High school principals can change the status quo of the current iniquitous disparities in the education system between South Carolina's rural high schools and their more populated and affluent suburban schools. Using a non-standard structure and the resources in their control, these school leaders can find solutions so schools can offer rural…

Since the first endeavors at high school restructuring, there have been attempts to summarize the findings on school size (Bickel et al., 2000). However, there has been a wide range of outcomes over the years that have yet to identify a definitive consensus amongst the research on the effects of the small high school movement (Research for Action,…

This qualitative case study identifies the systemic and explicit barriers that impede the progression from high school to college for first-generation college students (FGCS) at a Small Catholic Secondary School in Cincinnati, Ohio. Evidence indicates that FGCS experience more barriers in progressing from high school to college than their non-FGCS…

The purpose of this study was to explore how a career academy featuring an information technology (IT) theme approached the adoption of the model and the particular curricular focus. We used a case study design to explore the experiences of school personnel and community partners associated with the implementation of the career academy. We found…

The purpose of this qualitative, interpretive phenomenological analysis study was to examine and better understand the impact of that one high school's design and specific elements therein had on the higher education outcomes for his low socioeconomic status Latinx students. This study focused on the impact of the small school model, school…

At a time when the United States Department of Education openly advocates for neoliberal, free market policies, exploration of these efforts is needed. Investigation into one such effort, charter schools, can help provide insight into complicated questions surrounding the value and impact of these schools, especially on the marginalized…

Does creating small high schools have a beneficial impact on daily attendance? This question was addressed using time series analysis to examine the case of one urban transfer high school that serves students who previously dropped out of school. This analytical approach is uniquely suitable to examine the dynamical processes characterizing…

Research on teacher professional learning communities (PLCs) has found that part of their benefit comes from increased collegiality. And yet, while the nature of such collegiality is theoretically multifaceted and includes a combination of instrumental, expressive and substantive relationships, this multidimensional nature of PLCs is almost never…

This case study of one small urban California high school enrolling predominantly low-socioeconomic status (SES) Latinx youth and many emergent bilinguals found that a college-for-all school culture, guided by leadership and school vision, was enacted in classrooms as caring, safe, productive spaces promoting college-going comportment. However,…

The United States Federal Government believes that "technology can be a powerful tool for transforming learning" (U.S. Department of Education, 2017, p. 1). The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the beliefs and actions of high school principals regarding technology integration using Bolman and Deal's 4 Frames (Structural,…

This research followed a qualitative analysis model using grounded theory to explore unknown variables regarding integrating technology into the K-12 classroom, focusing on secondary classrooms. This study observed a small private high school in the Southeast region of the United States and its policy requiring students to provide personal…

Poverty can have a profound effect on academic outcomes and college readiness and students from lowincome families are less likely to go to college. The low rates of degree attainment for low-income students raises questions about whether the students who wish to pursue higher education have access to courses that support their readiness for…

The present paper uses a rich dataset based on naturally-occurring lotteries for 68 new small non-selective high schools in New York City, which we refer to as small schools of choice (SSCs), to address two related questions: (1) What high school features are promising levers for increasing graduation rates for disadvantaged students? and (2) What…

Judge Robert Carter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) argued that White supremacy is the leading cause of de facto segregation. However, White supremacy is still undertheorized in educational leadership. Through the lens of Charles Mills' racial contract, this article interprets a controversy surrounding…

Context: Educational reform efforts have taken the form of different school models intended to reduce educational inequality. Personalized, interest-based schools and academically focused, "No Excuses" schools are two leading small-school designs with sharply contrasting approaches to innovation. Given mixed research findings about the…