We all know from life experience, the more you read the better reader you become.

For Everyone: Amount Counts! One hundred years of research supports the notion that free voluntary reading (the kind of reading you want to do, not forced to do)-lots of it-

is the best predictor of seven essentials of academic achievement basics:

Comprehension, Spelling, Grammar, Vocabulary, Writing Style, Verbal fluency and General Knowledge. Loertscher,D. (2003). We Boost Achievement: Evidence-Based Practice for School Library Media Specialists. "P. 59". Salt Lake: Hi Willow Research & Publishing.

The school library media center should feel warm and welcoming to all people who use it. It should be a place that has stimulating materials and encourages reading and learning. The library media center must be brightly decorated with posters, artifacts and student work. There should be comfortable seating, good lighting and plenty of space so library users can work together. The library media center must have ample resources in a variety of formats, including electronic and audiovisual materials as well as traditional books and magazines. “A Student and Parents Guide to Evaluating Libraries in Independent Schools.” Nov. 2001. AASL a division of the American Library Association. www.ala.org/aasl

It is extremely important to have the School Library Media Center staffed with a certified teacher librarian that is familiar with current exciting literature and stimulating technology.

Patrons of the library media center need to have available databases, online encyclopedias, reading programs, math programs and research materials accessible twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. These resources need to match the student's personal interests and academic needs. Loertscher, D. (2003). We Boost Achievement:“P.60”Salt Lake: Hi Willow Research and Publishing.

Teacher Librarians use reader’s workshop, writer’s workshop, author studies, genre studies, poetry clubs and much more to stimulate interest and increase the amount of reading time that students complete. Librarians have always been enthusiastic motivators of books and increased reading. The more time students spend actively reading, viewing, listening to gain information the more they will improvement on academic achievement areas of reading comprehension, spelling, grammar, vocabulary, writing style, general knowledge and critical thinking. The NAEP Results for 2000 states,"Fourth graders in the United States do better academically when they: read more pages in school, read more pages as homework, have more books, more magazines, newspapers, and encyclopedias in their homes, report that they read every day for fun and discuss what they read." "NAEP Report" http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/sitemap.asp.

We must give students opportunities and high quality resources to read, read, read as many hours as possible in areas of their own interest. This will help them increase their academic achievement to become knowledgeable and enriched citizens.

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