The New England Board of Higher Education "NEBHE" has been deeply interested in how New England higher education institutions can collaborate with one another and with other leaders to confront threats to their economic sustainability. These threats stem partly from shifts in academic content and delivery, student demography and…

Everyone--board members, parents, and staff--loves small schools, bur it's no secret that small schools cost more to operate, particularly if administrative and teaching staff cannot be assigned efficiently. If there is a silver lining in this dark contextual cloud, it's that political support for consolidating schools has rarely been better. The…

Historically, the consolidation of school districts has brought with it many promises and perils. In this paper, the author links curriculum and community involvement within the consolidation context.

Discusses the consolidation of three high schools into the vocational-technical center in Rockbridge County, Virginia. Describes the implementation of new programs and the integration of vocational and academic courses. (JOW)

Presents some of the arguments and reviews the research on small school districts. Based on experiences in Indiana, contends that consolidated school superiority is exaggerated. With proper planning and innovation, small schools can effectively share human, material, and financial resources. Eighteen references are provided. (MLF)

Examining reasons for school closure such as economics and equal educational opportunity, Lam concludes that school closings only serve to highlight inefficient school board policy, ineffective funding, and declining educational quality. (SK)

The recommendations of James B. Conant in the 1950s led to high school consolidation across the country. Although the surviving small schools have weaknesses, they have benefits as well. (JM)

The author points out two of the problems involved in merging two schools: determining which buildings to close and melding the two staffs, who may have different philosophies and procedures. She also notes that these mergers present opportunities for reorganizing space, rethinking curriculum, and gaining access to additional resources. (SJL)

Challenges facing rural schools include consolidation, teacher quality, equitable funding, and adequate facilities. The president of the National Rural Education Association presents his views on these issues based on visits around the country. (Author)

Examines the court struggle for fiscal adequacy and equity as it is being applied to rural schools and suggests that there are serious implications for financing education in an environment which promises continued complexity and change. The outcome of these struggles is critically important to stakeholders in rural education. (Author/KS)

Because 30 Australian colleges of advanced education, principally teacher training institutions, were scheduled to be amalgamated in 1982, a study was undertaken to determine the problems likely to face librarians at these institutions and to produce guidelines on amalgamation and running multi-site operations for both college administrators and…

Explores historical and current trends in public education policy to "improve" rural schools by making them more "urban-like" and more responsive to the needs of an economic world market. Describes a rural school district in Texas and predicts negative effects of present state reforms. Presents organizational alternatives for…

Arguments in favor of school consolidation often focus on increased efficiency and economies of scale. However, as school size increases, parental involvement decreases. Family effects account for 34-105 times as much variation in achievement as school inputs. Consolidation may be economically viable, but distancing parents from schools may have a…

Describes desegregation plans that have successfully provided for students on a regional, "central city" basis. Discusses basic components and key reasons for their success, such as mixing Black and White students of different socioeconomic backgrounds. Focuses on questions of educational quality and the relevance of these plans for…

Briefly traces history of decline and resurgence of rural communities, discusses school consolidation and studies on per pupil costs, travel costs, energy conservation and community pride and identity as factors in maintaining small rural schools. (AN)