Students in a first year Master's degree seminar were asked to find the answer to the question "Do Class and School Size Matter as A Crucial Issue to School Improvement?" The paper the students wrote is based on a review of the literature. The students determined that the question had several issues to be addressed before they could…

No study has comprehensively examined what types of students are attending new small schools in New York City and whether these students have different characteristics, on average, than students at the schools they replaced. This study fills this gap by comparing the characteristics of entering new small high school students with those of all…

Four secondary teachers, long accustomed to working in isolation, joined forces to provide an interdisciplinary program with flexible scheduling and common planning periods. This article describes their school-within-a-school program, its acceptance by the Coalition of Essential Schools, and the program's benefits. A sidebar provides restructuring…

Advisement is a key component of personalized education. Usually, teacher advisors remain with a small group of advisees while they attend a particular school. The anonymity of large schools can be mitigated by creating school learning communities and/or schools-within-schools. Successful examples are profiled. (15 references) (MLH)

This paper presents the findings of a qualitative study that explored knowledge sharing among members of a community of practice (CoP) in a large, urban high school. Findings suggest that social relationships, informal channels, community culture, levels of trust, and spatial factors influence knowledge sharing, and that CoPs have the potential to…

Despite promising research findings and enthusiastic participants, multiyear teacher/student relationships remain uncommon in U.S. schools. The multiyear approach offers great potential for summertime learning. Ambitious pilot programs in Attleboro and Worcester, Massachusetts, and West Bloomfield, Minnesota, are briefly described. (MLH)

Given the widening achievement gap between whites and students of color in US schools, Small Learning Communities have emerged as a reform measure claimed to boost achievement in general and among racial minorities. This article examines this claim by reviewing the major policy documents and literature on SLC and analyzing SLC using Frank's (1972)…

In 1990, Kent-Meridian High School in Kent, Washington, decided to implement four schools within schools, each with its separate academic and career focus. The first section of this paper outlines the 3-year evaluation plan for the Health/Science School (1992-1995), with a focus on identifying program outcomes and developing assessment measures.…

High school is an inescapably vocational institution whose occupational focus is largely hidden. Integration of vocational and academic education through academies, occupationally focused schools, and occupational clusters may eliminate "shopping mall" course selections, improve teaching of all subjects, enhance student engagement with learning,…

Presents results of a school-restructuring case study involving a high school participating in the Coalition of Essential Schools and RE: Learning Project. Nine common coalition principles were implemented, primarily within the school-within-a-school program. Barriers included staff jealousy, political controversy, decreased staff development…

Through dedicated educators' efforts, positive climates can be established even in schools with challenging conditions. This article describes two southern urban high schools that beat the odds. The first, a public high school for African Americans, adopted site-based management; the second features an optional creative and performing arts program…

Large school size adversely affects attendance, school climate, student involvement. Dividing large schools into small units creates a learning and teaching context that is more stable, intimate, supportive, interdisciplinary. Kohn-Holweide, a comprehensive German secondary school, groups all students at a given grade level with the same teachers…

Structured as schools-within-schools, California Partnership Academies are 3-year high school programs beginning in grade 10 and involving the business community. The academies feature courses focused on an occupational theme, coupled with rigorous academic instruction; block scheduling; a selection process identifying promising low-achievers; a…

A significant number of American high schools are trying to restructure the traditional organization by designing smaller house plans, advisory systems, and block schedules enabling them to serve today's students' diverse needs. Besides helping to personalize learning, such nontraditional schooling alternatives can help create a healthy…

The Ninth Grade Houses Program of the New York City public high schools is described, and evaluation outcomes and recommendations are presented. The general goal was to help ninth graders adjust to high school. The purposes were to: (1) generate student engagement; (2) provide opportunity for sustained, meaningful interaction with respected…