| The Wonder of Reading is a nonprofit organization committed to renovating, restocking, and providing training for volunteer reading partners in elementary schools in the Los Angeles area. By spring, 2003, they had transformed 100 school libraries. Eighty-one participants, including administrators, teachers, parents, and library staff from 15 of these schools with libraries that had been open at least one year, completed surveys. Eighty-six individuals participated in interviews. The questions asked for participants' perceptions of the impact of the program and sought to reveal whether perceptions varied by role or by school characteristics.; A large number of participants perceived that students had expanded access to print leading to increased motivation and engagement, expanded use, and more time spent reading. Participants also noted changes in school culture regarding reading, describing the library as the beginning of a cascade of positive changes in the school. Changes in school structure appeared to lead to changes in attitudes, practices, policies and achievement. Test scores for all schools increased. Five of the schools had high test scores with API levels in the 600--800 range. Nine schools with a majority of low-income students raised their scores in a range from 127--191 points. Moreover, the new library played a symbolic role, demonstrating the schools' level of caring for students and for the value of reading, and as evidence of the schools' progress. |
