Highly qualified school library media specialists: Perceptions of teacher preparation training requirements and the impact on P--12 student achievement

The purpose of this observational study was to determine if significant difference existed in the quality of teacher preparation training as perceived by school district employees who have completed or were pursuing teacher certification in the area of school library media specialist from graduate programs accredited by National Council of Accreditation for Teacher Education (NCATE) and those accredited by institutions holding the American Library Association (ALA) endorsement. The focus of this investigation was on how or if knowledge, skills, and dispositions of school library media specialists and how does initial training impact student achievement.;The study was conducted in an urban school district located in the metropolitan Atlanta area and is identified as district SDA. Descriptive, student performance, and perceived competence data were collected from 95 P-12 media specialists, working in 90 school sites for the study population. Elementary (54 sites) and middle schools (19 sites) were part of the population. Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) results for students in grades 1-8 during the spring of 2007 were used to rank adequate yearly progress (AYP) performance. High school students do not take the CRCT. High school media specialists (N=21) were included in the study population.;Findings form the study indicated that the interactions between the school administration, teachers as collaborative planning partners, collection development activities, and the school library media specialists (SLMS) have a positive impact on P-12 student achievement. Graduate preparation programs (NCATE and ALA) as independent variables were not perceived by SLMS to have a significant impact on the quality of the service and support they provided to learners.