| |
Small Schools
One size does not fit all
If the schools have failed us, it's because they got too big, too far away from the "us" who knew the kids best, and too standardized and uniform to respond to the particulars of each child and each community. Schools are the one institution that could construct for the young what it means to be a member of a real community, made up of adults of various ages alongside youngsters of various ages. Such schools offer a way of learning together in the most efficient and productive way the species knows how, through the company we keep, by people we trust and want to emulate. That's what schooling has traditionally meant.
--Deborah Meier
In the current policy environment, the bottom line for schools is often, "What will raise the test scores?" This is especially a concern with low income communities due to the relationship between high poverty and low test scores. At the same time, many states and districts are actively supporting the creation of ever larger schools, a move to save money based on idea of "economies of scale." Concerned about these issues, the Rural Trust has supported multi-state research on the interaction between school size, poverty, and student achievement which shows dramatic results. The research indicates that small schools work well for poorer students. Read more about this research.
RESEARCH
Mar 04 - Missouri's Smaller School Districts Counter the Harmful Effects of Poverty on Student Achievement
Jan 04 - Small Works in Nebraska: How Poverty and the Size of School Systems Affect School Performance in Nebraska
Nov 03 - Nebraska's Small School Systems: An Educational Treasure, At Least When Adequately Funded
Jun 03 - School Size: Research Based Conclusions
Jun 03 - Distance Learning Technologies: Giving Small Schools Big Capabilities
Sep 02 - Dollars and Sense: Small Schools Work and They're Cost Effective
Mar 02 - Small Works in Arkansas: How Poverty and the Size of Schools and School Districts Affect School Performance in Arkansas
Mar 02 - New Research Finds Smaller is Better in Arkansas
Apr 02 - Resource Center: Small Schools Research and Information
Nov 01 - Small Schools: The Research Evidence (by Craig Howley)
Dec 00 - School Reform and the No-Man's-Land of High School Size
Oct 00 - Small Schools: Why They Provide the Best Education for Low-Income Children. From Challenge West Virginia (PDF format)
May 00 - The Influence of Scale on School Performance (Bickel & Howley, EPAA, Vol. 8, No. 22)
Feb 00 - School Size, Poverty, and Student Achievement: Georgia results summary
Feb 00 - Montana's Smaller Schools Counter The Harmful Effects of Poverty on Student Achievement and Outperform Larger Schools
Feb 00 - Texas' Smaller Schools Counter The Harmful Effects of Poverty on Student Achievement
Feb 00 - School Size, Poverty, and Student Achievement: National results summary
Mar 98 - The Log School: A Case for Appropriate Design; from Alaska Native Knowledge Network
Jul 97 - School Size. ERIC Digest
Dec 96 - Affective and Social Benefits of Small-Scale Schooling. ERIC Digest
May 96 - School Size, School Climate, and Student Performance; from NWREL
Public Agenda Survey: Parents Favor Smaller Schools
School Size: Things You Need to Know to Make Better Decisions (by Craig Howley)
Small High Schools that Flourish: Rural Context, Case Studies, and Resources (by Howley & Harmon)
"A Political Irony for Small Schools" by Marty Strange
"Affective and Social Benefits of Small-Scale Schooling" by Kathleen Cotton
Current Literature on Small Schools
"School Size, School Climate and Student Performance: Summary" by Kathleen Cotton
Small Works in Arkansas: Summary
Small Works in Arkansas
"Violence and School Size: The Evidence" by Elizabeth Beeson
Websites on Small Schools
LINKS
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Small High Schools Page
The Catalog of School Reform Models
The Center for Rural Affairs
ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools
Institute for Research and Reform in Education
Small Schools Directory
Small Schools Workshop
Student Learning in Small Schools: An Online Portfolio
Oct 03 - More to Miss: School Size, Course Offerings, and Student Participation
Sep 03 - Deborah Meier: The Road to Trust (American School Board Journal)
Jul 03 - Stronger, Smaller High Schools to Help Thousands of Oregon Students
Jun 03 - What Kids Can Do: Alabama Students Fight School Closure
Jun 03 - State School Chiefs Ask U.S. Department of Education for Flexibility for Rural School Districts
Apr 03 - South Carolina Study Confirms Advantages of Smaller School Districts
Apr 03 - District Keeps Bibb Graves Open, Runs a Surplus
Apr 03 - An Old School Is Given New Life
Apr 03 - McDowell County People's Plan for Excellence
Mar 03 - Missouri Small Schools Prevail Because They Work
Dec 02 - Citizens Group Fights Small School Closing and Trends Towards "Megaschools"
Dec 02 - Challenges and Rewards of Rural School Leadership
Oct 02 - First Person: Saying Goodbye to Lily School
Oct 02 - Test Scores Land Small Schools on Priority List
Sep 02 - Small Schools Work and They're Cost Effective, New Report Finds
May 02 - Plan ties school size to poverty, Idea: Limit enrollment to help poor students
May 02 - Small Schools Healthier for Students
Apr 02 - Schools in Three States Showcase Virtues of Small Size
Apr 02 - A Firsthand Account of Teaching in a Small School
Apr 02 - Consolidation in Arkansas: Cure Worse Than Disease
Feb 02 - Arkansas' Small Schools Cut Poverty's Power over Student Achievement
Jan 02 - EdWeek: R. Tompkins Letter to the Editor on Small Schools of Rural America
More in the NEWS ARCHIVE
Home | About Rural Trust | Get Involved | Publications | Links
Events | Services | Newsroom | Contact Us | Search
© 2003 The Rural School and Community Trust
|
|
