In 1994, four New York City school reform organizations joined to form the New York Networks for School Renewal (NYNSR) and received the first Annenberg Challenge urban grant. This midterm report describes NYNSR's progress so far. The first two sections present NYNSR goals and how those goals have been met in the first 3 years. The core premise,…

This paper provides an overview of practices in small rural elementary schools in Ireland and recent trends related to school size. There are 3,200 "ordinary" elementary schools in the Republic of Ireland serving children aged 4-12 in eight levels: two preschool levels and grades 1-6. System-wide policies with implications for small…

As part of an international comparative study of active learning in seven countries, a case study examined active learning practices of students and teachers in a small rural school in Finland. Small schools have traditionally existed in the sparsely populated Finnish countryside, and 60 percent of Finnish elementary schools have 1-3 teachers.…

Largely English-speaking female (31) and male (29) students in grades 10-12, ages 15 to 20, with grade point averages from 50 to over 65, in a Native-controlled school, answered questionnaires related to academic success, job interests, travel, off-reserve experiences, and spare time activities (reading, television viewing). (MH)

Describes funded Projects: Mainstreaming (meets needs of handicapped students); Drownproofing (teaches self-survival skills in water); REAP (serves rural outstate schools of Minnesota); Promise (involves students in production of films, slides, transparencies, and other media); Ideas (serves gifted students in rural settings); and Explore…

Center School, one of five alternative schools in Minneapolis, is the only one that is predominantly Indian. There are 45 students: some getting an education in basics, some socializing with people of a common heritage, and some assigned there by the courts. (MLW)

Twinning (or clustering) is the joining together of two or more (usually small) schools administered by one principal, in order to share resources and services. A survey of 104 of the 170 Ontario school boards examined prevalence of twinned schools, organization and administration of twinned schools, types of resources shared, and advantages and…

Describes the implementation of twinning (sharing administrative staff) in two Ontario elementary schools; the actions that the board of education undertook to monitor and assess the demonstration project; and a survey of parents and community members evaluating whether twinning was cost effective, improved program quality in the two schools, and…

Schools in East Oakland (California) serving minority groups experienced overcrowding, poor attendance and graduation rates, and violence. Community groups pressured the school district into opening six new, small charter schools and creating schools within schools at the high schools. Cooperation among community groups, the district, and the Bay…

Research reports from multiple studies in dozens of states have shown there are advantages to learning in small schools. To take advantage of the assets of rural schools and small-town survival, new state policy directions will be necessary in finance, facilities, teacher pay, preparation, and professional and curriculum development. (Contains 10…

Outlines the primary arguments and much of the available evidence on desirable school size. Summarizes important factors in the history of U.S. school consolidation. Suggests that the key to the school size debate may be educational control rather than educational quality. Contains 39 references. (SV)

Research reveals that high school students in small schools participate more in extracurricular activities than their peers in large schools; that a high degree of student participation provides opportunities for enhancing leadership, responsibility, and motivation; that students in small schools feel needed; and that the benefits of…

A teacher discusses the negative effects of collective socialization on students in government controlled public schools. Suggested ways to deconstruct mass schooling include requiring educators in nonteaching positions to teach, simplifying the curriculum, making student learning relevant, keeping schools small and independent, getting rid of…

Two viewpoints criticize the views of DeYoung and others by claiming that the middle school movement came about as a result of research documenting the developmental needs of children. Rejoinder by DeYoung and others maintains that this trend has led to the loss of rural communities and had more to do with economic factors and rural elementary…

Describes the pros and cons of Alaska's unique Family Partnership Charter School, which oversees distribution of public funding to home-schooling families, offers support to help home-schooling parents meet district standards on their own terms, and monitors required purchase of teacher time and expenditures. A sidebar describes an Alaskan…