SUPPORT STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN AND OUT OF THE CLASSROOM

As schools consider additional ways to integrate virtual learning, educators are looking to student databases for help. Like you, we want to help all students succeed. Digital literacy is an increasingly important part of that. While 92% of district administrators think that the effective use of technology leads to greater student achievement, many educators find it challenging to incorporate databases and digital tools into their educational practices.1 Gale databases, like the Gale In Context suite of online resources, offer students a trusted place to learn and grow while giving teachers access to resources that supplement and enhance instruction.

Librarians are valuable resources for teachers who want to improve their use of technology in the classroom, but they often struggle to find ways to advocate for their library, integrate virtual instruction, get into the classroom, and collaborate as essential partners in education. What can we do to help change that? Read below to learn about the study, find out what students and educators had to say, and more. You’ll also discover how to incorporate educational technologies into instruction, enhance teacher effectiveness, and empower learning outcomes.

  • The Study and Participants

    During the 2018–2019 school year, Gale and Project Tomorrow collaborated to design and implement a nationwide study examining the efficacy of using Gale’s cross-curricular databases to support academic achievement and “future-ready” skill development. The results from this study are outlined in our white paper, Keep Students on Track with Database Access. 

    The study was made up of a cross-sampling of students, teachers, and librarians from public and private elementary, middle, and high school classrooms across the United States. Each participant was instrumental in helping us evaluate the benefits of using Gale’s primary educational database products for different ages and learning styles. Elementary children used Gale In Context: Elementary (formerly Kids InfoBits), while middle and high school students used resources from the Gale In Context suite of student databases, such as Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints and Gale In Context: U.S. History. Teacher and student experiences with the digital databases were captured through surveys, focus groups, on-site observations, and interviews.
  • Online Learning Opportunities

    Students and educators from schools across the country participated in a yearlong study to assess the efficacy of using educational databases to support instruction. Read what they had to say below. For more insights, download our best practice guide.

     

     “I saw a way that I could collaborate with my colleagues more efficiently and get resources to students and make it more effective and personalized for their learning.”         

    –Teacher, Central York High School, Pennsylvania

     

    “Access to [trustworthy] databases is one of the first steps in improving student outcomes.”

    –Director of Library Media Services, Jefferson County Public Schools, Kentucky

     

    “I like how the information is accurate and that there are different resources I can use to find information about the topic I’m researching. There isn’t anything that I don’t like about using the Gale resources.”

    – 6th-grade student, Knight Middle School

     
  • Benefits Of Technology In The Class

    Gale databases don’t take the place of traditional classroom instruction; they open new doors for incorporating additional teaching and learning methodologies into lessons. The extent to which these resources support real-world classroom needs is most evident by the overwhelming support from students and teachers who want to continue to use Gale resources in their future teaching and learning activities.

    A 12th-grade English Language Arts teacher reported, “I have seen a 200% increase in the quality of my students’ work since they have been using Gale databases. I no longer see these phrases in projects or research papers: ‘According to Google’ or ‘According to this.com website.’ Students are citing their work with a database reference and the proper inserted citation. The quality of their evidence is much higher when they use Gale In Context. Plus, they’re gaining different peoples’ perspectives—the sort of global thinking that we’re promoting at our high school.” 
  • Next Steps

    We want to share the results from this study with school and district leaders around the country who might be considering education databases but don’t know where to begin. If you’re looking to better support collaboration between librarians and teachers who want to bring databases to students, check out these next steps: Watch our on-demand webinar, read the research study, print the case study, and download our best practice guide for more data-driven insights to share with colleagues.

Access the Resources

Hear the Webinar

View this webinar to hear Project Tomorrow and panelists discuss key findings and share examples for implementing databases into the classroom. 

View the White Paper

Gain valuable insights from educators around the country and learn how many schools are turning access into action with our best practice guide.

Read This Case Study

Discover how Jefferson County Public Schools improved student outcomes, provided equity, and helped close achievement gaps with curriculum-aligned content.

Get Best Practice Guide

In addition to the research study, we’ve compiled quick tips from educators on how to incorporate databases into everyday practice.
1.     https://tomorrow.org/speakup/speakup_data_findings.html