HAVING READ "Parents' group tries to stop demise of the school librarian" (Page A17, Dec. 25), I can't help but ask, Where does Massachusetts stand?
Truth be told, almost half of the schools in Massachusetts don't even have a librarian, let alone a fully funded library program. Our educationally elite state, which boasts Harvard, MIT, and countless other renowned institutions of higher learning, is near or at the bottom for support of our public school libraries. Think about it.
Educational research and common sense tell us that a strong school library program positively impacts student achievement. It is in the school library where children learn how to access, evaluate, and synthesize information, to learn how to learn. It is there where they can catch the enthusiasm for reading they will carry with them throughout their lives and pass on to their children. At the heart of the best library programs are credentialed school librarians, and a library program should be at the heart of our children's education.
Do the parents of Washington state love their children more or know something we don't about the value of library programs?
It is way past due for parents, lawmakers, and a governor here in Massachusetts to show the country that we value education just as much as the fine folks of South Carolina and Arkansas.
HELEN GARRETT, Wenham
