Haves, Halves, and Have-Nots: School Libraries and Student Achievement in California Page: 197

levels, and whether developmental differences in students or structural differences in the
organization of schools may require different emphases for school library programs at different
grade levels.
The American Association of School Librarians' (AASL) "Standards for the 21st Century
Learner" (2007) describes a range of real-world problem-solving abilities students need to
develop, including locating, evaluating, and synthesizing information from a variety of sources,
considering problems from a variety of perspectives, using technology tools to organize and
analyze data and present information, and maintaining the resiliency and intrinsic motivation to
complete lengthy and complex tasks. The shift in focus from what the library media specialist
does to what the student should accomplish necessitates measurement tools that better capture
how well students meet these standards than do the current standardized tests. Results from this
study might also serve as a starting point for qualitative research that more deeply explores ways
school library programs contribute to student achievement in these areas.

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