSEPHS, KILLION, KIRKLAND, KOTIK, LENTZ, MAHONEY, MAJOR, MANDERINO, MANN, MARSHALL, MARSICO, MATZIE, McILVAINE SMITH, MICOZZIE, MIRABITO, MUNDY, MURPHY, MURT, M. O'BRIEN, PALLONE, PICKETT, READSHAW, REED, REESE, REICHLEY, ROCK, ROEBUCK, ROSS, SANTARSIERO, SCAVELLO, SCHRODER, SEIP, M. SMITH, SOLOBAY, SONNEY, STURLA, TALLMAN, R. TAYLOR, TRUE, VULAKOVICH, WANSACZ, WATSON, WHEATLEY, YOUNGBLOOD, YUDICHAK, BAKER, STEVENSON, SIPTROTH AND McGEEHAN, APRIL 7, 2010

REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, APRIL 7, 2010  

A RESOLUTION

Directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to

conduct a study of the Commonwealth's public school library

services for students in kindergarten through grade 12,

measuring and comparing access to print and electronic

resources, professional support and instruction in the use of

information and research among this Commonwealth's public

school entities and evaluating how funding and resources are

allocated for school library services in relation to student

and community circumstances.

WHEREAS, Up-to-date school libraries include printed

materials, computers and technology, video and audio materials,

research tools and professional instruction and support for

students; and

WHEREAS, Effective school libraries include a variety of

instructional and educational programs designed to meet the

needs of all students, including gifted students, students with

disabilities, English as a second language students, students in

poverty and students from different racial and cultural

backgrounds; and

WHEREAS, Students and teachers need high-quality school

library services and related educational resources in order to

meet this Commonwealth's academic standards for research and

learning in all core academic subjects, specifically addressing

competencies in Pennsylvania's Standards Aligned System that

require students to be able to "analyze and evaluate information

from a variety of sources for relevance to the research

question, topic or thesis"; and

WHEREAS, In a study of this Commonwealth's school libraries

conducted in 1999-2000, a significant correlation between

Pennsylvania System of School Assessment reading test scores of

students and schools with quality school library programs and

staffing proved the impact of school libraries on improved

student achievement; and

WHEREAS, Similar studies in 19 other states conducted over

the past 16 years have supported the findings of this

Commonwealth's study and demonstrated the role that school

libraries play in student learning; and

WHEREAS, The Partnership for 21st Century Skills has

identified information, media and technology skills necessary

"to ensure that students emerge from our schools with the skills

needed to be effective citizens, workers and leaders in the 21st

century"; and

WHEREAS, Not all of this Commonwealth's students attend a

public school that has a school library, and this is

particularly true in impoverished rural and urban communities

with larger numbers of at-risk children; and

WHEREAS, Access to and instruction by a certified school

librarian is also nonexistent in many schools or limited in

school districts where librarians serve in multiple buildings,

thus reducing hours the school library is open and available to

students and teachers; and

WHEREAS, This Commonwealth does not have any requirements for

public schools to operate a school library or to have certified

staffing, although the Public School Code does require school

libraries and staffing for private schools; and

WHEREAS, This Commonwealth does not provide or require

dedicated funding for school library services, such as New York,

which provides $6.25 per student for school library resources

and, therefore, this Commonwealth is at a disadvantage compared

to neighboring states, a disadvantage which results in school

library resources and school library conditions that vary widely

across this Commonwealth; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee

conduct a study of public school library resources and services

in this Commonwealth for students in kindergarten through grade

12, measuring and comparing funding, facilities, access to print

and electronic resources, professional support and programming

and instruction in the use of information and research among

this Commonwealth's public schools and districts and evaluating

how these elements are allocated in relation to student and

community circumstances, such as poverty, disability, race and

English language ability; and be it further

RESOLVED, That, in addition, the study shall include an

analysis of the following for this Commonwealth, measured and

quantified, when possible, per student, per school, per district

and Statewide:

(1)  The number of public schools without a centralized

school library collection in the building under the

administration of a certified school librarian assigned full

time to that building.

(2)  The ratio of certified school librarians to

students.

(3)  The assignment of other support staffs to work in

school libraries, the number of such other staffs and their

qualifications.

(4)  The number of hours that students have access to the

school library in their building per day.

(5)  The amount of up-to-date and useful print and

electronic resources to which students and teachers have

access through school library services.

(6)  The average age and condition of books and

technology in school libraries.

(7)  The amount of funding from all sources being spent

annually over the past ten years for school library resources

and services.

(8)  The availability of up-to-date, functional,

Internet-connected computers for student use in school

libraries.

(9)  The kinds of other library services and programs

provided by school libraries to support students and

teachers.

(10)  Additional aspects of school libraries related to

the overall purpose of this study;

and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Department of Education, Commonwealth

libraries and the State Board of Education provide available

support for this study as requested by the Legislative Budget

and Finance Committee; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee

request the assistance of the following organizations in

conducting this study: the Education Committee of the Senate,

the Education Committee of the House of Representatives, the

Pennsylvania School Librarians Association, the Pennsylvania

State Education Association and the Pennsylvania Federation of

Teachers; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee

provide recommendations necessary or desirable to improve and

update public school library resources, services and facilities

for all students in this Commonwealth, including recommendations

for appropriate levels of resources, staffing and hours of

access; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee

provide recommendations necessary or desirable to provide all

students with the school library resources, facilities, programs

and instruction to enable them to become successful readers,

learners, researchers and consumers and producers of

information; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee

provide recommendations necessary or desirable to address school

library inequities or insufficiencies affecting disadvantaged

students and communities; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee

report to the House of Representatives the result of its study

and recommendations regarding the status of this Commonwealth's

school libraries and student access to them and file the report

with the Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives no later

than June 30, 2011.