1. Middle and High School Reform Grant Program
http://ies.ed.gov/ncer/projects/
Deadline October 2, 2008
TITLE: THE HEALTH CAREERS ACADEMY INFORMATION LITERACY PROJECT
Information literacy can be defined as the set of abilities an individual has for
recognizing when information is needed and in turn, have the abilities to locate,
evaluate, select, and use the needed information.
Project Summary
Background
Our transformation into a global society has dictated, on so many levels, that information literacy
is the critical literacy for the 21st
century for everyone. 1
It is presently a core tenet of many
school library media centers and academic library teaching and learning programs across the
country. Often considered the “heart” of an academic institution, libraries, particularly at the
elementary and secondary level, have long been treated as ancillary to the teaching and learning
process as evidenced by the seminal report, A Nation at Risk (1983) in which the role of the
library in educational reform was completely ignored.
A growing number of studies, however, have affirmed that there is a clear link between school
library media programs and student academic achievement. Today, way too many disadvantaged
students arrive at colleges and universities ill-equipped to conduct college level research because
they have had limited and/or no access to school library media programs providing lifelong
learning skills, such as research and information literacy.
“Information literacy increasingly should not be considered a given. Contrary to
the conventional wisdom, the information literacy skills of new students are not
improving as the post-1993 Internet boomlet enters college.” 2
Horizons Report, 2007
Nationally, only about 60 percent of school libraries have a full-time, state-certified school
library media specialist on staff. Reauthorization of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and local
educational budgetary cuts in school library media programs have galvanized the national library
community to support the Strengthening Kids’ Interest in Learning and Libraries (SKILLS) Act.
Sponsored by Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Thad Cochran (R-MS) and Representatives Raul
Grijalva (D-AZ) and Vernon Ehlers (R-MI), the SKILLS Act, a proposed amendment to NCLB,
provides federal support and incentives to strengthen school library programs. It also
reauthorizes and strengthens the Improving Literacy through School Library Program of the No
Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).
Methodology
1
American Library Association Presidential Committee on Information Literacy: Final Report, 1989.
http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlpubs/whitepapers/presidential.cfm
2
Horizons Report (2007). New media consortium. http://www.nmc.org/
© 2008, Dr. Lana W. Jackman 1

2. Middle and High School Reform Grant Program
http://ies.ed.gov/ncer/projects/
Deadline October 2, 2008
Using an evidenced based research approach, the Health Careers Academy Information
Literacy Project intends to develop an information literacy tool kit specifically design to
support charter school students with enhancing and achieving their academic, personal,
and professional goals.
This will be accomplished by employing the following methodology:
• Establishment of a community based participatory research framework (CBPR) via
consultation with Health Careers Academy community.
• Using an evidenced based clinical trial research model methodology, test the hypothesis
that developing baseline information literacy skills within charter school communities
provide an asset based foundation for enhancing individual achievement across academic,
personal, and workplace spectrums.
o DESIGN: Controlled educational intervention trial, incorporating baseline
measures of information literacy competency with selected participants within
two social studies high school classroom over a 24month period.
o SETTING: A Horace Mann charter public high school located at Northeastern
University in Boston MA.
o PARTICIPANTS: two cohorts of juniors and seniors, teachers, library media
specialists, and administrative staff.
o INTERVENTION: A multifaceted, 24 month information literacy educational
program designed specifically for an intervention group and a control group
which will receive regular instruction.
o MEASURES: Participant academic profiles/assessments, focus groups, key
stakeholder interviews, ACT WorkKeys, and Educational Testing Service ICT
iSkills assessment tool.
o PROJECT EVALUATION: A formative and summative evaluation process will be
instituted to generate findings concerning relevance, success, and efficacy;
lessons learned; and provide a template for a replicable tool kit model.
o PROJECT TEAM: Members of the project team will include Dr. Lana W.
Jackman, principal investigator/project manager, Dr. Beverley Russell, CCHERS
director of education and research, Angela Hedley, HCa assistant principal,
library media specialist consultant(s), and Dr. J. Richard Woy, project evaluator.
o TIMELINE: 3 Yr. cycle - First 6 months - surveys, focus groups, key stakeholder
interviews and selection of clinical trial participants; 24 month clinical trial and
quarterly programmatic updates/reviews; 6 month development of tool kit and
training program prototype.
o EARLIEST ANTICIPATED START DATE: July 1, 2009
• A survey/telephone assessment of library media services within the Boston Charter
School community
• An internal environmental scan of project participating charter schools.(SWOT Analysis)
The primary goal of this project is to develop an innovative, educational intervention inclusive of
techniques and strategies in the form of an information literacy toolkit suitable for replication
within the charter high school community in the city of Boston.
© 2008, Dr. Lana W. Jackman 2

3. Middle and High School Reform Grant Program
http://ies.ed.gov/ncer/projects/
Deadline October 2, 2008
Project Benefits
The charter school movement appears to be an ideal environment to lay a foundation for
developing an information literacy community of practice in which students, teachers, and
administrative staff come together to develop an information literacy culture most appropriate to
their institutional mission. As a coherent, teachable, asset based skill set approach to lifelong
learning practice for the 21st
century, information literacy does represent an amalgam of
educational philosophies, principles, and techniques adaptable to any educational and/or
corporate environment.
Anticipated student outcomes:
1. Students create new knowledge through effective information seeking
and use competencies.
2. Students develop transferable skills for sustaining knowledge beyond
the classroom.
3. Students can use technology and information tools to produce new
knowledge and demonstrate achievement.
The primary goal of this project is to develop an innovative, educational intervention inclusive of
techniques and strategies in the form of an information literacy toolkit and training activities,
suitable for replication within the K-12 charter school community in the city of Boston.
Evidence based research on information literacy practices is very limited. Almost non-existent is
research on the impact of library media services on the academic achievement of disadvantaged
students attending charter schools. What studies do exist have indicated that although students
appear to be very confident about their information and communication technology skills, most
students are seriously lacking in knowledge and ability in using print and electronic information
resources and libraries effectively.3, 4
Dr. Robert E. Slavin, renowned educational researcher and
Director of the Center for Research and Reform in Education at Johns Hopkins University,
believes that using the successful medical research model as a research template such as
proposed for this project will generate efficacious, evidence based educational practices that will
enhance student performance.
3
Windham, C. (2006). Getting past google: Perspectives on information literacy and the millennial mind. Educause.
Retrieved July 20, 2008 http://connect.educause.edu/Library/ELI/GettingPastGooglePerspect/39341
4
Oberman, C. (2007). Information literacy redux: Whose job is it? Educause. Retrieved July 21, 2008
http://connect.educause.edu/Library/Abstract/InformationLiteracyReduxW/44740
© 2008, Dr. Lana W. Jackman 3