| Krashen on the Talibanization of California Libraries
> >Published in the San Jose Mercury News, July 17 > >Libraries still lag > >A S the Mercury News noted, some California school libraries are doing >better, but many are not (Page 1A, July 1). > >California school libraries only have about 12 books per child. The >national average is 18. There is one school librarian for every 5,300 >children in California; the national average is 1/900. California's school >libraries are still the worst in the U.S., our reading scores are still >among the worst in the U.S., and there is abundant research relating >reading achievement with school library quality (that is, the number of >books available in the library and the presence of a certified librarian). > >Improving school libraries is especially crucial for poor children, who >often have little to read at home. But school and public libraries in poor >neighborhoods tend to be of poor quality, with fewer books, limited hours, >and substandard staffing. School libraries are indeed improving in >California, but we have a long way to go. > >Stephen Krashen >Emeritus professor of education >University of Southern California >Los Angeles
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