New research by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) reveals South Australian schools with a qualified teacher librarian are more likely to have improved student literacy outcomes. The 2019 census addresses the absence of accurate information about the current nature of school library and information services in Australia by collecting data on areas related to staffing, support, facilities and funding of school libraries, as well as identify how information services are managed when there is no staffed library provision within a school. As part of the study, ACER analysed NAPLAN 2018 data and found students’ reading, writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation outcomes at Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 were significantly associated with the qualification-level of the person who manages the library…Students in schools with a qualified teacher librarian had up to two month’s learning gain, compared to students in schools with no staff member managing the library, after taking into account the effect of socioeconomic status. The difference in student literacy outcomes was strongest at Year 9 and weakest at Year 7.
Excerpt taken from ACER report