Small-School Movement

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) requires that schools must be restructured if they do not make adequate yearly progress (AYP) as measured by meeting test score targets for a period of 6 consecutive years. In order to meet this mandate, school districts have attempted several models in an effort to restructure. In some cases, schools have been “taken over by the state,” closed completely and then reopened as a charter school, have fired all current administrators and staff and started all over with new staff, or have had the management of the school taken over by private management firms. Recent studies have shown that all of these efforts at restructuring have met with limited success.

It appears that NCLB will be a driving force in school districts and communities for some time to come. If this is the case, then it is important to discover a successful approach to school restructuring. Closing schools, state takeover, and firing all staff members are draconian approaches to restructuring schools that have met with limited success and are extremely disruptive to the school and the community. Under consideration are other approaches to restructuring schools in order to increase the potential of academic improvement and attaining AYP.

One approach that bears consideration is the small-school model. Although the number of students within the school can vary as far as what qualifies as a “small school,” many experts consider a number of approximately 350 to 500 students as constituting a small school. Although there are many schools that already have a student population in that range, many schools are considerably larger. What is to be done with a high school, for example, that has a student population of more than 1,500 students, or a large elementary school with over 600 students? The answer may lie in the concept of a school within a school. A school within a school is exactly what the name implies. The larger school is subdivided into smaller organizational units, each of which functions as an independent and yet coordinated instructional unit. By way of example, the units could be organized by grade level, location in the facility, or by discipline. This arrangement provides the potential to promote student achievement, raise the graduation rate, improve student attendance, cultivate a sense of a learning community within the school, reduce the feeling of anonymity that is so prevalent among students in larger schools, and increase teacher–student and teacher–parent contact.

There is considerable evidence supporting the belief that students in smaller schools do better regarding academic achievement than do students in larger schools. There is some evidence to suggest that students in smaller schools have about the same level of academic achievement as their peers in larger schools. However, there is little or no support for the notion that students in larger schools outperform students in smaller schools in terms of academic achievement.

Second, it appears that students who attend smaller schools have a significantly improved graduation rate at the high school level. This may be because students have an increased sense of belonging to the school because of more personal attention by teachers afforded by fewer numbers. Increased teacher-to-student interaction seems to have a positive impact on student life in the school. Another factor that could influence increased graduation rates might be that parents tend to remain more involved in their child's school life in smaller schools. Smaller classes make it easier for teachers and parents to discuss student-related issues. This appears to have numerous positive outcomes. Regardless of the reason, smaller schools historically tend to have better student graduation rates than larger schools.

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