Florida: “School Libraries: Closed For Business, Open For Testing”

From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel:

Dchool libraries are increasingly shutting their doors, turning instead into testing hubs as their books sit idle on the shelves, educators say.
One in four schools in Palm Beach County that reported their library closures this year were shut down for 40 days or more, records show. Students attend class for 180 days.
“It’s happening more and more as we start to worry more about testing … and less about the function of the media center,” said Bill Purtell, the district’s manager of library media services.
Although the data does not specify why libraries were closed, school officials attribute it mostly to state and local testing requirements

Read the Complete Article
Direct to List of Number of Days School Libraries Closed in Palm Beach Co. Public Schools
See Also: From April 2015: New Jersey: PARCC Testing Takes Toll on Some N.J. Schools (and School Libraries)

Filed under: Data Files, Libraries, Public Libraries, School Libraries