School Library Programs
What a School Library Program Offers Each Student
One program, designed differently for every student and their specific needs. The figures below are New Jersey’s own, and they show where the gaps are. Choose a grade level or a student group to see what the program does for them.
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By grade level
By student group
Preschool
#2
New Jersey has the nation’s second highest-funded preschool program.
But the gains fade, often beginning as early as third grade. A literacy-rich start has to be carried forward.
What the program offers
- A library center creating a literacy-rich environment across print, audio and digital media.
- A collection curated to align with the science of reading, including decodable texts and phonics-based readers.
- Daily read-alouds with guided discussion and follow-up activities.
- Time to browse and choose books purely for enjoyment.
- Instruction aligned from preschool through kindergarten and into elementary school.
Elementary school
47%
of New Jersey fourth graders did not meet ELA expectations.
Children not reading proficiently by the end of third grade are 4× more likely to leave school without a diploma.
What the program offers
- Partnering with teachers to integrate phonological awareness, vocabulary and comprehension strategies.
- Foundational reading supported by genuine choice.
- Learning how to use a collection, check out books and begin to research.
- Design and research skills introduced, extended and refined, then presented back to classmates.
- Reading for enjoyment protected as its own activity.
Middle school
43%
of New Jersey eighth graders did not meet ELA expectations.
Reading-for-fun figures are national (NAEP).
What the program offers
- Information literacy, including AI literacy, taught across every content area.
- Lessons in online safety and cyberbullying.
- Co-teaching literacy with content-area teachers in math, science, social studies and other subjects.
- Large, high-interest collections (graphic novels, fiction, nonfiction, series) that meet adolescents where their interests are.
- Real choice in what they read, and a safe space.
- Space designed for adolescents: lounge areas, a genuine third space, a learning commons.
- Book clubs, poetry nights, community reads — programming that makes reading social exactly when peers start to matter most.
New Jersey’s 2024 literacy law and Literacy Framework focus on early literacy. But middle school is when motivation to read becomes one of the main ways students build vocabulary, background knowledge, comprehension and stamina.
High school
50%
of New Jersey ninth graders did not meet ELA expectations.
What the program offers
- Formal goals for college and career research readiness.
- Research databases, citation tools and support for AP and IB capstone projects.
- Co-teaching literacy with content-area teachers in math, science, social studies and other subjects.
- Instruction in information literacy, AI literacy, digital citizenship and online safety.
- Lounge areas and a real third space: somewhere to be that is neither a classroom nor a phone.
- Book clubs, poetry nights, community reads — belonging, at the age when belonging matters most.
- Dedicated screen-free time and space, built around reading rather than around a device.
It shows up in college. In a six-college New Jersey study, not one first-year student from a high school with a strong, librarian-led library program rated themselves unprepared for college research.
Economically disadvantaged students
63% did not meet ELA expectations vs. 35% of their peers.
Children in households earning under $50,000 have nearly half as many books at home as those in households earning $100,000 or more. Less affluent families are also less likely to borrow books from their local library.
What the program offers
- Summer reading programs.
- Fair book fairs and book giveaways that close the home-library gap directly.
- Extended hours before and after school, on weekends and over the summer.
- Automatic public library access.
- Technology and device borrowing.
- Districtwide common collections, so every school in a district has the same core books.
- Late and replacement fees limited or eliminated.
- A library of things and a personal care zone.
Special education students
80% did not meet ELA expectations vs. 40% of their peers.
New Jersey ranks among the top states for special education spending, and 46th on a composite measure of how well students with disabilities are actually served.
What the program offers
- Instruction aligned directly to IEP goals, planned with special education teachers.
- Collaboration with teachers, interventionists, Child Study Teams and classroom aides to understand unique needs.
- Lesson adaptations (Plans A-E) to respond to changing behaviors, learning styles and engagement levels.
- Accessible formats: audiobooks, e-books, large print, braille and e-braille, graphic, high-interest low-reading-level, speech-to-text.
- Assistive technology built into the collection rather than bolted on.
- Sensory-aware space: natural light where possible, dimmable lighting, preferential seating, self-regulation tools available to everyone.
- Communication directed to the child rather than the adult beside them.
- Never inferring reading level from age or grade — asking what they last read and liked.
- Programming designed so students can participate as they are: moving, holding something, stimming, a parent present.
- Encouragement to volunteer and outreach to students who are homebound.
Multilingual learners
75% did not meet ELA expectations vs. 43% of their peers.
Multilingual learners are about 12% of New Jersey’s student population.
What the program offers
- Dual-language collections, including at book fairs.
- Signage and family communication in multiple languages.
- High-interest, lower-reading-level titles that build confidence while English is still developing.
- Easy readers on age-appropriate topics and tied to the curriculum.
- Scaffolded read-alouds that clarify instructions and build background knowledge and vocabulary.
- Interactive story time and heavy use of visuals.
- Culturally responsive programming: multilingual story times and family literacy nights in home languages.
- Instruction planned jointly with ESL teachers.
Gifted and talented students
2021
New Jersey’s Strengthening Gifted and Talented Education Act requires services.
It is an obligation most districts must meet without dedicated funding.
What the program offers
- Collections that are advanced but still age-appropriate, a distinction that takes professional judgment.
- Academic databases and subscriptions beyond the standard curriculum.
- Specialized makerspace equipment.
- Competitions matched to interest and level, and mentorship across grade levels.
One program.
Eight populations.
One professional.
This is why a School Library is not just a room with books in it. Removing the School Librarian removes the service for every group on this page at once.
See what a high-quality program includesEvery figure on this page is sourced at schoolsneedlibrarians.com/sources.