School reformers hope that converting comprehensive high schools into collections of small schools will produce results similar to those realized in freestanding small schools. This comparative case study revisits two "conversions" as they complete the grant funding that supported the reform, in order to explore the extent to which…

Over the last decade, New York City has been the site of a systemwide high school reform effort that is unprecedented in its scope and pace. Since 2002, the school district has closed more than 20 failing high schools, opened more than 200 new secondary schools, and implemented a centralized high school admission process in which approximately…

This paper provides 11 steps on how to build a strong journalism program in a small high school. The categories discussed include: what is meant by a strong program; particular problems of small schools; additional problems affecting schools regardless of size; the advisor; the program; the staff; facilities and equipment; work environment;…

This paper examines the relationship between school size and funding levels in North Carolina secondary schools. Data included information from 94 secondary schools concerning classes offered, school enrollment and staffing, school size and location, funding levels, and student achievement in eight selected subjects; principal and teacher…

The Registration Involving Parents Program was instituted at Hill City High School, Kansas to: (1) keep parents informed of academic goals of students; (2) allow teachers to be more directly involved in the goal-setting of students; (3) reduce class schedule changes after the beginning of the school year; (4) force students to justify choices and…

The paper reviews work being done by two established Department of Education (ED) committees which are addressing concerns and issues related to rural education--the Intra-Departmental Committee on Rural Education (with representation from all 14 offices or units in the Department) and the Federal Intra-Agency Committee on Education's Rural…

Few answers are to be found in the research literature about what happens to traditional academic subjects in school restructuring. This paper provides an analysis of the U.S. social studies curriculum and a description of how it has fared in the public high schools of New York City (NYC). A research project conducted during 1994, 1995, and 1996…

This paper reviews five prominent approaches to U.S. high school reform: small schools, applied learning, professional development/curriculum and instruction, youth development, and comprehensive/whole school reform. For each strategy, it offers: a description and "theory of action" of the reform approach; some examples of the reform in…

A national study of small and large high schools was undertaken in 1984 to collect data regarding the extent of curricular offerings and then to determine whether the differences were statistically significant. Two random samples were used: the first consisted of 475 schools with enrollments of less than 400 and the second was composed of 900…

This resource guide provides information for 13 laboratory experiments designed to be conducted in small schools with limited equipment and materials. For each experiment, the document outlines necessary equipment and materials, experiment procedures, and questions to be answered. The experiments are: (1) studying the properties of water; (2)…

Many rural school districts struggling with declining elementary school enrollments will soon face the more complex problems of declining high school enrollment. School districts with only one high school do not have the option of consolidation and must find innovative solutions to the problem of maintaining educational quality with dwindling…

Data from the High School and Beyond study were used to investigate the comprehensiveness of programs in mathematics, science, and foreign language in large and small high schools. Large schools offered more comprehensive programs than did smaller schools, but there was substantial variation in comprehensiveness at any school size. (SLD)

Extracurricular activities are an important part of students' lives in small-town Montana. In 1994, the Montana state legislature cut its share of funding to public schools by 4 percent, raising concerns about what would be cut and whether extracurricular activities would be affected. A survey of 228 Montana school districts (47 percent of total)…

The option for small high schools to consider non-traditional approaches to instruction may be a viable way to meet the instructional needs of individual students in Texas' rural communities and comply with the curriculum requirements specified in Chapter 75 (recently passed by the 67th Texas Legislature). Effective in 1985, school districts will…

This paper examines whether the Maine School of Science and Mathematics, a magnet school in its second year of operation, has improved equity of opportunities for Maine students to participate in advanced mathematics and science courses. Data on per pupil expenditures, state aid to school districts, and course offerings were obtained from the…