The Colorado School of Mines' experience illustrates that with good planning and enough money, a small university can provide a high level of waste management service, complying with government regulations. Considerations in developing the plan include a segregation scheme for incompatible materials, vehicle selection, and costs of ongoing…

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…

Most colleges and universities need to reduce expenditures and downsize. Such a project is difficult and emotionally charged. Many immediate remedies can ba applied to reduce and better control expenditures, but a more thorough analysis of the institution's organizational structure, operating procedures, automated systems, strategic planning, and…

The trend toward bigness and consolidation continues unabated, driven by political, economic, social, and demographic considerations, rather than extensive research attesting to small schools' educational benefits. School size influences social interaction and degree of student alienation. We need to reclaim the small school's sense of community,…

Survey responses by superintendents in 81 of Georgia's 114 rural school districts covered violence prevention policies; use of searches, videocamera surveillance, metal detectors, security alarm systems, dress codes, and law enforcement officers on campus; incidence of removal of weapons and various forms of violence; student discipline programs;…

Investigates the relationship between school size and science and mathematics achievement in Dutch, Swedish, and American secondary education. The analysis revealed little evidence of any school-size effects on achievement in any of the three countries, possibly because school size and curriculum comprehensiveness are not strongly related in these…

Provides national and state information on the number, type, size, and location of schools and districts. Also includes student race/ethnicity, participation in the Free Lunch Program, and participation in special education services. (Author)

Describes seven school downsizing models adopted by school districts in several states to create small schools and schools-within-schools, including inadequacy of "policy by exception." Discusses policy-related challenges of schools-within-schools and small schools. Argues that state and school district policies and structures need to support, not…

Discusses the status of charter schools in New Mexico, including curriculum and instruction, student achievement, effects of school size, school enrollment, facilities, financial management, compliance with rules and regulations, governance, parent and community involvement, satisfaction with charter schools, and impact on local school districts.…

Examines the influence of school attributes, such as pupil/teacher ratio and emphasis on academic achievement, on student participation in high school extracurricular activities. Reveals that the size, school climate, and social milieu of the school affect student involvement in extracurricular activities. (CMK)

Discusses the impact of school size on interdisciplinary teaming, developmentally appropriate classroom practices, school climate, and student outcomes, based on a study of 140 Michigan middle grade schools. Finds that there is no simple answer to the issue of school size; however teaming seems to make smaller schools better and larger schools…

Studies show that deteriorating school facilities take their toll on students' and teachers' health and morale. Classrooms should be accessible to the outdoors; clustered around a commons; adaptable and flexible; and aesthetically pleasing. Architects say natural lighting and noise reduction are routine parts of their job. Research studies support…

Simply carving up a large comprehensive high school into several smaller schools does not guarantee improvement. In this article, the authors find that key lessons garnered from numerous small-school conversions can guide school leaders through the cultural changes that must accompany the structural ones if small schools are to fulfill their…

Consistent with the Williams v. California suit, our focus in this article is on educational equity, particularly the interface between equity and school organization. We concentrate on two structural issues, school size and school overcrowding, and one specific school structure, schools-within-schools. We organize the article as an interpretive…

People know that coaching for verbal and non-verbal reasoning tests can improve scores, although gains can be modest. Nevertheless, scores on retaking such tests can remain stable or even decrease following coaching. People do not know if such findings apply to coaching for tests of attainment. However, research into formative assessment shows…